Belated sequels to movies very rarely work; a motion picture is a product of its era and often if more than a decade has passed then the magic has gone. This was proven with The Godfather: Part III, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and, most recently, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Perhaps one of the few exceptions to this rule is Psycho II, but in this case the filmmakers avoided merely copying the original and instead produced something that stood on its own, yet still paid homage to its predecessor. Much like with movies, sequels to albums are often a bad idea and show an artist running out of steam and desperately attempting to claw back some of their earlier credibility.
Alice Cooper, the legendary shock rocker who has survived over forty years in the music industry, overcoming alcoholism and the threat of becoming irrelevant, faced a similar dilemma when he decided to return to the world of his 1975 classic Welcome to My Nightmare thirty-six years after its release. The appropriately titled Welcome 2 My Nightmare could easily have been a disaster and tainted the memory of the original masterpiece, yet once again the sixty-three year old icon has defied expectations and produced an album far better than it has any right to be. Perhaps it is because much of the album not only pays homage to the first Nightmare but also to the era that it was produced, with elements of glam, disco and classic rock littered throughout. While his last few albums have been more akin to modern metal, Welcome 2 My Nightmare has a retro feel.
The nightmare commences with I Am Made of You, which begins with the same piano melody as Steven, the penultimate track from Welcome to My Nightmare and also the name of the album’s protagonist. Wisely, Cooper has decided to open the record with one of its strongest songs, a dream-like and powerful ballad that follows on perfectly from its 1975 counterpart. Cooper’s voice sounds the best it has for years and the track is arguably his finest ballad since Might as Well Be on Mars twenty years ago (from the underrated Hey Stoopid album). He has also once again surrounded himself with a strong backing group, this time consisting of guitarists Tommy Henriksen and Steve Hunter and drummer Scott Williamson. Another important asset to the overall sound is Bob Ezrin, who not only acts as producer and co-writer but also pianist on several tracks.
The glam rock influence can be felt on the second song, Caffeine, and again on the album’s first single I’ll Bite Your Face Off. The best part of the latter is the breakdown midway through the track, in which Ezrin plays a fast piano riff, followed by the guitar and drums slowly building up to the final chorus. A Runaway Train marks a reunion of sorts for the original Alice Cooper line-up that had formed in the late 1960s, sans guitarist Glen Buxton who sadly passed away in 1997 at the age of forty-nine. Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith, who remained with Cooper until the band split in 1974, reappear again on the tracks I’ll Bite Your Face Off and When Hell Comes Home, adding further nostalgia to the album. Much like with Welcome to My Nightmare, the sequel refuses to stick to one style and flirts with different genres, with Last Man on Earth somewhat reminiscent of his earlier tune Some Folks.
Welcome 2 My Nightmare features appearances from several noted metal musicians, including Rob Zombie (whom Cooper had previously collaborated with on the track Hands of Death) and former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5, although a duet with pop star Ke$ha on the song What Baby Wants proves to be a disappointment. Cooper fans will also be pleased to see the return of Kip Winger (who performed bass on his 1980s albums Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell), although his backing vocals are hard to distinguish, and guitarist Dick Wagner, who played on the original Nightmare. Having already flirted with rap on the overlooked track Stand (which featured an appearance from rap star Xzibit), Cooper tries his hand at dance music with Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever, a rather bizarre addition to the record that has an ’80s electronic vibe and, while not being the strongest song on the album, certainly shows that he hasn’t lost his wicked sense of humour.
One surprise with the album is that it delivers what could have been a big summer hit. Ghouls Gone Wild demonstrates Cooper’s love of the Beach Boys, although done with his macabre wit (“We’re dancing on your grave and we’re dancing in the street, we’re dancing in the fire and it’s burning up our feet”). The album comes to a logical conclusion with the medley The Underture, instrumental renditions of the classics Welcome to My Nightmare, Only Women Bleed and Black Widow, as well as new tracks like Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever. A triumphant return, Welcome 2 My Nightmare is arguably Alice Cooper’s finest album for over thirty years and a worthy successor to his first Nightmare.
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