In the beginning Alice Cooper was the name of the band. One day they made their last album "Muscle of Love" [1973] and Vincent Damon Furnier took the Alice Cooper name with him and started a solo career with his first album "Welcome to My Nightmare" [1975].
The Alice Cooper band never really called it quits though. They were only on a (very long) break. They did however pop in their heads at some live gigs and on several of Alice's later albums. "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" [2011], "Paranormal" [2017], "Detroit Stories" [2021] all received visits from the original Alice Cooper band, so it really isn't the biggest surprise ever when they have now released a new album making this their new last album, unless they make another one of course.
The Alice Cooper band now consists of Alice Cooper (vocals), Michael Bruce (rhythm guitar, keys), Dennis Dunaway (bass), Neal Smith (drums). Glen Buxton (lead guitar) died in 1997, but they have found a way to remember him by including recordings of his guitar playing on the song "What Happened To You". On their new last album they also get some help from a few friends to fill in the gaps.
What's it like then? Is it like the good old days? Does it sound like the early 1970s? Well, not exactly. It does have some songs that sound a lot like the old Alice Cooper band. Opener "Black Mamba" is one of them and the album's best song "Blood On The Sun" is another.
The album goes in for the kill right from the beginning. The first 3 songs "Black Mamba", "Wild Ones", "Up All Night" had all been released as online streaming singles and they certainly kick off the album in the best possible way. A great mix of new and old Alice Cooper. This is already looking and sounding a hell of a lot more inspired than the rather weak "Road" [2023] album that is the latest Alice Cooper solo release.
Next song "Kill the Flies" has a lot of "Ballad of Dwight Fry" and "Steven" vibes to it. "One Night Stand" is Alice with a razor giving a new meaning to "Another bloody one-night stand". The song "Blood On The Sun" is fucking epic. It is one of those great songs that the Alice Cooper band used to do so well back in the days. It's got a really fantastic guitar break. Clearly my favorite song on the album.
"Crap That Gets In The Way Of Your Dreams" is one of those tracks that sounds like it could be taken from one of Alice's garage rock albums like "The Eyes of Alice Cooper" [2003] and "Detroit Stories" [2021]. It sounds more like solo Alice than band Alice. It's not bad though. "What a Syd" has that Alice cabaret/musical vibe to it that he has always done so well.
"Money Screams" is the only song I really don't like. First of all the lyrics sounds all wrong from Alice's mouth. We all know that Alice loves money, and I got no problem with that. Alice is just not the right person to sing these lyrics. It doesn't help that the music is annoying too. I always skip this one. The album would have been better without it. "I Ain't Done Wrong" is a cover of a The Yardbirds song. It would probably have fitted in better on the "Detroit Stories" [2021] album than it does here.
"See You on the Other Side" is a nice album closer. I don't know if it is a farewell to bandmate Glen Buxton or if it is more generally aimed at all the friends that have been lost through the years. Like the songs Alice did with his other band, Hollywood Vampires.
I am generally very satisfied with the new album. It has a lot of the old and new sound that I love equally well. It should have lost at least 2 tracks, "Money Screams" and "I Ain't Done Wrong" comes to mind, but that is something that can be easily fixed at home. Alice has had his ups and downs musically, but you can always rest assured that after a weak album he will bounce back with a killer album. If the Alice Cooper band feel like they have another album hidden inside of them, then I'm all ears. This new album certainly fit in well in the collection next to the other albums.
So you think it ends here? Well, not quite. The LP version is nice and all, but you need to buy the CD boxset too, to get all of the songs. The CD boxset also includes a 7" single featuring 2 old Alice Cooper band songs from their first 2 albums. I am unsure whether they are new re-recordings or just brushed up studio tweaks of old recordings. Either way they are great stuff. "Return of the Spiders 2025" is raw and rocking and an improvement to the old 1970 version, if nothing else the sound is much better on this new version, while retaining its rawness. "Titanic Overunderture" is a shorter thing that has Alice written all over it. The old 1969 "Titanic Overture" version didn't have any lyrics, the new one does.
Rating: 
Band: Alice Cooper
Record Title: The Revenge of Alice Cooper
This Release: 2025
RunTime: 54
Record Format: LP
TrackList:
LP/CD:
- Black Mamba
- Wild Ones
- Up All Night
- Kill The Flies
- One Night Stand
- Blood On The Sun
- Crap That Gets In The Way Of Your Dreams
- Famous Face
- Money Screams
- What A Syd
- Intergalactic Vagabond Blues
- What Happened To You
- I Ain't Done Wrong [The Yardbirds cover]
- See You On The Other Side
7" (part of CD boxset):
- Return of the Spiders 2025
- Titanic Overunderture
Content Type: Record Review
Language: 
Updated: 2025-08-03 11:12
Created: 2025-08-03 10:22
