The Nightmare Returns

Welcome 2 My Nightmare - Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper’s latest attack on rock ‘n’ roll comes in the form of a sequel to his 1975 classic album Welcome To My Nightmare. This new release sees him once again exploring his most theatrical and imaginative side which perfectly captures the essence of his earlier work. The shock rock king takes listeners on a whirlwind journey into the depths of a nightmare, proving this album to be so much more than just a collection of songs.

     Opening with the deliciously eerie I Am Made Of You, Alice sets the scene and tone of the record as the nightmare begins. As the album weaves into following track Caffeine, a forceful, chant-worthy number, onto rock ballad The Nightmare Returns, it’s clear that every song on this album is dramatically different from the next. Alice uses every instrument at his disposal, ranging from the delicate tinkle of a piano to the eruption of the guitars, giving the album a true sense of a master at work. Indeed, with Alice surprises are to be expected, so don’t be too alarmed as he raps (that’s right, he raps) along to the disco beat in Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever. But before those lifelong Cooper fans stir into rage at this unlikely metamorphosis in sound and character, you can rest assured that he is quite plainly making a not-so-subtle mockery of the hip-generation; a genre of music which Alice is so forcefully against.

     The rock veteran certainly hasn't developed a soft touch over the years, as is quite clearly shown in the hard-edged first single release I’ll Bite Your Face Off – well the title says it all really. But alongside these straight-up rock ‘n’ roll hits to which Alice is so accustomed, he ventures into uncharted territory in such songs as Ghouls Gone Wild, a delightfully upbeat, and catchy hit that serves to bring a sense of fun and vibrancy to the nightmare, and What Baby Wants, where he collaborates with pop party queen Kesha. It is an unlikely collaboration to say the least, yet it works surprisingly well. The nightmare closes with the appropriately entitled song I Gotta Get Outta Here. It is during this last charade that Alice battles to leave his nightmare world and head back to the land of the living. Yet as the song draws to an end, and Alice pleads to escape, listeners are left on somewhat of a cliff-hanger – is he dead or not? Can he leave? Is it over? Well, I’ll leave that for you to decide yourself.

     Welcome 2 My Nightmare is a theatrical, flamboyant, and unpredictable album that is quite unlike anything else on the shelf – which of course is Cooper’s style through and through. The album is more than simply music; it is an adventure into the dark and mysterious world of Alice, and it has such a sense of grandeur and class that it leaves you in no doubt that this is the work of a true rock genius: a legend.


**As seen in The Motion Online**