When Skillet's John Cooper sings about "worldwide Jesus domination" on the opening track of Alien Youth, you get the feeling he's leading a force seldom seen (or heard) before. That's certainly the case for this fascinating release with few parallels in the Christian music world. Grinding guitars, spacey keyboards, and machine-gun drums are all held together by Cooper's keen sense of melody. It's a lead-heavy release with blast-off tracks like "Rippin Me Off," Skillet's harsh message for Marilyn Manson, plus "Earth Invasion" and "Kill Me Heal Me." Yet Skillet softens the sonic blows with kinder and gentler gems like "You Are My Hope," "Thirst Is Taking Over" and "Will You Be There?" No doubt Cooper and his bandmates have claimed new ground in the name of their Lord. It might be worth catching a ride with this generation of Alien Youth. --Michael Lyttle