Review Summary: Setting a standard for the glam-era albums to follow
Alice Cooper will always be best known for the classics he released throughout the seventies, but the series of albums spanning from the late eighties to the early nineties have their own fascinating legacy. Much like KISS’s trajectory around the same time, a shift to glam metal made for a successful second wind in the wake of a blurred experiments in varying quality and relative commercial obscurity. Cooper’s theatrical tendencies were an especially natural fit with the style, his horror stories and rebellious themes meshing well with the in-your-face shredding, glossy production, and energetic sing-along choruses of the era without getting lost in the bandwagon.
Even if Constrictor will forever be known as the album with the songs from Friday the 13th Part VI on it, those two tracks in this context may be some of the strongest book-enders on any Alice Cooper album. “Teenage Frankenstein” doesn’t waste any time setting the mood with its supercharged guitars and infectious verse-chorus transitions. “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)” leans more on the new wave side of the eighties rock spectrum with bouncy synths and a stirring sing-along. The fade-out might be a little anticlimactic if you really want to nitpick, but those echoing Jason effects reinforce the thematic air. It’s a shame “Hard Rock Summer” wasn’t also able to make the cut.
However, the group’s growing pains are slightly more noticeable with the songs in between. The musicianship is competent if a little polished between the echoing electronic drums and crunchy guitars while Alice shakes off his cobwebs with plenty of rousing vocal lines. The songwriting can also feel somewhat pedestrian at times, never hitting any bad points but also not quite breaking through the glass ceiling of memorability. Fortunately, there’s still some solid variation to go around as tracks like “Give It Up” and “The World Needs Guts” are upbeat rockers while “Simple Disobedience” offers a particularly gruff stomping hook.
While Constrictor isn’t quite a classic in the grand scheme of Alice Cooper’s discography, it did well to set a new standard for the glam-era albums to follow. It certainly has the feel of a debut, the musicians still feeling out their dynamic and Alice himself acquiring his sea legs as a songwriter. Fortunately, the hits are worth the price of admission in themselves, and the fillers have enough pizzaz to still be enjoyable. It’s the sort of album that was going to be dated on arrival but has enough staying power to offer a couple tracks to your Halloween playlist.
