Album Review: Hollywood Vampires – Hollywood Vampires
2 min read
The Hollywood Vampires is more of a legend than a band: it’s 3 legends and a long list of A-list pals paying homage to the original Hollywood Vampires of the 70s. The idea was formed when Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp declared that it was time for the spirit of the vampires needed to rise once more, so they enlisted the help of Joe Perry and their tribute began. Hollywood Vampires is a collection of rock classics revamped and a couple original songs inspired by the golden days of drunken rock with all album proceeds being donated to MusiCares.
Kicking off Hollywood Vampires is a spoken word track entitled The Last Vampire voiced by the late Christopher Lee reminiscent of a voice over in a horror movie, with it’s own eerie backing track. This leads us into the first original track of the release, Raise The Dead written and sung by Cooper and performed by an abundance of big names, proving that even at 67 years old Alice Cooper is still a huge voice of rock. It serves as a great hype track to build the mood of the album full classic hard rock melodies with an infectious bass line. The Hollywood Vampires also use an original song to finish off the album Drunk Dead Friends gives us all a taste of Johnny Depp’s singing abilities: it’s an grand song to honour their “brothers who drank until they died, my dead drunk friends” the ones they “thought we were immortal but then you died”.
As well as a long list of reworked classic covers such as My Generation, Come And Get It performed with Sir Paul McCartney and Cold Turkey crafted with John Lennon which are all surprisingly upbeat and full of catchy hooks that do nothing but credit these songs. The album is also home to some catchy mash-ups of iconic rock songs. You’ve got Five To One mixed with Break On Through, One paired with Jump Into The Fire and School’s Out worked with Another Brick In The Wall Pt.2 all performed with a hell of a lot of talented musicians lending their efforts. The only thing that might of elevated Hollywood Vampires even more would have been by using more original songs. This epic trio (and friends) absolutely killed their various solos and songs and it definitely leave you wanting more.
