When
Alice Cooper received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 2, 2003, it was well deserved. The shock rocker's impact was enormous, and the list of artists he influenced is a very long one that ranges from
Slayer,
Blackie Lawless,
Cradle of Filth,
Death, and
GWAR to
Bauhaus,
Rob Zombie,
Marilyn Manson, and
Nine Inch Nails.
Cooper influenced hard rock, glam rock, and punk; he influenced death metal/black metal, doom metal, alternative rock, goth rock, grunge, and industrial. Hell,
Cooper even managed to reach the jazz world; the late
Carmen McRae recorded an unlikely version of "Only Women Bleed" in 1976. Thus, this
Cooper tribute album could have come from a wide variety of sources; an all-goth, all-punk, or all-industrial tribute wouldn't have been inappropriate. But
Welcome to the Nightmare: An All-Star Salute to Alice Cooper comes from the hard rock/metal side of things, and many of the artists paying tribute to the shock rock icon are veteran headbangers who were popular in the '80s -- people like
Dee Snider (of
Twisted Sister fame) on "Go to Hell,"
Megadeth's
Dave Mustaine on "School's Out,"
Ronnie James Dio on "Welcome to My Nightmare," and
Iron Maiden's
Bruce Dickinson on "The Black Widow."
Roger Daltrey (as in
the Who) puts his stamp on "No More Mr. Nice Guy," and
Vince Neil (of
Mötley Crüe fame) provides some inspired lead vocals on "Cold Ethyl." Meanwhile, the Scandinavian death metal/black metal scene is represented by
Children of Bodom on "Bed of Nails," which is an interesting choice for that Finnish band; co-written by
Desmond Child, "Bed of Nails" is total pop-metal -- and pop-metal is the last thing one expects from
Children of Bodom. Nonetheless, they give a credible, noteworthy performance. Stylistically, this 62-minute CD isn't nearly as far-reaching as it could have been; again,
Cooper influenced much more than old-school hard rock and metal. But this is certainly an enjoyable disc -- and a pleasing reminder of just how much his work means to veteran headbangers. ~ Alex Henderson