Shock-rocker Alice Cooper released his now iconic album, Welcome to My Nightmare, over three decades ago, but plans to pick up where that story left off on an all-new Welcome 2 My Nightmare LP.
Calling in original album producer Bob Ezrin, the follow-up album will feature a diverse string of collaborators, including original band members Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce and Neal Smith, as well as current Alice Cooper/Lou Reed guitarist Steve Hunter (who plays with Alice on the road).
The most unexpected guest asked to participate in the dark, conceptual undertaking is 24-year-old rapper Ke$ha – possibly hinting at the new album’s divergent musical direction.
"Bob and I created this character and we know how to write for him," said rock veteran Cooper in a release. "I play the part but we’re not writing for me, we’re writing for Alice. We kept the first ‘Nightmare’ album very personal to us; on this one we found more humor and we were more open."
He continued, "The original album was my first solo album after all those huge hit records with the original band and now that nightmare is exposed, this one can be a little bit more open."
Cooper revealed that disco, garage punk, pop ballads and Rolling Stones-style, bar-band rock will all be explored on his newest, nightmarish offering.
Welcome 2 My Nightmare will be released as both an exclusive fan pack in September and as a full international release in October.