In the mid-'80s,
Alice Cooper
was able to crawl out of obscurity and rebuild his cult following. Though 1986's
Constrictor
and the supporting Nightmare Returns tour hardly commanded mainstream attention, the album and tour were his most successful in years, proving
Cooper
still had enough life to launch a full-fledged comeback. Not even a year after the release of
,
released
Raise Your Fist and Yell
, which is more of a return to his dark thematic role than its predecessor. The album is obviously rushed and suffers similar flaws to
, most notably its large amount of filler. Nonetheless,
manages to sound energetic and charismatic throughout the record as he sings about his three favorite topics: sex, rebellion, and death.
"Lock Me Up,"
"Step on You,"
and
"Not That Kind of Love"
are dripping with traditional
sleaze, while
"Chop, Chop, Chop"
"Roses on White Lace"
seem reminiscent of
's
Welcome to My Nightmare
days. With
embraced his past while still managing to sound fun and exciting. All things considered, it still seems surprising that 1989's
Trash
completely deserted
's menacing, villainous role. After all,
, though far from a highlight, showed
was still able to provide both
rock
anthems and theatrical experiments -- and do it rather well, for that matter. ~ Barry Weber