I didn't expect this to be one of his top5 albums so I wasn't dissappointed. Only thing that really dissappointed me on ACAS is weak lyrics and odd production decisions on I know where you live. Apart from the opening track this actually a pretty well produced album and weakness is more felt on Alice's writing than ''stupid'' production values. And by ''pretty well'' I mean ''pretty well'' and not magnificiently. If you compare the production of this album to sonically horrible Pretties for you or even Lace and whiskey you notice things are not sonically bad at all. And the thing that album doesn't seem to get credit is variety. Actually my sister said Alice is a very diverse guy after listening this album. It is true that this album doesn't even come close to Dirty diamonds in terms off diversity but if someone else had released this many critics and fans would say it is a diverse album.
I give you examples. Vengeance is mine is the only Dragontownish heavy rocker here and what a cool song it is. Wake the dead with its danceable beat, bluesy groove and nice harmonica work is another song that is unlike anything else on the album. Killed by love is only song on here that really reminds you about Alice's 70's hit ballads like I never cry. Salvation is more along the lines of My God and other more dramatic 70's ballads. And now we get on my favourite song on the album the creepy, dark and heavy I am the spider which reminds a lot of Go to hell. All the pieces seem to fit here and epilogue after it is very cool indeed. So there is six kinds of songs and you can't really argue is this more diverse than Raise your fist and yell and Brutal planet. It is a diverse album just not diverse in Alice standards.
Even though lyrics matter to me the music matters way more and ironically (In touch with your) Feminine side has one of the coolest riffs on entire album and probably the best chorus. This is the songs that I sing along the most despite totally throw away lyrics. I think this album is very entertaining and the music has kind of dumb sing along nature (Which is both a good and a bad thing). Songs are very catchy and energy level is much higher on this album than on Dirty Diamonds even though this album has very produced sound. This is a lot of repetition like on Trash album but I find the choruses on this one to be more like Alice and less like Bon Jovi. I also enjoyed Alice's vocals on this one. They are much better than on early 80's albums. In my opinion Vengeance is mine, Wake the dead, Your feminine side, The one that got away and I am the spider are great songs.
Catchy, energetic, well sunged, hard rock sing along album. I would however welcome back some of his 70's obscurity to make the next album more deep sounding. This is a somewhat harmless tongue in cheek conceptual hard rock album. There are many colours and shades but the it is missing something that attacks listener like the psychopat from the dark corner of the empty street.
