Album of the week: Alice Cooper is very good with "Paranormal"
28/07/2017
written by Michel Imhof
He is celebrated as the forefather of shock rock. But Alice Cooper no longer shocks at all. But that doesn't matter.
The artist
Alice Cooper has been on the road since the 70s and landed big hits with "Poison" and "School's Out". His concerts were half horror films, he had his head cut off on stage several times and used electric chairs, fake blood and other paraphernalia for his creepy performances. However, Alice Cooper on stage is by no means Alice Cooper off stage. "Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain died because they wanted to be like their stage character at all times. That's why they drank and took drugs," the 69-year-old told the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper. "When I stopped drinking, I decided for myself: I want to coexist with the stage character Alice Cooper. But I don't want to be her all the time." Not only that: the shock rocker is a very devout Christian: "Jesus has never said to me: 'By the way, you can't be a rock star'. He said: 'If you want to be a rock star, be the best'," he says. And anyone who now associates shock rock with Satan is wrong: "There's nothing Satanic in my show. There's a lot of black humor and other funny things. But there will never be any blasphemous aspects."
The album
There has been no new music from Alice Cooper for six years. With "Paranormal", the rocker is now releasing an album with a nostalgia factor. In addition to ten new tracks, it also contains two brand new songs and a recording of a concert with the original Alice Cooper band. Alice Cooper didn't let himself get carried away for the album: U2 drummer Larry Mullen and ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons can be heard as guest musicians, and the album was produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and others).
Verdict
First of all: this album is by no means shocking. "Paranormal" features melodious (glam) rock songs that are sometimes more rock 'n' roll, sometimes sound like they've come straight from the Broadway stage. "Rocky Horror Show"? The only thing that can come close to being scary are the lyrics. The rest is good rock, which at times reminds you of a chilbi concert and at other times of a musical.
Playing tip
Rats: Punky rock 'n' roll song with a catchy chorus. Give the rats what they want!
