BY ENRICO SPINELLI.
Alice Cooper certainly has nothing left to prove. Our friendly seventy-eight-year-old rocker hasn't just created "Shock Rock" and written some timeless classics, but has explored practically every nuance of music, proving himself fully capable of mastering every genre, from glam to industrial, from punk to nu-metal, including hip-hop collaborations and retro-inspired concept albums.
Now on his thirtieth (!) album and in a phase of his career that's anything but declining—hear his previous works to believe it—he takes the liberty of calling upon the historic members of the Alice Cooper band (integrating some recordings by the late Glen Buxton into the tracks) not for a handful of songs like on "Paranormal," but for an entire album that somehow harks back to his early days, iconic from its exquisite vintage horror-inspired cover and featuring longtime producer Bob Ezrin. And the result?
Let's get this out of the way right away: the album is truly, truly beautiful! And it's beautiful for several reasons, first and foremost for its authenticity: it's not a contrived, artificial work, much less a pandering one. It's not intended to be an ideal sequel to "Muscle of Love," which marked the end of the band 52 years ago. Rather, it aims to demonstrate how the sensibilities and artistic affinities of these gentlemen are still capable of working with a more modern, contemporary sound.
What emerges is a warm, fun, genuine, authentic listen, made of classic rock 'n' roll with simple yet effective patterns, a captivating chorus, and then those unsettling moments that good old Alice always enjoys inserting to unsettle the listener, like the opener "Black Mamba" or the haunting "Kill the Flies." Then there's "Blood of the Sun," which, with its many tempo changes and a killer central instrumental, could be described as a mini-rock suite. A masterful close with the ballad "See You on the Other Side".
Perhaps there could have been a couple fewer songs, and it's also true that the more disturbing and provocative passages of the past are missing, but honestly, I think that overall these gaps don't detract from a magnificent, classy work, created by someone who still has fun on that stage and knows how to entertain and shock those who buy his records and, above all, is thrilled and scared to see him live...because ours still knows how to scare!
Thanks, Alice, thank you for the thirtieth time... and the show goes on....