Alice Cooper - The Revenge of Alice Cooper

  by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 17 / 8 / 2025

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Review

Not too many septuagenarians enjoy strutting around a stage bedecked with guillotines, fake blood and live boa constrictors whilst caked in scary make-up and jet black eye-liner. - But most septuagenarians are not Alice Cooper! Alice is back with a new album – ‘The Revenge Of Alice Cooper’ - which features the three other surviving members of his original band for the first time since 1973. Born 77 years ago as Vincent Furnier, Alice lives up to his hard-earned reputation as the godfather of shock rock and the new record features guitar heroics, tuneful power ballads plus plenty of blood-spattered, tongue-in-cheek humour. With original producer Bob Ezrin also back again plus a posthumous appearance from guitarist Glen Buxton who died in 1997, there are nostalgic echoes of Detroit-born Alice's early hits like ‘School's Out’ and ‘Elected’. Simplicity is prized over sophistication and “The Revenge Of Alice Cooper” is fast-moving and punchy. Opening track ‘Black Mamba’ sets the tone as Alice sings sinisterly, “I think I'll hide inside your bed sheets, coiled into the folds so white.....I'll just watch you while you're sleeping, darling, and decide if I should bite”. With guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neal Smith joined by ex-Doors guitarist Robby Krieger and with Alice's voice still strong, the song strikes a macabre note with the singer playing a slinky, venomous snake! From there on, theatrical rock jostles happily with ballads. On ‘Kill The Flies’ Alice sings about his dislike of winged insects whilst ‘Money Screams’ seems like a homage to the 70s punk of The Clash - who Alice was always impressed by. It is, however, evident that, underneath the flamboyance and the shock tactics, Alice – who is widely acknowledged in the music business as a highly accomplished musician – still knows how to craft a decent tune. In fact both Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney have in the past praised Alice's songwriting. On the Kinks-like ‘Crap That Gets In The Way Of Your Dreams”’ Alice ponders what might have happened, had he never made it as a rock performer whilst ‘Famous Face’ is a discourse on empty celebrity. - As I well recall, these are both subjects Alice enjoys discussing in face-to-face interviews! ‘See You On The Other Side’ is a gentler ballad where Alice pays tribute to rock star friends he has lost along the way. In interviews he has often spoken of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Moon and, as the years pass, there will be many more to add to that list. “Your rivers went raging by, your mountains were all way too high,” Alice sings, poignantly. This is a fitting finale from a rock and roll survivor whose inspiration has certainly not yet run dry!

Track Listing:-

1 Black Mamba
2 Wild Ones
3 Up All Night
4 Kill The Flies
5 One Night Stand
6 Blood On The Sun
7 Crap That Gets In The Way Of Your Dreams
8 Famous Face
9 Money Screams
10 What A Syd
11 Intergalactic Vagabond Blues
12 What Happened To You
13 I Ain't Done Wrong
14 See You On The Other Side

Band Links:-

http://www.alicecooper.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AliceCooper/
https://twitter.com/realalicecooper
https://www.instagram.com/alicecooper/

Label Links:-

http://www.ear-music.net/en/news/
https://plus.google.com/+earMUSICoffic
https://www.facebook.com/earmusicoffic
https://twitter.com/earMUSICedel

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