In the 13 years since forming the band Skillet, John Cooper has led his band through a variety of lineup and stylistic changes. What has stayed constant throughout is Cooper's conviction that music can be a powerful force of hope in what he sees as an increasingly darkening world. This assertion is at the heart of the band's eighth studio project Awake, a sleek rocker of an album that could help push Cooper and co. into a new level of mainstream success.

Your lyrics plumb deep into people's emotions and struggles. Where is that coming from: personal issues or from the people you interact with?

John Cooper: Both. I get inspired talking to fans and reading e-mails from them. A lot of times, what is happening in their life I relate to my own issues. This is what they're going through and this is a sentiment we can share. The songs on the record are personal to me. Every song I relate to in some kind of way, dealing with a lot of issues with self. The struggles that are within you, about who you really are and who you want to be.

One song that really stands out in that regard is "Monster." What can you tell me about that?

Cooper: In a theological sense, the song is about original sin. You are born into the human race, you're guilty or sinful, no matter what you hope to be. "Monster" is about the fact that there is somebody we know we don't want to be. Some people call it the old man or the old self. That guy wants to creep out when you're driving and somebody cuts you off. You wonder as a Christian, how do I keep it at bay? I liken it to the idea of a '50s horror film of this beast inside you coming alive.

The new album also has a lot of songs that deal with loss. Why?

Cooper: I have dealt with a lot of loss in my life. My mom died when I was 14 and that same year, my best friend died. There have been times in my life things seemed difficult, but it has caused me to be retrospective and to learn how to deal with loss or emptiness—that feeling that you don't have anything to live for.

How did the loss of those two important people affect you?

Cooper: There are always good things that can happen out of situations like that. I believe that all things work together for the good of Christ. In dealing with the worst thing that has happened in my life, I started to know Jesus as a friend. I became a Christian when I was a kid, but when my mom died, I knew him as a friend and I knew that no matter what happens, Jesus won't let you down.

The album has a very distinctive cover. What was the inspiration behind it?

Cooper: When I decided to call the album Awake, I talked to an artist about what I was looking for and what that idea meant for the record. It's that idea that you've been in a car wreck or something serious has happened to you. You're in a coma or you were knocked out and came to in a hospital. The idea was you're awake, which seems like a good thing, but maybe you are a little hesitant to take the bandages off because you're afraid of what you might look like. It worked well with the concept of the record that the world is getting darker and there are people that want to take your beliefs away by telling you that what's important is being cool and rich. But it's time for you to strip all that away, to wake up and face the world head on.

I want people to feel hopeful from listening to this record. We want to bring hope to the hopeless. And going through some of the things I've gone through, maybe the Devil wanted to bring all this bad stuff into my life because he hoped I would be embittered toward God. But I clung to Jesus and found a friend. There's always hope. There's always a chance to start over.

You've gone through a lot of lineup changes within the band. Has that been hard on the group dynamic or is it easy to plug someone new into the mix?

Cooper: It's a little of both. One reason is that I write all the music myself and I'm kind of in charge of the direction of the sound. I mean, of course I do have help from my bandmates, but I know what I want the band to be and what I want it to sound like, so I can help train them to be the instrumentalist and musician that we're looking for. But, you know, every musician brings a different flavor and thankfully that's benefitted us. Having Jen [Ledger] come into the band, it was a little hard because our other drummer was so experienced and so good that Jen had some bit shoes to fill. But she's so hard working and so talented and you and excited that it brought a lot of inspiration to the band too.