The Nightmare Returns: Welcome 2 My Nightmare

Cedar N. Goslin
 The Broadside

What do you get when you combine the founder of shock rock, guitarist Steve Hunter and famous pop star, Ke$ha? The answer is a really cool album.

After 25 years, Cooper has released an album worthy of being called a sequel to his multi-platinum album, Welcome To My Nightmare on Sept. 13. Admittedly the title of the new release, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, is a little cheesy—come on Alice, you’re better than text talk— but the content more than makes up for it.

A true story teller, Cooper’s songs are meant to tell a story; Welcome 2 My Nightmare is part of the ongoing saga of a fictional —and insane—character, Steven. Cooper’s last album, Along Came A Spider (2008) was also centered around this character, but the most recent release returns to where the original left off and further follows Steven’s descent into murderous insanity.

Though most of the tracks allude to this album’s prequel, have no fear,Welcome 2 My Nightmare is far from being a gimmick designed to make money off the prequel’s good name. Like most of Cooper’s albums, the style of music ranges drastically from track to track, from his signature heavy melodies to imitations of Johnny Cash, and this release has a flavor all its own. Probably the most interesting new song is “What Baby Wants”–interesting because it’s a duet sung with the pop idol, Ke$sha.

Another must-hear is “Last Man on Earth,” which is one of the few Alice Cooper songs that you might catch yourself singing in the shower; it’s catchy, addictive and not likely to creep out your roommate if they happen to overhear you.

Horrendous album name aside —you can always rename it on iTunes—this is easily Cooper’s best album released in the last decade.

You can contact Cedar Goslin at [email protected]