Eklablog
Editer l'article Suivre ce blog Administration + Créer mon blog

by Sebastian Kluth

Reviving the past in an inspired way - A review of Alice Cooper's ''Paranormal''

Alice Cooper - Paranormal (2017)

Alice Cooper still got it. Six years after the last release Welcome to My Nightmare, Vincent Damon Furnier is back with a twenty-seventh studio album entitled Paranormal. This album offers a quite intriguing mixture for old and new fans. It includes a first disc with ten new tracks recorded by the current line-up and a few guest musicians such as Deep Purple's bassist Roger Glover or ZZ Top's guitarist Billy Gibbons. The second disc offers two new songs recorded by the original Alice Cooper band from the late sixties and early seventies. On top, we get six new live songs of Alice Cooper's greatest hits such as the psychedelic ballad "Only Women Bleed" or the party anthem "School's Out".

The best song of all is the opening title track "Paranormal" in my opinion. The melodic main guitar riff is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. The vocals are also quite variable as Vincent Damon Furnier proves that he handles both the smooth and melodic parts as well as the more powerful and rocking passages very well. The other two highlights are the two tracks recorded with the original line-up. "Genuine American Girl" is a danceable rock 'n roll tune that could come straight from the late sixties or early seventies. Thanks to an inspired performance, the song doesn't sound too old-fashioned but surprisingly refreshing. "You and All of Your Friends" has strong rhythms and vibes and I particularly like the vivid drum play as well as the playful guitar solo. The catchy song gets to the point in only two and a half minutes which has become a forgotten art among contemporary rock bands.

The other new tracks aren't as great as the three mentioned above but they offer solid hard rock music. Some songs are slow and rhythmic, others are a little bit faster and very lively and others again are quite hypnotizing and smooth. These tracks don't offer anything new but present a good mixture of everything Alice Cooper is about.

To keep it short, Alice Cooper's Paranormal might not be the band's greatest hour but it's entertaining and well-crafted hard rock that hasn't lost its charm and energy after all these years. Especially the second disc delivers the goods and proves that Alice Cooper is still an outstanding live act. Buying the new album is recommended but not mandatory but seeing this band live is something any fan of rock music should try to do once in his life.

Final rating: 75%

Retour à l'accueil
Partager cet article
Repost0
Pour être informé des derniers articles, inscrivez vous :