This album is a nod to the past through gritty blues, dark humour and theatrical rock brilliance. Channelling vintage Alice Cooper energy with a modern sneer, it blends seductive menace, dark satire, and vintage horror into a raw, unrelenting experience, leaning into old-school blues and 60s rock textures with a few modern elements thrown in.
From the sultry menace of Black Mamba with its haunting reverb, Freudian tension, and horror vibes, to the epic folk-tinged sweep of Blood on the Sun, the album spans a wide emotional and stylistic range without losing its thematic cohesion. Tracks like Kill the Flies and Money Screams tap into institutional madness and greed with sharp lyrics, mixing unnerving moods with catchy choruses.
There’s a familiar theatricality throughout, most notably in One Night Stand and Intergalactic Vagabond Blues, which blend humour and danger in equal parts. The bluesy foundation gives the album its backbone, with standout solos and melodic breaks that harken back to early 70s Cooper (Love It to Death, Killer, Muscle of Love) and evoke the jam-band looseness of that era.
Tracks like What Happened to You and Wild Ones bring driving energy and catchy hooks, while See You on the Other Side offers a touching, likely heartfelt tribute, perhaps to the late Glen Buxton, closing the album on a sincere and reflective note.
Ultimately, it’s a nostalgic yet fresh-feeling ride full of twisted humour, dark blues, and a sense of theatrical rebellion. Michael Bruce’s signature guitar playing injects an authentic Alice Cooper Group nostalgia with his characteristic moving solos, reminding listeners why this sound still resonates.
8/10
Track Listing:
1. “Black Mamba”
2. “Wild Ones”
3. “Up All Night”
4. “Kill the Flies”
5. “One Night Stand”
6. “Blood on the Sun” Dunaway 6:03
7. “Crap That Gets in the Way of Your Dreams”
8. “Famous Face” Br
9. “Money Screams”
10. “What a Syd”
11. “Inter Galactic Vagabond Blues”
12. “What Happened to You”
13. “I Ain’t Done Wrong”
14. “See You on the Other Side”
