Review ALICE COOPER ‘The Revenge of Alice Cooper’

So, the DeLorean’s right there at the front door, and we hop in to take a trip back in time, you know? We type in June 1972, June 30th to be precise. We step on the gas and, after a short journey, when the door opens, we find ourselves standing in the middle of the release party for Alice Cooper‘s ‘School’s Out’ album. That’s the feeling you get when listening to ‘The Revenge of Alice Cooper’.

The shock rock pioneer’s new album is an exciting journey through time, merging the past with the present. The Alice Cooper band has reunited for the first time in 50 years, and with ‘The Revenge of Alice Cooper’ they have a superb album at their disposal.

Alice Cooper (vocals), Michael Bruce (guitar), Dennis Dunaway (bass), Neal Smith (drums) and Glen Buxton (guitar) wrote music history with the aforementioned ‘School’s Out’ album, as well as ‘Billion Dollar Babies’, longplayers containing timeless hits such as ‘Elected’ and ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy’. It is exciting that the band has worked together again and recorded a new album, and the anticipation increased further when the lead single ‘Black Mamba’ was released.

‘Black Mamba’ is also the album’s opening track, and as soon as it begins, you are reminded of the dark, psychedelic video for ‘Welcome to My Nightmare’. The song’s lyrics reflect why Alice Cooper rose to become the Master of Shock Rock. ‘Black Mamba’ is the perfect opener, slowly but surely grinding its way into the human subconscious.

In contrast, ‘Wild Ones’ is a more energetic song. This uptempo song is an antithesis to the opener, spreading a rebellious energy. By the time you reach ‘Up All Night’, you are catapulted back to the 70s. ‘Up All Night’ embodies the essence of all the songs on the album as it is the special swing that characterises rock ‘n’ roll which connects all the songs on this record. ‘One Night Stand’ is one such song, with that certain special something, not to mention the characteristic Alice Cooper lyrics.

Alice Cooper has always been somewhat dramatic, and songs like ‘Blood on the Sun’ embody this. ‘Famous Face’, on the other hand, is built around a huge riff and pounding rhythm. What becomes more and more apparent is the outstanding work of Bob Ezrin, who knows like no other how to put Alice Cooper songs in the spotlight. The entire album sounds powerful and dynamic, with Ezrin successfully transporting a retro vibe into the present.

One of the album’s highlights is certainly ‘What a Syd’. This haunting song showcases Alice Cooper’s full range, featuring a pulsating bass intro. Blues and harmonica form the foundation of the powerful ‘Intergalactic Vagabond Blues’, which leads into the rebellious rocker ‘What Happened to You’. This song is special because it features an unreleased guitar part by Glen Buxton, who passed away in 1997.

The album also features ‘See You on the Other Side’, a quiet and eerie song. This is followed by ‘Return of the Spiders 2025’, the first of two bonus tracks with ‘Titanic Overunderture’ being the cinematic finale and the second bonus track.

The world of rock music has been surprised once again by Alice Cooper, whose latest release with his old bandmates is just as successful as his more recent work. Fortunately, you don’t need a DeLorean to embark on this musical time-travelling journey. A record player is enough.

‘The Revenge of Alice Cooper’ contains everything you could wish for from such an album. Powerful rock music with roots in the ’70s, hard rock, psychedelic moments, and shock lyrics that perhaps aren’t as shocking today as they were back then — these are the cornerstones of the new Alice Cooper album, and anyone who doesn’t add it to their collection has only themselves to blame.