....as master shock rocker Alice Cooper takes you down the path towards "Brutal Planet" and eventually "DragonTown". "The Last Temptation" tells the story of Steven, who we first meet in "Welcome to my Nightmare", again in "Goes to Hell", and at the very end of "Hey Stoopid". In TLT Steven starts out as being bored with life. Nothing seems to get his interest. This opens the door for the Lord of Darkness himself, Satan, to come in and help Steven out. Satan makes Steven an offer that is hard to refuse, all the pleasures this world has ("You're My Temptation"). Power, money, sex, you name it and Steven can have it.

What Steven is not told is that there is a price to pay for accepting the ways of the world ("Nothing's Free"). Mean while there is a battle going on. A spiritual battle that Steven is not even aware of. God wants none to be lost but ultimately the choice is up to the individual.

While Steven wrestle's with the idea of all the power, wealth, and women, he knows deep inside that it is not right.

Does Steven make the right choice? Listen to TLT and find out. It is one of the most powerful and awesome albums Alice Cooper has ever put out and you can tell it comes from the heart. It is full of the truth and love of God and the perfect launching pad for the rest of the "Brutal Planet" trilogy.

The Last Temptation just may be the most underrated album of Alice Cooper's long and successful career. The album gets away from the pop metal sound of Trash and Hey Stoopid, and goes in a darker vein. The album brings back the character of Steven from the vintage Welcome To My Nightmare and Goes To Hell days.

The album is conceptual in nature, and it tells the story of Steven battling his own personal demons, and having a battle for his own sanity. Steven is tempted by wordly possessions and ultimately learns about himself and that his enemy is the devil himself.

The album is hard rocking, and standout cuts include Nothing's Free and Cleansed By Fire. There really is not a weak track on the album and is a good introduction to this underappreciated rock legend.

Alice seems to be back on track musically and his last three studio releases are musthaves. Hey Stoopid, the aforementioned Last Temptation, and the continuation of where TLT left off, the critically acclaimed masterpiece, Brutal Planet.

I have been an Alice fan for years, own every one of his albums, and this is definitely one of my favorites. I'd probably go so far as to call it "The Welcome To My Nightmare of the 90s". "The Last Temptation" is a concept album- each song tells a piece of the story. There was also a related 3-part comic book series that told the story, and a few panels are included within the CD booklet (some of the CDs even came packaged with book #1). The comics were by Neil Gamon (sp?), the same illustrator of the "Sandman" comics. You might be able to find copies of them if you search aroud.

As for the music, I feel a tint of Alice's old style in it. It doesn't really sound like another "Trash" or "Hey Stoopid" album, but nor does it sound like an attempt at grunge or industiral metal. Just a great, original hard rock album that doesn't sound "alternative" nor dated. Well-produced and includes a duet with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, and a second song written by Chris but sung by Alice. I highly recommend this album to Alice fans whether they did or didn't like the late 80s/early 90s stuff, and for those who aren't necessarily Alice fans as a great introduction to what he's still all about.

I really liked 'Hey Stoopid' and when I heard about Alice doing another concept album I got really jazzed! Alice can tell a story through song like no one else! I picked up and loved 'Last Temptation' on the day of it's release.

'Sideshow' and 'Nothing's Free' are exactly the type of music Alice fans live for. The disturbing and exciting visuals Cooper layers in his music are what keeps me coming back. The mix of electric and acoustic guitar, coupled with haunting lyrics will keep 'Sideshow' running through your head all day. 'It's Me' is another great Cooper ballad, along the lines of 'Every Woman has a Name' and 'You & Me'. 'Lullaby' is a creepy little song that should be on your Halloween mix tape. 'Stolen Prayer' is one of those songs that just sneaks up on you and you find yourself humming it throughout the day. Overall, the entire album contains everything you could want in an Alice Cooper release. I have read the 3 comic books that provide the story with Alice's disk, and they are okay, but you don't need to read them to follow the story. And as always, with Alice, the music comes first.

To keep this review short, this album is a bargain and I will rate each song:

Sideshow- A great piece of rock and Cooper humor 9/10

Nothing's Free- Good hard rock song, not great 8.5/10

Lost in America- Very good, humorous lyrics 8.5/10

Bad Place Alone- Hard Rock Cooper at best 9/10

You're My Temptation- A strong track 9.5/10

Stolen Prayer- Lightens it up a bit in an impressive way 9.5/10

Unholy War- Not the strongest track 8/10

Lullaby- A disapointing Steven song, but it works- 8/10

It's Me- Great AC ballad 9.5/10

Cleansed by Fire- A strong powerful finish with a runthrough of the album at the end of this song 9.5/10

This Album doesn't contain the type of sound of Desperado (on Killer) but is surprising great. It has classic Cooper humor and great one liners. Although when I first heard this album I was not impressed, it becomes great after 2-3 times through. Not a weak song on the Album. OVERALL- 9.5/10