{"id":10756,"date":"2024-01-12T19:54:22","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T00:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/?p=10756"},"modified":"2024-01-23T19:00:23","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T00:00:23","slug":"alice-cooper-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/alice-cooper-road\/","title":{"rendered":"ALICE COOPER: Road"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Road<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Looking through the rearview mirror at 2023, there were quite a few older bands who released new material (Winger, L.A. Guns, Dokken, Extreme, Jethro Tull, for example) but few as old as Alice Cooper. While I\u2019ve heard and read some buzz around all these other releases, Road<\/em>, his 29th<\/sup> studio album released in late August 2023, kind of fell under the radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rearview Mirror<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I will be the first to confess I am not deeply familiar with all the legendary showman\u2019s back catalog, other than, of course, his greatest hits from those albums. (What can I say, as a pre-teen my parents didn\u2019t approve of his music, haha). Suffice it to say, die-hard fans don\u2019t need me to regurgitate his litany of success, both in the studio and on the \u201croad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, for me, the trilogy of The Last Temptation<\/em>, the spectacular Brutal Planet<\/em> and the highly under-appreciated Dragontown<\/em> remain the most intriguing to my more progressive metal mind. Those 3 albums were so chock full of critical, yet truthful, observations about human nature, and the heavier, more metal approach (at least to the latter two) was killer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, in the current era of Cooper, since the release of Dragontown<\/em>, the eclectic Welcome 2 My Nightmare<\/em> would be another highlight for its diversity, creativity and commitment to the \u201cultimate sequel\u201d formula. Funny, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the Road Again<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not surprisingly, when you hear about the release of new material from Alice Cooper you assume the songs will be well-crafted, well-executed, well-recorded and mixed. You assume also the songs will possess tons of catchy melodies and hooks and plenty of the raw wit and \u201csobering observation\u201d we\u2019ve come to expect from the Cooper exegesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, Cooper always surrounds himself with the best rock musicians (and longtime friend Bob Ezrin) in the world. If guitar phenom Nita Strauss isn\u2019t enough, you\u2019ve got Ryan Moxie and Tommy Henriksen on guitars, and Chuck Carric on bass. And drummer extraordinaire Glen Sobel (who has played with Impellitteri) has been with Cooper for how many years now? His playing is dynamic, explosive and precise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As to Road<\/em>, it is all those things and more, yet this one has many throwback moments to the \u201870\u2019s and 80\u2019s material \u2013 with the exception of a few songs, Road<\/em> is a good \u2018ole fashioned Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll, tongue-in-cheek record. However, the thread of more \u201cday-to-day\u201d elements of \u201clife on the road\u201d winds through all these tracks. Even the cover song of The Who\u2019s \u201cMagic Bus<\/strong>\u201d is a fitting \u201cencore\u201d of sorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Alice Cooper Show<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Road <\/em>plays through like a live show, which is likely the intent. The sound and mix is not quite as raw as a live mix, but these songs don\u2019t sound \u201cover-produced.\u201d There is a good balance of treble and bass, the vocals always clear in the mix, yet every instrument easily discernable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lyrically, well this is Alice Cooper, you know what to expect, so I won\u2019t dwell on the specifics other than to say they are in keeping more with the kind of thing we\u2019ve heard from him during the first two decades of his career, which some might find distasteful, especially some of the allusions in \u201cBig Boots\u201d and \u201cWhite Line Frankenstein.\u201d Honestly, though, most of his descriptives poke fun at the life of a rock star and life of those \u201con the road.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setlist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Part I: Re-introductions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The opening trio of songs serve as an introduction to Alice (\u201cI\u2019m Alice<\/strong>\u201d), an intro to the show (\u201cWelcome to the Show<\/strong>\u201d) and a statement of purpose (\u201cAll Over the World<\/strong>\u201d). Just like any great setlist, in the opening tracks you want to connect with your fans, find that common ground, and get the party started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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