Alice Cooper -- 'Along Came a Spider' [review]

Alice Cooper - Along Came a Spider
SPV Records (7/29/08)
Rock

Thirty years into a career and Alice Cooper is still managing to crank out solid material. And much like his more metallic doppelganger, Ozzy Osbourne (if Ozzy’s the godfather of metal, there’s no reason Alice can’t hold the same title for rock), it’s as much about the talent you surround yourself with as it is about your own.

On Along Came a Spider, Cooper has his own little core (Kiss drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Danny Saber) for the most part, with a revolving door of musicians to fill in the missing pieces, most notably guitarist Slash adding an entire new dimension to “Vengeance is Mine.” Sharing songwriting credits is an equally eclectic bunch—from Keri Kelli to Jani Lane (Warrant) and Osbourne himself.

Musically, Cooper tries to take a page from the various touchstones in his career. The concept album, spinning a tale (no pun intended) of a serial killer named Spider that wraps his victims in silk and takes a leg, eventually killing eight to form his spider, features an interesting mix of material. “I Know Where You Live” and “I’m Hungry” harks back to 70s-era Cooper, with a low-key, garage-rock feel. “Catch Me If You Can” feels like an outtake from 1991’s Hey Stoopid, while “Wake the Dead” pulls from Cooper’s later experiments with industrial music (and ironically comes across like a cover of Beck covering Cooper). Cooper even goes for a Beatles homage with the ballad “Killed By Love” (probably one of the stronger ballads he’s crafted over a long career).

Cooper still sounds best when attempting balls-out rock, that’s why tracks like “Vengeance Is Mine” and “(In Touch With) Your Feminine Side” shine brightest. It doesn’t hurt that Singer puts forth such a strong outing behind the drum kit. And while the lyrics may be a little mundane or lacking most of the time, Cooper still manages to craft an engrossing tale (think of it like a horror comic brought to life through song). The lowest point on the album, “Salvation,” is being universally panned simply because is sounds out of place on the album (perhaps it could have been saved away for a Cooper attempt at musical theater instead).

In the end, you have a nice little concept album, which Cooper has proved he has a knack for, that ranks somewhere between Dragontown and Welcome to my Nightmare -- or, if you’re a diehard fan, much stronger than The Last Temptation. Speaking of diehard fans, you’ll probably want to stick around for the last couple of moments of Spider to catch up with an “old friend.”