:: Kiss - Sonic Boom

Kiss

Let me start by telling you straight out that I’m a big Kiss fan. I always have been, and will probably always be. But before you start getting the wrong idea, I’ll also add that while I own all their albums, I’ve never bought into the endless merchandise that legally allows the band to print their own money and I don’t consider everything that Kiss has released, as classic. For every great album the band has produced (For example 1974’s ‘Kiss’, 1976’s ‘Destroyer’, 1979’s ‘Dynasty’, 1982’s ‘Creatures Of The Night’, 1987’s ‘Crazy Nights’ and 1992’s ‘Revenge’), they’ve more than matched that number with some pretty patchy releases (1974’s ‘Hotter Than Hell’, 1980’s ‘Unmasked’, 1984’s ‘Animalize’, 1989’s ‘Hot In The Shade’ and 1998’s ‘Psycho Circus’).
But while Kiss’ studio output has been less than perfect, you can’t fault them live. Quite simply, the band really put on a show and a half, with all the trimmings.

And that’s exactly what’s been keeping Kiss alive (comprising of vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley, lead guitarist/vocalist Ace Frehley, vocalist/bassist Gene Simmons and drummer/vocalist Peter Criss), since their last studio release more than a decade ago. Since then, the original line-up has split up, with guitarist/vocalist Tommy Thayer (Ex-Black N’ Blue) and drummer/vocalist Eric Singer replacing Frehley and Criss, ensuring Kiss’ continued existence as a live act. But after more than five years in their current incarnation, Kiss have decided to once again head into the studio and emerge with their first new studio album in eleven years. Prior to its release, ‘Sonic Boom’ was hyped up as a release that was solely written and produced (handled by Stanley, and co-produced by Greg Collins) by the band themselves, and apparently heavily influenced by the band’s own output from the ‘70’s in terms of direction and sound.

Needless to say, I was a little sceptical of such a bold claim. And while keeping an open mind, I can’t help but feel that Kiss has remained true to their track record, with ‘Sonic Boom’ essentially a mix of both the really good, and the awfully uninspired. The album actually starts off in quite a strong manner, with the first single ‘Modern Day Delilah’ sounding like a cross of vintage Kiss, mixed with the heaviness of ‘Revenge’. Stanley may be sounding a little rawer on the vocal front since his last performance on a Kiss album, but the added huskiness in his voice and Thayer’s impressive solo around the three quarter mark combined make the song work. Simmons contributes some strong efforts in ‘Russian Roulette’ and the slick sounding ‘Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)’, while Stanley delivers in the infectious ‘Say Yeah’ and ‘Never Enough’. But like most Kiss albums, ‘Sonic Boom’ also has its fillers.
‘Stand’ is essentially a rewrite of ‘God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II’ with Stanley trading lines with Simmons for what I can only assume they hope is an uplifting anthem. But as hard as they try, the song is just too cliché and predictable, and its placing on the album is just too early in the track listing to really work. ‘Hot And Cold’ is a cool rock effort from Simmons, but let down by a chorus that lacks a bit of an inspired spark, but ‘I’m An Animal’ is one of his trademark chest beating efforts that I’ve never particularly been a real fan of. Having an ego is O.K., but Simmons really does take it to the extreme at times.Singer puts in a strong performance on the stronger ‘All For The Glory’, but its tracks like the dreadful ‘Danger Us’ and Thayer’s unenthusiastic ‘When Lightning Strikes’ that really dampen any sonic impact the first half of the album delivered.

True to Kiss’ form, ‘Sonic Boom’ is a good album, but one that’s still plagued by inconsistency. While it’s no classic, it’s certainly no ‘Psycho Circus’ either. In the end, devoted Kiss fans will hail this as the band’s true return to former glory. But for me, this is possibly the best we could have expected from a band that’s seen and done it all before, and who have nothing left to prove to their diehard audience.