Dragontown (studio album) by Alice Cooper

With the very undervalued album "Dragontown", the Godfather of Shock Rock concludes its conceptual trilogy that began with "Last Temptation", merged into "Brutal Planet" and now, almost literally, ends in the monstrous place called "Dragontown" (Hell). AC has left behind styles such as proto-punk, garage rock and the like and is now, in terms of sound, inspired by Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, NIN and other bands who mainly scored with practicing Industrial Metal. There was a time when the aforementioned acts followed in AC's footsteps, but the roles now seem to have been reversed. "Dragontown" seems to be largely built from layers of loud and ruthless guitar that cut through bone and is far removed from the commercial direction of the early 1990s (the "Poison" period). AC not only proves that he can handle the genre, but also effortlessly remains his melodic and humorous self. Apart from the obligatory ballad “Every Woman Has A Name” and the lighter, somewhat disappointing “It's Much Too Late”, “Dragontown”, much more than its predecessors, is a very consistent set of ideas, songs and style. Of course the lyrics are very often imbued with a very accurate cynicism that only needs a little push to degenerate into sarcasm. While in Triggerman, AC still talks about a dark, invisible entity, he takes up the thread of the trilogy again in the brilliant "Deeper" ("We must complete the trip ..."). AC takes its sinful listener in tow and moves into the shady places of hell like a modern Dante Alighieri. The hell in which they end up via an unstoppable elevator still feels familiar, but has meanwhile also got updated: there are encounters with old acquaintances, it smells of rotting things and Chinese cuisine and the bottom is strewn with broken glass and all kinds of things that show why Alice stays in hell himself. AC leaves it to the imagination of the listener to get an idea of what a modernized version of hell looks like. In "Sex, Death And Money" AC criticizes our current society that has lost all moral compasses and in which people just go with the flow. The main character in this song feels offended, but is laughed at in his face. "Fantasy Man" is not very good in terms of music, but in terms of lyrics seamlessly fits in with the criticism that AC is so generously and accurate to deliver. Fantasy Man describes how the average macho thinks about life. He is aware of the cultural phenomena that threaten him in his tough and brutal masculinity, but is absolutely unwilling to question himself and be open to alternative ideas. For him, culture is a dirty word. "Somewhere In The Jungle" criticizes the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994. "Disgraceland" (another alternative name for hell) is a downright brilliant but extremely cynical view of the tragic life and death of Elvis Presley. AC imitates the singing and performance of Presley and a classical kind of rock and roll dominates the verses. This is the first song on the album where the devil shows up. Elvis does not get into heaven (after all, they already have a King there) and the devil approves as he already has a plan for Elvis ("I've got plans for you, boy"). The devil also has plans for "Sister Sara" ("You'll be a lovely little demon in my private stock"). The female choir that reflects the feelings and thoughts of Sara does a very good job and can be compared with the choir’s input on the title track of "Brutal Planet". A wonderful ballad is caught between all the testimonies of metaphysical violence. "Every Woman Has A Name" has all the characteristics of an AC ballad: it is written with unmistakable empathy, pays homage to the all contemporary women and the melodies, bitter melancholy included, are just very beautiful. Every woman has a name like every child has a mother. In "I Just Want to Be God" AC talks about agnostic people who are so full of themselves that they consider themselves as the center of the universe. In "It's Much Too Late", just like Elvis and sister Sara, John Lennon wonders why he ended up in hell. After all, he cannot think of any reason why that is his destiny. "The Sentinel", on the other hand, does not care for people, regardless of their beliefs, and it is his intention to kill everyone and send them directly to hell with the aid of bombs. I am not sure, but the phrase "There is something going on in my turban" suggests that the character of the song is a nihilistic and unskilled terrorist: someone who urgently needs medical help.

Alice's re-entrance into heavy metal kicks dragon tail!