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Alice Cooper. Michael Bruce. Dennis Dunaway. Neal Smith. Back together again in 2025 with a brand new album. 52 years after ‘Muscle of Love’, the last studio album by the OG’s – the original Alice Cooper band. Who saw that coming?
There have been various get-togethers along the way; Alice Cooper’s 2011 album ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ saw a handful of Cooper songs co-written and recorded by Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith, and Michael Bruce; October 2015 saw a surprise reunion by the four surviving members of the original Alice Cooper band in Dallas. Cooper, Dunaway, Smith, and Bruce were joined by longtime AC-lead guitarist Ryan Roxie (in place of the late Glen Buxton), and the eight-song set was released as ‘Live from the Astroturf.’ In amongst the classic tracks were snippets of banter between the bandmates that suggested this could lead to something on a larger scale. Fast forward to 2017, and Dunaway, Smith, and Bruce join Alice on his UK tour and make an appearance for the five-song encore.
Cooper fans would have been happy if that was the end of the story. One last hurrah from a band once considered a threat to modern society. Dunaway, Smith, and Bruce appearing on Cooper’s 2021 album ‘Detroit Stories’ offered a glimmer of hope. But a full album? With the unofficial sixth member of the band, uber-producer Bob Ezrin, sitting in the producer’s chair, and featuring resurrected guitar licks from the much-missed Glen Buxton? Inconceivable. And then, in April of this year, cryptic messages started appearing on Cooper’s social media accounts… something was coming. And that something is ‘The Revenge of Alice Cooper’.
‘Muscle of Love’ was regarded as the original band shedding its theatrics and, in essence, returning to being a rock n roll band. ‘The Revenge of Alice Cooper’ continues this train of thought. It’s also the longest album in Alice Cooper band history, coming in at 14 tracks and 50 minutes in length (compared to the 8 tracks and 37 minutes of 1971’s classic ‘Killer’ album). Performing the lion’s share of the lead guitar work is Nashville-based guitarist and bandleader Gyasi Heus (pronounced Jah-see), with Rick Tedesco from the Dennis Dunaway Project also credited.
‘Black Mamba’ is the slithering, seductive album opener that has Alice performing as the titular character in such a way that it recalls one of Disney’s animated snake characters; more Kaa from The Jungle Book than Sir Hiss from Robin Hood: “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”. On the “Ya ya ya ya/Ya ya ya ya…” refrain, it’s easy to imagine Alice/Kaa hypnotising their prey. Throw in the gorgeous, almost-tribal-like drumming from the Platinum God Neal Smith, and the unmistakable throbbing bass licks from Dennis Dunaway, and it is classic Alice Cooper that, were it not for the modern-day production values, could slot in seamlessly on albums such as ‘Killer’, or even Cooper’s second solo album 1976’s ‘Alice Cooper Goes To Hell’ where it would have formed a knockout 1-2 partnership with ‘Go To Hell’.
Robby Krieger from The Doors pops up with a guitar solo on ‘Black Mamba’, which is strange, only because the track that immediately follows, ‘Wild Ones’, has so many Doors-isms that you would swear that Krieger was the guest on this one. Fast-paced, with Smith controlling the pace expertly, it is a fantastic slice of Detroit rock n roll, with Dunaway stealing the MVP title with his trademark groove.
‘Kill The Flies’ is nutty in the way that only an Alice Cooper track can be. Schizophrenic, deranged vocals from Cooper, mixed with some Beach Boys-like doo-wop backing vocals, it is nutty. ‘One Night Stand’ is another highlight. Partly performed in a narrative style by Alice, it has a Frank Miller ‘Sin City’ feel to it, and it’s easy to imagine the monochrome video that would accompany it. Neal Smith, man, he is dancing behind that kit. His tom-tom work is exceptional.
‘Blood On the Sun’ is the longest of the 14 tracks and packs a lot into its 6 minutes. One for the air-drummers out there, it is special. And once again, everything goes through Smith. Every turn in style, every change of pace; all down to Smith and his percussive work that at times is both explosive and soulful (is that a nod to the hi-hat work on ‘Across 110th Street’ around the 3-minute mark?). The guitar-led breakdown midsong thrills, the Gilmour-esque guitar work soars, and Smith’s military-style drumming is perfect. Another track that could be described as “Classic Alice Cooper”.
‘Famous Face’ is a Michael Bruce-penned riff-driven beast that sticks out from the pack thanks to the inclusion of a B3 Organ, an instrument that always adds another dimension to any track. Combined with low riffs and laidback vocals from Cooper, it has a sleazy feel to it that hits the spot. Thanks to some finger-snapping and a delicious swing, ‘What A Syd’ is primo ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ Alice Cooper. Alice singing ‘Trouble’ (the Elvis version), mixed with the Pink Panther theme…totally love it.
Alice sounds as amazing as he always does, and when he breaks out the blues harp on ‘Intergalactic Vagabond Blues’ it is fair to say that he is having a total ball. As he also does on the Jerry Lee Lewis-fuelled ‘What Happened To You’, which has the OG’s going back to their roots on a boot-stomping, hip-shaking romp that features those resurrected Glen Buxton guitar licks mentioned earlier. Would be a thrill to hear this one performed live by Alice’s current band – can just see Ryan Roxie duckwalking along the raised stage ala Chuck Berry.
Ending on the poignant ‘See You On The Other Side’, which is a heartfelt tribute to Buxton and other fallen comrades (RIP Ozzy), ‘The Revenge of Alice Cooper’ is a resounding success. A genuine pleasure to hear these guys back together again, and there are easily 4 or 5 tracks that could slot into the current set list. Who knows what comes next with regards to the original Alice Cooper band. There must be acres of lost tracks lying in a vault somewhere. If you are one of the lucky ones to have scored a ticket to the album launch/Q&A in London on July 24th (watch HERE), then maybe you could ask what is next?
‘The Revenge of Alice Cooper’ is available July 25th via earMUSIC, pre-order HERE.
Alice Cooper at The O2 London, July 25th, more information, HERE.
Review – Dave
Portrait images – credit Jenny Risher
Live image – credit Dave Jamieson
