''Alien Youth'' is the fourth studio album by American

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band

Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...

. Developing their sound into hard-hitting industrial rock, it was released August 28, 2001 through

Ardent Records Ardent Records is an American record label based in Memphis, which was founded by John Fry in 1959. Ardent of the 1960s and 1970s featured pop music acts and was distributed by Stax Records from 1972 until 1975. It is best remembered today for Bi ...

. This was the first Skillet album to include

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

Ben Kasica Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1996. The band currently consists of husband John Cooper (lead vocals, bass) and wife Korey Cooper (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) along with Jen Ledger (dr ...

, replacing Kevin Haaland. Kasica joined Skillet late in the recording process for the album, only recording guitars on "Earth Invasion". It peaked at No. 141 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 16 on The Australian Christian Albums Chart.

Track listing

All songs written by John L. Cooper, except where noted.

Music video

The video for "Alien Youth" features the band in a futuristic city, wearing futuristic clothes much like those seen in the "Best Kept Secret" video. The opening shot is something coming down to earth. It then cuts to the futuristic city, circling around a tower with large screens at the top that display the album cover. The band is mostly shown playing in the middle of the city, with various shots of the individual band members being shown on large television screens. The video was shot on a green screen.

Credits

Credits taken from the CD liner notes. Skillet * John Cooper – vocals, bass, sampling, programming * Korey Cooper – keyboards, sampling, programming, backing vocals * Kevin Haaland – guitars (1, 2, 4-12) *

– guitars (3) *

Lori Peters Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1996. The band currently consists of husband John Cooper (lead vocals, bass) and wife Korey Cooper (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) along with Jen Ledger (dr ...

– drums Additional musicians * Wendy Brookes – cello * Nikki Frey – first violin * Teresa Pingitore – second violin * John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Christine Mundie and Jono Pingitore – group vocals (4) Technical * John L. Cooper – producer *

Skidd Mills Skidd Mills is a songwriter/producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Skidd began his career at Ardent Studios in 1991. There he learned from the likes of John Hampton, Joe Hardy, Jim Dickinson, and Paul Ebersold. In 2001, Skidd left Ardent and start ...

– mixing (2, 3, 6), co-producer (3), engineer (3) * Pete Matthews – engineer (1, 2, 4-12), mixing (1, 4, 7-12) * Josh Horton – assistant engineer * Jonathan Steitz – additional engineering, Pro Tools operator * Scott Hull – mastering at Classic Sound (New York, NY) * Allen Clark – photography * Maria Estes – make-up

Charts

DVD

''Alien Youth: The Unplugged Invasion'' was Skillet's first DVD, released in 2002 by

. They perform four songs from ''Alien Youth'' and one from '' Invincible'' as a mini acoustic concert. All of the instruments are unplugged (besides the keyboards) in place of acoustic guitar and softer drums. In addition, it includes the "Best Kept Secret" music video, a Bible Study from John Cooper, and a photo gallery of the unplugged performance.

Track listing

# "Alien Youth" # "One Real Thing" # "Kill Me, Heal Me" # "You Are My Hope" # "Best Kept Secret" (from ''Invincible'')

References

{{Authority control 2001 albums Skillet (band) albums Ardent Records albums