School's out, but Alice Cooper and his original band members are back in session ... for rock, that is! Cooper has reunited with his former bandmates to work on his new solo album, 'Welcome 2 My Nightmare.' The album will be the much-anticipated sequel to the 1975 classic, 'Welcome to My Nightmare.' The reason that Cooper recruited his former group was because he knew that they were the only ones he could trust to give one song the specific sound that he was aiming for. That's what we call musical chemistry.

The original Alice Cooper band split up after 1973's 'Muscle of Love' album. They reunited for a few songs in 2010 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bassist Dennis Dunaway, guitarist Michael Bruce and drummer Neal Smith were brought back into the fold for 'Welcome 2 My Nightmare,' which should no doubt please longtime Cooper fans.

Cooper said, "I wanted a '70s feel for 'When Hell Comes Home' and I didn't even have to ask for it; it's just how they play and they did it live in the studio. When they got done playing the basic track, Bob (Ezrin, producer) and I just looked at each other, that sound is built into their DNA." He also admitted that "we didn't need to go and fix anything. The way they finished was a little bit ragged and that's the way we used to finish songs, that's what I like about it."

Alice Cooper receives Kerrang! Icon award


The original Alice Cooper line-up, minus late guitarist Glen Buxton, appears on three tracks on 'Welcome 2 My Nightmare,' which is due out in September; it's not lost on us that that is when school is back in session.

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