Alice Cooper continues to perform classics from his original Alice Cooper band era, and while Mr. Furnier is still in fine voice, his various backing bands usually offer turbo-charged, heavy metal accompaniments. But most fans will attest that the original Cooper band was not a one-dimensional heavy metal band -- musically, they were equal parts classic rock, proto-punk, and garage rock, with a splash of vaudeville (albeit in a sick and twisted way). And original Alice Cooper guitarist/songwriter Michael Bruce has been surprisingly able to bottle it all up on his 2002 live release, Halo of Ice. Although he largely fell off the radar after the split of the original Cooper group in 1974, Bruce was responsible for penning or co-penning many of the group's early classics. And as evidenced by Ice, Bruce's voice is quite akin to Cooper's on the early recordings, and he's assembled quite a band, one that has no problem replicating the Love It to Death/Muscle of Love era. Comprised entirely of Cooper material, the expected classics are included -- "Under My Wheels," "Desperado," "I'm Eighteen" -- but the real attraction for long-timers are such underrated gems as "Second Coming," "Caught in a Dream," and "Hard Hearted Alice." With Bruce still in such fine form, you have to wonder -- if Alice isn't interested in bringing Bruce back into the fold, why not at least welcome a few new songwriting contributions from his old partner in crime? One of the better and more interesting Cooper-related live releases to come out in some time. ~ Greg Prato|

Rovi