Disciple’s Skeleton Psalms (Deluxe Edition) Is the Rock ’n’ Roll Refresher We Needed

“Kevin, if I can’t do that, then I have no business being up there.”

John Schlitt’s words stuck with Kevin Young. Riding back from a show in Germany with Petra — his all-time favorite band — Kevin had just seen the frontman, well into his seventies, take the stage, jump a foot and a half in the air, and lead with unapologetic fire. Kevin was stunned.

“I was just like, I’m going to do this for 25 more years,” Kevin said. “I am in. Let’s go.”

Three decades into leading Christian rock mainstays Disciple, Kevin still carries that fire. With the release of Skeleton Psalms (Deluxe Edition), the band is making it clear: no matter the era, no matter the obstacles, the mission is still alive.

Somewhere between tour dates and studio sessions, Kevin found his songwriting sanctuary — the car.

“My car’s my office,” he says. “75% of all Disciple songs were written in my car.” He adds, “I live about three hours away from Nashville… just driving and listening and driving and singing and, you know, ‘God, what do You want me to say?’”

That prayer has become one of the smartest and most consistent things he’s ever prayed, Kevin says. And it’s not rooted in ease — it’s born from personal battle.

“I’ve also made a lot of mistakes as a Christian and sinned a lot of big sins… felt the weight of shame and failure and all those things,” he shares. “I really have something to say when it comes to God’s faithfulness and His love and His mercy and His grace.”

Kevin’s faith and musical foundation were built through Christian rock itself — from the Whitecross tape a youth pastor gave him, to Petra (his favorite band), to his first concert: Stryper.

“These bands formed me, shaped me,” he says. “Their boldness and all the sacrifice they went through… Christians were outside protesting these bands.”

That fearlessness never left Kevin. He grew up believing Christian music was evangelism — and never considered any other path.

“I didn’t even realize… you could be a Christian musician and not have evangelism,” Kevin says. “I didn’t know you could just be Christians in a band and write positive songs. I thought it was all about evangelism.”

The fruit of that mission is evident. “People receive Christ every time,” Kevin says. “You can count on one hand the amount of times we have presented the gospel and someone did not accept Christ at a show in the last 12 years.”

The band’s audience spans generations. “There’s been three different versions of this band,” Kevin says. “1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 is the last 12 years. And what’s really awesome is that so many people discovered us two, three, five years ago — and 3.0 is their favorite version of Disciple.”

Andrew Stanton, guitarist during this current era, says the key is the connection, not the trends.

“The bands that last are the ones that form a bond with their listeners,” he says. “It goes way deeper than just a hit song.”

That mindset shaped the way Skeleton Psalms was created. Instead of recording more than they needed, they kept the original release to ten songs — saving others for a deluxe edition.

“We finally said, let’s make a smart business decision for once,” Kevin joked. “So that was the plan.”

The band’s creative process is constant. Songs go through countless revisions. “Sometimes we’ll write a song — there’ll be like 11 different versions of it,” Kevin says. “We just keep working and keep building… because we want to create art that we’re proud of.”

Earlier this year, Disciple received a Grammy nomination for their version of “Firm Foundation,” a worship cover of Cody Carnes’ original.

“I’ve heard people pulling over their truck and giving their life to Jesus right there in that moment because they heard this song,” Kevin says. “They go, ‘That’s my song.’ I mean, that’s every artist’s dream.”

The worship side of Disciple’s ministry also birthed a new band: Honor & Glory. While their label suggested they release worship songs under the Disciple name, the band insisted otherwise.

“We didn’t want to mess with that formula,” Kevin says. “We wanted to do a worship album… but we’ve seen our friends do it, and then where was the rock album that we loved from those bands?”

The idea emerged organically. “We’re sitting on the back of the bus… ‘What’d you do this weekend?’ ‘I played at my church.’ ‘Me too.’ ‘Why aren’t we doing this together?’” Kevin recalls. “We were like, well, if we do it, let’s do it under a different name.”

Honor & Glory shows are a completely different experience. “There’s no fireworks, there’s no smoke, there’s no jumping around” Kevin says. “It is literally doing my best to try to forget that anyone else is there and just sing these songs from my heart to Jesus and hope that someone starts singing with me.”

But when it comes to Disciple, the mission is loud — and clear.

“Rock and roll gives us that freedom to say those kinds of things,” Kevin says. “A lot of our songs are dealing with depression and anxiety and people who struggle with suicidal thoughts. That’s been a big message for us — encouraging people to make God, make themselves, a promise to live.”

He adds: “We are bringing the good news to [believers] — that God still loves them, still has mercy for them, still has grace for them, still wants a close relationship with them.”

Even at Winter Jam, where most attendees come for something softer, Kevin sees it on their faces when Disciple hits the stage.

“They hear rock and roll, and then they hear us sing songs like ‘Radical,’” he says. “And they’re like, wait a second, they’re speaking my language… I forgot I actually like this music. And we see it on their faces.”

Skeleton Psalms (Deluxe Edition) is available now everywhere music is streamed or sold. For anyone looking for a voice that understands the struggle — and still points to mercy — Disciple has your soundtrack.

The new release is available now everywhere music is streamed or sold.