Paranormal
by Alice Cooper
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. The Guardian
    Jul 27, 2017
    60
    There’s a sense of sheer urgency in Cooper’s voice as he describes an apocalyptic city scene on Fireball; Genuine American Girl dabbles in smart gender politics and Fallen in Love is a tight throwback to classic blues laments. However, more shiny than screwball, it doesn’t offer the same treasure you might well find lurking in Cooper’s attic.
  2. The Independent (UK)
    Jul 26, 2017
    60
    Musically, you know what to expect when Cooper and producer Bob Ezrin join forces: metal turmoil, churning beats and slashing guitar flourishes, letting up only for Ezrin to indulge his Pink Floyd heritage with the ponderous “The Sound Of A”, with its apt message, “Meaningless noise is everybody’s toys”. Quite.
  3. Consequence
    Jul 28, 2017
    58
    They aren’t content to simply let Cooper’s past speak for itself. Rather they lard the album with references to his best-known songs and try to get his backing band to often ape the instincts of the original Alice Cooper Band. ... The album is, at least, bookended by some strong material.
  5. The Quietus
    Aug 30, 2017
    40
    While they’re [Genuine American Girl and You And All Of Your Friends] two of the album's best songs, they, like the previous ten tracks, suffer from not just overproduction and out-of-date musical aesthetics, but also a half-hearted attempt to assert something pure about the rock of yore.
  6. Record Collector
    Jul 24, 2017
    40
    Paranormal lacks both the nostalgia factor of its predecessor and a concept such as the one behind 2008’s Along Came A Spider. It also can’t claim to be a return to heaviness such as Dragontown from 2001. So what does it offer? Not much, other than a moderately listenable set of songs.

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Most Shared Album of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. StevenX
    Jul 28, 2017
    8
    Alice Cooper shows on PARANORMAL that he still has a few tricks up his sleeve - the Scorpions-esque intro on the title cut, the rollickingAlice Cooper shows on PARANORMAL that he still has a few tricks up his sleeve - the Scorpions-esque intro on the title cut, the rollicking attack of "Fireball", the runaway train that is "Rats". He also falters slightly here and there - the famous Cooper snarl comes and goes a bit, and when he sings "Don't you know there's cannibals / designed to kill and eat you" he's actually self-cannibalizing "Don't you know children / are starving in Korea" from his own "Generation Landslide", and the following angel-dust reference shows that The Coop may have not taken many drugs since he sang the latter. The worst thing here is that "The Sound Of A" is more than a slight rip of Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage". That dipped-in-the-past toe becomes a total dive before the album's over, with nods to both classic Cooper and the "Welcome To My Nightmare" era ("Holy Water" jumps right into that mode with a horn-driven Broadway attack). Whether nostalgic or squarely in the present, no one sounds like they're phoning it in. Who knew that Alice would have his vocal chops, energy and wit intact this consistently at this stage of the game? Then again, Cooper has rarely played by rules other than his own, and if it works, it works.

    This works.    … Full Review »
  2. solar_vortex
    Sep 26, 2017
    9
    It's easy to over analyse an album by someone as iconic as Alice Cooper and compare new material to previous legendary releases. With someoneIt's easy to over analyse an album by someone as iconic as Alice Cooper and compare new material to previous legendary releases. With someone like Alice I think the best test is to ask yourself "Do I find myself singing the songs to myself?". In this case I have to answer "Yes!". The songs are catchy and I can enjoy them all. There are also some very clever and witty lines. Unlike many other aged rockers, Alice Cooper has not lost his magic after all these years and this is one of the best rock albums I've heard recently. If you're an Alice fan or just a fan of proper rock music then you will not be disappointed!… Full Review »
  3. JonahVX
    Jul 30, 2017
    10
    Alice Cooper is simply too good at too many styles and ideas. There is no sign of aging, he sounds as fresh and inspired as he did in 1972.Alice Cooper is simply too good at too many styles and ideas. There is no sign of aging, he sounds as fresh and inspired as he did in 1972. Because of that we see a great variety of songs. He could have made 5 normal albums with this amount of hooks, idea's and arrangements. But it's only one and every song is an entire world, almost an album on its own.… Full Review »
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