Music review: Alice Cooper – ëƵParanormalëƵ
Welcome once again to the nightmare that never ends. Following 2011ëƵs ëƵWelcome 2 My NightmareëƵ with the equally disturbing ëƵParanormal,ëƵ instead of being dead and buried, the chilling showmanship antics of Alice Cooper are alive and well.
The title track opens the creepy festivities with a calming guitar introduction that soon enough bleeds a darker tone as the shock-rock icon sings, ëƵWhen the night is all cool skin and bones/And you lie wrapped in sheets on your own/ThereëƵs a ring on your dead telephone/DonëƵt be scared when thereëƵs nobody home.ëƵ The sinister number also features assistance from Deep PurpleëƵs Roger Glover.
On ëƵDead Flies,ëƵ Cooper steadily pounds out a warning to stay clear of the propaganda spewed by the numerous false prophets demanding our attention and asking us to join together in the consumption of the tainted lies being served.
ZZ TopëƵs Billy Gibbons adds a smooth blues-rock boogie to CooperëƵs comical look at romance gone wrong on ëƵFallen In Love.ëƵ The album also showcases the drumming of U2ëƵs Larry Mullen Jr. on the majority of studio tracks.
ëƵDynamite RoadëƵ and ëƵPrivate Public BreakdownëƵ detail the excesses of being a rock star and the demons that attempt to attach themselves to the fast-paced lifestyle that many performers have fallen victim to.
As an added treat for longtime fans, the new release includes a second disc with two arrangements written and recorded with original band members Dennis Dunaway, Neil Smith and Michael Bruce.
ëƵGenuine American GirlëƵ shows the lighter side of Cooper as we realize that appearances can be deceiving, while ëƵYou and All of Your FriendsëƵ provides a descriptive warning about when to expect when Cooper arrives in your hometown for a little bit of madness and mayhem.
The bonus disc also features live performances of ëƵNo More Mr. Nice Guy,ëƵ ëƵUnder My Wheels,ëƵ ëƵBillion Dollar Babies,ëƵ ëƵFeed My Frankenstein,ëƵ ëƵOnly Women BleedëƵ and ëƵSchoolëƵs Out.ëƵ
Only Cooper can make his nightmares this entertaining on stage with a little help from a guillotine, menacing black widow spider and boa constrictor, electric chair, straitjacket and a giant Frankenstein.
One thing is for sure, IëƵll be in the crowd when Cooper and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Deep Purple roll into Pittsburgh for a performance at KeyBank Pavilion on Sept. 1. The nightmare continues indeed.