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Rating: If “Brutal Planet” (2000) had effectively showcased the atrocities of a world left orphaned without values and feelings, “Dragontown” takes on more intimate connotations: while employing elaborate technologies, this album stands out for a passionate and immersive sound close to the superb “The Last Temptation” (1994).
With this album, Alice takes us by the hand and guides us to discover the city of the dragon, the beating heart of the brutal planet, a place where our anxieties, fears, and apprehensions take shape, confronting us face to face. Listening to “Dragontown” we delve into the deepest depths of the human soul, in search of the creatures that have turned this planet into a sphere of hatred adrift in the geometries of the universe. The fresco painted by Alice, therefore, assumes the grandeur of works buried by time like “Welcome to my Nightmare” (1975) and “From the Inside” (1978), projecting its ironic and ghostly spirit into a future populated by an artificial humanity. The well-oiled Ezrin–Marlette duo in the control room offers us a clear sound and an impeccable rendering of the instruments, trimming down the technological baggage and giving more space to guitar and drums.
“Triggerman”, another potential hit-single crafted by the illusionist from Detroit, is simply magnificent: the filtered vocals in the opening and the guitar interplay of Ryan Roxie and Wayne Swinny perfectly enhance the entire melodic structure of the composition. The dark atmospheres of “Deeper” open the doors to “Dragontown”, the title track and yet another jewel crafted by our artist; followed closely by the decadent tableau painted by “Sex, Death and Money” which outlines a sharp songwriting, linking back to what the American rocker proposed in “Billion Dollar Babies” (1974). The subsequent “Fantasy Man” recalls the golden era of platters like “Trash” (1989) and “Hey Stoopid” (1991), while “Somewhere In The Jungle” is enjoyable but doesn’t leave an indelible mark on the listener.
Continuing further, one can further appreciate the genius of this artist who is all too underrated: from Alice’s sick mind emerges the cyber–boogie “Disgraceland”, a unique, magical, simply exceptional piece in which Mr. Furnier sarcastically pays tribute to the rock n' roll icon Elvis Presley. Moving on, we encounter another song of remarkable depth like “Sister Sara”, characterized by a rather unsettling rap interlude, and an ideal continuation of what Cooper said in “Nurse Rozetta”, a song from the “From The Inside” album from 1978. “Every Woman Has a Name” is the indispensable delicate and persuasive ballad, while “It's much Too late” draws heavily from the '70s repertoire, approaching the style of the more carefree John Lennon. “I Just Wanna Be God”, on the other hand, takes on the disturbing connotations of a devastating remnant of the blind fury unleashed in “Brutal Planet” (2000), to which the concluding “The Sentinel” is also connected. By the end of listening to this album, the urge to start over is very strong…
In 2002, the artist from Detroit is still one of the few musicians who can astonish audiences without disrespecting them: ”Dragontown” represents the contemporary Alice Cooper, one of the few rockers around with the courage to renew himself without distorting his origins or lying to himself. (Enrico Rosticci)
TRACK LIST:
01) TRIGGERMAN
02) DEEPER
03) DRAGONTOWN
04) SEX, DEATH AND MONEY
05) FANTASY MAN
06) SOMEWHERE IN THE JUNGLE
07) DISGRACELAND
08) SISTER SARA
09) EVERY WOMAN HAS A NAME
10) I JUST WANNA BE GOD
11) IT’S MUCH TOO LATE
12) THE SENTINEL
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Triggerman (04:00)
I ain't got a name
Don't got a face
No fingerprints
Or D.N.A
I ain't got no eyes
Don't got a tongue
But I know what's going on
I'm deaf and dumb
I'm pure non-enitity
Don't even look for me
I watch you when you sleep
I am the triggerman
I am the underhand
I'll keep you on your knees
I am the brain police
I am the triggerman
I am the underhand
I'm full of dirty tricks
I'm twice as smart
And certaigly
Twice as sick
I'm allways out of sight
A shadow in the mist
I don't need an alibi
Cuz, I dont excist
Well, I am invinsible
To the naked eye
I never leave a trace
Can't be identified
I'm pure non-enitity
Don't even look for me
I watch you when you sleep
I am the triggerman
I am the underhand
I'll keep you on your knees
I am the brain police
I am the triggerman
I am the underhand
I'm full of dirty tricks
I'm twice as smart
And certaigly
Twice as sick
He's sick, he's sick
He's really,really sick
I'm pure non-enitity
Don't even look for me
I watch you when you sleep
I am the triggerman
I am the underhand
I'll keep you on your knees
I am the brain police
I am the triggerman
I am the underhand
I'm full of dirty tricks
I'm twice as smart
And certaigly
Twice as sick
I am the triggerman
I am the underhand
I'll keep you on your knees
I am the brain police
I am the triggerman
I am the underhand
I'm full of dirty tricks
I'm twice as smart
And certaigly
Twice as sick
02 Deeper (04:36)
We must complete the trip
Try not to lose your grip
No sight of solid ground
And never look straight down
Deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper
Your claustrophobic brain
Sucking you down the drain
The walls are closing in
The air is gettin' thin
The elevator broke
It when right trough the floor
It left a burning hole
Down and down and down we go
We're in a deadly spin
Hating this spin we're in
Our helpless panic grows
Down and down and down we go
Daylight is at an end
You'll never see again
