ALICE COOPER - Brutal Planet
June 25, 2000, 23 years ago
(Spitfire)
It's not easy to pass judgment on one of metal's most influential figures. Let's be honest, Alice is as legendary as Ozzy or Lemmy. Yet, Brutal Planet sits on the rack just like any other CD, so here's the lowdown. Coop has released his heaviest work to date. The master of shock rock spews out social commentary as only he can do. But ultimately it's his own past that Alice must compete with. And the fact that he plagiarizes his own lyrics "Welcome To My Nightmare, No More Mr. Nice Guy" on 'It's The Little Things' leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. The riff to 'Cold Machines' is straight off a Marilyn Manson record. 'Sanctuary' has a great chorus but sadly the verses are so lacking. 'Take It Like A Woman' is the definite highlight of the album, unfortunately though the enjoyment is dimmed because it's too close to 'Only Women Bleed'. Brutal Planet is much better than '94's Last Temptation, but can't compare to Billion Dollar Babies from '73. Alice has entered the new millennium in the only way he could; mixing the modern with the memorable. However the recipe still needs some work.
