Alice Cooper has been a household name in Rock and Roll for over 50 years. They paved the way and are the ancestors of shredding. In 2023 Alice Cooper continues to deliver their own blend of fright, eyeliner, and quirky blend of rock and roll. This past Friday, their newest album, The Road was released.
Everyone knows the classics such as Eighteen, Poison, Schools Out, and No More Mr. Nice Guy.
Alice has their classic hard rock sound on lockdown. The staples of sound are always in motion with crunchy distortion of the guitar pounding out power chord choruses and squeaky solos.
The crashing cymbals and a funky bass beat in the background make this band as they have always been tight.
Off of the obvious takes, The Road takes a more cartoony vibe to the music and lyrics. With the hard rock fashion, Alice also incorporates these big band instruments into the back with a horn
section. Imagine if you walked into Alice in Wonderland and attended a janky carnival inside it and found a band playing. It would be this album.
In classic shock rock fashion, the album is twisted and convoluted in horror themes and dark tales mixed in a nasty set of crunchy tunes. The album opens with the song, “Im Alice” and it is
almost like a Dr. Seuss rhyme scheme. It talks of Alice and who he is and the dark crevices he seems to put himself into but in a riddler-like fashion.
With the album opening up like a goofy, horror rock carnival ride it doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. Of course back in the 70s being edgier than today and having something to prove you can hear it in the sound and lyrics. But in this album, it seems as if they are having fun and
playing music.
They have nothing to prove or even care if they happen to do so. They are playing but with a scooby doo like wackiness to it, which is kind of super cute.
It is a fun listen, and the best part is the quirkiness. The goofy aspect of the album is the most interesting and as someone who did not know what to expect from Alice Cooper in 2023, I was pleasantly surprised.
Check out The Road now.