Brutal Planet is the fourteenth solo and twenty-first studio album overall by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in 2000. Musically, it sees Cooper tackling a much darker and heavier approach than on previous albums, with many songs approaching a somewhat modern-sounding, industrial/metal sound.
Themes Lyrically, Brutal Planet deals with themes of dark "social fiction", including domestic violence ("Take It Like a Woman"), prejudice ("Blow Me a Kiss"), psychopathic behavior ("It's the Little Things"), war ("Pick Up the Bones"), depression, suicide ("Sanctuary"), Neo-Nazism and school shootings ("Wicked Young Man"). The album was followed by a sequel, titled Dragontown (2001).
Reception Doug Van Pelt, editor of the alternative Christian music-oriented HM Magazine, found that the lyrics communicated biblical morals "in a very powerful way". Van Pelt stated further that the final argument is provided in the title track, which condemns the systems of judgment that the world uses. Moreover, "Blow Me a Kiss" urges the listener to think deeper about spiritual matters.
Track listing
Personnel Alice Cooper – vocals Ryan Roxie – guitars Phil X – guitars China – guitars Eric Singer – drums Bob Marlette – rhythm guitar, bass, keyboards
Additional musicians Sid Riggs – additional programming, sound design Eva King – strings arrangement Natalie Delaney – backing vocals (track 1)
Production Produced by Bob Marlette Executive producer – Bob Ezrin Engineered, mixed and arranged by Bob Marlette Additional engineering – Dave Reed, German Villacorta Assistant engineers – German Villacorta, Jaime Sickora Mastered by Dave Collins Recorded at the Blue Room, Woodland Hills, CA and the A&M Studios, Los Angeles, CA Mixed, Mastered at the A&M Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Charts Chart (2000) Peakposition
References