You'll soon embrace the sight
This cold eternal light
The elevator broke
It when right trough the floor
It left a burning hole
Down and down and down we go
The elevator broke
It when right trough the floor
It left a burning hole
Down and down and down we go
The elevator broke
It when right trough the floor
It left a burning hole
Down and down and down we go
03 Dragontown (05:06)
Well Here you are
lying bleeding on a grimy street
see the broken glass
sparkling darkly as it cuts your feet
smell the rotting stench
the rancid odor of ocantonese
feel the toxic flames
all around you
you can hardly breathe
come with me
Come on
Iv'e got something to show you
come on
you thought that it was over
come on
your really gonna like this
come on
come on
come on
come on
come onnnnnnnnn
we can dig you a hole
deep in the ground
bury your soul
down in Dragontown
we'll be lower than low
spiraling down
as far as you are to go
down in Dragontown
open any door
remember everyone
youve meet before
oh theres a wicked young man
cooking slowly in a frying pan
and a family of bones
hung back together
sleeping all alone
then theres alice dear
and evrything that got it here
now your here
Come on
Iv'e got something to show you
come on
you thought that it was over
come on
your really gonna like this
come on
come on
come on
come on
come onnnnnnnn
we can dig you a hole
deep in the ground
bury your soul
down in Dragontown
we'll be lower than low
spiraling down
as far as you are to go
down in Dragontown
we can dig you a hole
deep in the ground
bury your soul
down in Dragontown
we'll be lower than low
spiraling down
as far as you are to go
down in Dragontown
we can dig you a hole
deep in the ground
bury your soul
down in Dragontown
we'll be lower than low
spiraling down
as far as you are to go
down in Dragontown
06 Somewhere in the Jungle (05:22)
There it stands way up high
A million bodies piled to the sky
Arms and legs, feet and hands
Impossible to understand
Countless heads, ears and eyes
Never hear, never cry
Tribal chants, tribal war
Tribal death, tribal gore
And the scaveggers are feeding
Cuz the killing fields are bleeding
Not a single soul is breathing
Cuz the Serengetti's bleedin'
And the scaveggers are feeding
Cuz the killing fields are bleeding
Not a single soul is breathing
Cuz the Serengetti's bleedin'
Listen somewhere in the jungle
You can hear the devil laughing
Somewhere
African genucide
Brother kill brother
Side by side
Wild animals show their teeth
And run away in disbelief
And the scaveggers are feeding
Cuz the killing fields are bleeding
Not a single soul is breathing
Cuz the Serengetti's bleedin'
And the scaveggers are feeding
Cuz the killing fields are bleeding
Listen somewhere in the jungle
You can hear the devil laughing
Somewhere
Somewhere the rivers will flow with blood
The mothers will cry their tears
They watch their sons die
Listen somewhere in the jungle
You can hear the devil laughing
Somewhere
Listen somewhere in the jungle
You can hear the devil laughing
Somewhere
Listen somewhere in the jungle
You can hear the devil laughing
Somewhere
Cuz the Serengetti's bleedin'
Listen somewhere in the jungle
You can hear the devil laughing
Somewhere
Somewhere the rivers will flow with blood
The mothers will cry their tears
They watch their sons die
07 Disgraceland (03:34)
I gonna tell you a story
It happened long ago
About a redneck boy
Down from tupelo
I got the slick black hair
I played a rock guitar
I liked to shake my hips, man
Then i went too far
He ate his weight in country ham
Killed on pills and woke in disgraceland
Disgraceland
Disgraceland
Disgraceland
I had a lot of girls
I had a lot of guns
When they found me dead
The whole world was stunned
Went to the pearly gates
Said, "I'm the hippest thing"
And Peter said "Well son,
We already got ourselves a king"
He lived on southern deep-fried spam
Killed on pills and woke in disgraceland
Disgraceland
Disgraceland
Disgraceland
He finished his short life
Sweaty and bloated and stoned
He ruled his domain and he died on the throne
No "Yes-Men", no colonel, he went...
...all alone...
Hey, man, that looks like me down there on the floor
I heard the devil cry
Real loud and clear
"You were the big man, there
You're just a sideman here
Well, I know your face
And I've heard your name
Looks like heaven's loss
Is gonna be my gain"
(I've got plans for you, man)
He ate his weight in country ham
Killed on pills and woke in disgraceland
Disgraceland
Disgraceland
Disgraceland
Disgraceland
Disgraceland
Well, I woke up, right here
In disgraceland
Thank you...
Thank you very much...
12 The Sentinel (03:53)
I'm not a Buddha boy
I'm not a Muslim man
I'm not a Christian or a Jew
I'm not a Mormon freak
I'm not a Catholic geek
And I'm nothing at all like you
My mind, my heart, my soul is calm
While I sit here sauteriing my c-2 bomb
Got some wires crossed
In my twisted head
Connect the green wire here or was it red?
Cause it's my fate
I operate on hate
(Hate,hate,hate,hate,hate)
I go by many other names
But now
I am the sentinel
I want the world to know
I'm sending you all to hell
I'm tired and I'm wired here to blow
There's something disturbing
Going on in my turban
I'm home, home on the range
I feel my meditation so deep within
While my medication's kicking in
Cause it's my fate
I operate on hate
(Hate,hate,hate,hate,hate)
I go by many other names
But now
I am the sentinel
I want the world to know
I'm sending you all to hell
I'm tired and I'm wired here to blow
I am the sentinel
I want the world to know
I'm sending you all to hell
I'm tired and I'm wired here to blow
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