Written By: Kristen Jones
American Shock Rocker Alice Cooper has released his 26th studio album Welcome 2 My Nightmare, on September 13th. The album is the much anticipated sequel to Cooper’s 1975 concept album Welcome To My Nightmare.
Welcome 2 My Nightmare was produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin and features an impressive group of collaborators including Keith Nelson, Tommy Henriksen and Dick Wagner among others. There are also three tracks on the album performed with the members of the original Alice Cooper band.
Welcome 2 My Nightmare begins with the slow and haunting “I Am Made Of You”. The song’s intro contains the same eerie piano melody that opens “Steven” on the original. The track is brought to life in typical Cooper fashion before closing with the same piano piece.
Next is the more upbeat “Caffeine”, a catchy song and the second single to be released off the album. This is followed by “The Nightmare Returns”, a brief transitional piece featuring the familiar piano of the original Welcome To My Nightmare once again.
Up until this point the sound of the album is mainly classic rock, but that soon changes and with the eclectic mix that follows, there is sure to be something for everyone.
Like with the songs “Last Man On Earth” and its big band sound, or the surfer inspired rock of “Ghouls Gone Wild” and especially “Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever”; this song has an unusual techno-disco mix and showcases Cooper’s “rapping” abilities. Not to mention the great guitar solo at the end played by John5 [Lowery], when the track takes on a more rock inspired sound.
Welcome 2 My Nightmare comes to an end with “I Gotta Get Outta Here” and the closer “The Underture”, an instrumental piece featuring themes and music from both the original and this new album.
Favourites on this album include “The Congregation” with special guest Rob Zombie and “I’ll Bite Your Face Off”, the album’s first single and performed by the original Alice Cooper Band.
A few songs that I wasn’t overly excited about were “When Hell Comes Home”, a disturbing tale about abuse and revenge and the eighties sounding pop-rock duet “What Baby Wants”, featuring Ke$ha.
Overall I really enjoyed this album. It was well done and felt like more of an experience than a collection of songs; best listened to from beginning to end. With all the collaborations, genre experiments and dark humour, Welcome 2 My Nightmare is a great addition to any Alice Cooper collection.
