Alice Cooper - Along Came A Spider
Steamhammer - 2008
6/10
To try and continue the momentum that existed on the previous release, Alice stepped into another old tactic with a concept album. Along Came A Spider details the tale of a serial killer and his approach to the victims, a rather straightforward horror idea. Surprisingly, it doesn’t inject as much of the spookier Nightmare traits that you would expect. Instead, things move along with modern pop/rock vibes and the occasional heavy riff as a side dish.
Actually, the tone that’s used on these harder sides has just the littlest hint at the industrial albums from the earlier records. The music itself doesn’t reflect this at all, but works alongside catchier rhythms and chorus-heavy songs, which is decent enough. Lyrically, there’s a humorous twist that permeates a lot of this, which can be heard pretty easily on “(In Touch With) Your Feminine Side,” and “The One That Got Away.” I also can’t help but see much of this as an obvious nod to “classic” real life serial killers, particularly Dahmer and Gein.
Along Came A Spider however is a little better as an idea than it is in practice. The transitions between the songs are pretty nonexistent, and while consistency isn’t void, there’s little innovation. Things open on a stronger note; “Prologue / I Know Where You Live” boasts some intense energy, working into “Vengeance Is Mine” that rests on Slash’s noodly guitar playing. After that, things stagnate, save for the acoustic and repetitive “Killed By Love.” There isn’t a lot that I would call bad, but little that I would call great either.
Ultimately that’s the best way to sum this up. Never am I struggling through anything, but each time revisiting somewhat reminds me of why I remember so little of this. Repetition is used just a little too much in a lot of the songs, and I think the horror concept works as a poor coverup for things that could have used a little more refining. Strong idea, decent execution, poor innovation.
No comments:
Post a Comment