| Kiss Sonic Boom | Kiss/WalMart |
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Kiss are back! Well…they have their first studio album in many years at least. It is hard to declare Kiss 'back' when they never really went away. Kiss Inc. has kept fans busy with tours, merchandise and an ever-constant media presence. But this is the first look at new material for fans after solo albums from Stanley and Simmons in recent years plus a range of archive DVD collections. Kiss has done precisely the right thing here – they have made an album for the fans and for themselves. No towing any record label line and no attempts to follow a particular trend or update their sound unnecessarily. Mind you, if there is any trend developing, it is one towards being cool for just being yourself and for more organic classic rock records. So Kiss under the command of Paul Stanley set about making a classic Kiss record for the ages. I think they have achieved that too. Importantly this sounds like a real band record and everyone gets some time in the spotlight. The production, while not the crispest ever, has a big sound and is authentic in that it captures the energy of the band and songs and reflects the style of the band through the ages. The triple pack release adds value for money for casual and die-hard fans alike, but the real interest for all is the new material. Track By Track: Modern Day Delilah is the single we've all heard – the tune that reintroduced the band to the world. Tough, uncompromising and both contemporary and classic at the same time. Catchy without even trying. Russian Roulette features Gene singing as well as, well…as well as Gene "sings". And I love the guitar tone on this one. Unmistakably Kiss and nice and clean. I prefer the double time bridge that leads to the chorus, which plods a little, but still a very good straight ahead rocker. Never Enough to me sounds like 80s Kiss without the tinfoil production. Paul sounds in terrific form here and the chorus is pure anthemic pyro-inspired rock n roll. One for the live set list surely? Gene is back to front the dirty 70s rocker Yes I Know (Nobody's Perfect). This is the best example of 70s Kiss on the record I reckon. Self-indulgent lyrics, an instant chorus and a tasty guitar solo in there also. Stand is another 80s style song with a more 70s inspired production. Anthemic arena rocker with classic Kiss traits. Gene and Paul duet through the track, but you have to love the chorus. Hot And Cold features yet more Gene lead vocals. Curious that his role in the album is so prominent given that Stanley apparently had full creative control. Not the greatest vocalist in the world (or anywhere else), Gene still manages to carry the integrity of the song – more 70s inspired dirty rock n roll. Not to be taken seriously lyrics are the name of the game. All For The Glory is a track I really dig. More bombastic 70s rock here and a big over the top chorus. Absolutely love the dirty guitar tone here (and killer solo), plus the faster tempo. Eric Singer sings his heart out and puts his hand up for future vocal duties with a strong performance. Danger Us is another really strong rocker that features more inspired guitar playing and a strong Paul Stanley lead vocal. More silly lyrics that seem to work (this is Kiss afterall!). The latter half of the album proves to be delivering the goods more than the opening half. Despite being one of the heavier rockers on the album, I'm An Animal is one of the album's totally duff tracks I'm sorry to say. The band delivers a massive 70s groove, but Gene's vocals aren't overly appealing and the chorus for me is completely forgettable. When Lightning Strikes is much better. Digging this one still – featuring Tommy Thayer on vocals. His tone fits the band well and sounds very comfortable. A good commercial chorus ensures this feel good rocker works. The album closes with Say Yeah – another uptempo rocker featuring Paul Stanley. I see this tune as old meets new, 70s meets 80s and classic Kiss all the way. Love the chorus – one which could easily have been included on Stanley's very good solo record.
It's not the perfect record or the second coming. Nor I don't rate it as the best Kiss album in 30 years, but I do rate it as one of their best. It is a true statement from the band that they are still very much relevant; still capable of kicking ass after all these years; and can still write and play their own music! Now, if only today's immerging bands could be forced to take a few lessons from these veterans, we might all be better off.
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21/10/09: Rian - edguyrocks@yahoo.com
20/10/09: Stan - stankiss@pacbell.net
18/10/09: bobby - poundcake2000@hotmail.com
16/10/09: Tom - thomashogue09@comcast.net
15/10/09: leo - paradisecitymusic@gmail.com
15/10/09: marco - marco_kootkar.com
14/10/09: Ditty - dmdittman@hotmail.com
14/10/09: Skip - Cdcollector81@aol.com
13/10/09: Christopher Britt - itzmecbdjfan@yahoo.com
13/10/09: jim - jimtsel@yahoo.gr
13/10/09: Henry Steele - henrysteelerocks@hotmail.com
13/10/09: Harv - darkknightjwo@hotmail.com
13/10/09: Craig Massey - n/a
13/10/09: Michael - mojomann@gmail.com
13/10/09: Deddy - kinzigkobold@gmx.de
13/10/09: Tuomas - syklipollo@gmail.com
13/10/09: KB - klbeevers@cox.net
13/10/09: Tom - tom.timmermans@flexsys.com
13/10/09: Jimmy Beach - canihaveurtots@hotmail.com
12/10/09: Chris Kaiser - soundadvice2k@bresnan.net
12/10/09: KW - shakes2525@yahoo.com
12/10/09: Adam - aewsalford@aol.com
Rating: 48
I really only like "Russian Roulette." "Stand" is horrible and "Never Enough" should be left to LA Guns, cuz their version smokes this one from Kiss. lol
Rating: 100
if you love KISS you will LOVE sonic boom ... this is a KISS cd in it's finest ....
Rating: 55
Ill keep this simple.
This is garbage.
There is one decent stanley song,Never Enough.
The simmons songs are actually pretty good,but i buy a kiss cd to hear paul stanley sing,and his songs are some of the greatest rock tunes in history.But this is very lame.
Do yourselves a favor and buy the stanley solo cd,that leaves this one for dead.Dissapointing
Rating: 99
EXACTLY what the boys promised...the strongest KISS album in decades! No ballads, no fillers, just classic American rock-n-roll. Paul has never sounded stronger, the guitars are HUGE, and Eric pounds out killer beats. I "stand" by this release, and by this band...
Rating: 15
total and utter crap. i like kiss. I don't wanna hear the same
tunes, different words every single release. Paul Stanley's newest solo album was terrific. Why couldn't they make something like that? Gene should never be given a microphone. Lyrics are weak and stupid. Music on it's good and Paul is a great singer. If it had some strong tunes ............. but it doesnt. Not worth the $12 it sells for at wal-mart.
Rating: 85
What can i say...
Gene sucks on this one,the only decent song he delivers is Yes I Know.I don't like his vocals on a melodic rock track and his lyrics...well.....
Tommy is trying way to hard to copy Ace Frehley.Its like he's been cutting and pasting all the old Ace solo's together for this record,pathetic.His voice sounds ok though and When Lightning Strikes would be a great live track.
Eric does well and his voice amazes me.All For The Glory is also a killer track.
Paul is having his finest hour on Sonic Boom and once again he proves to be a great songwriter.I just can't get Say Yeah out of my head.All of pauls song are good but Stand i.m.o. gets wrecked by the infantile chorus ,not so much the melody but the lyrics ,i mean how cheesy can you get.
Anouther thing is that the album seams to be put together as the recording process was on the way.Unlike Ace's Anomly the songs on Sonic Boom sound like demo's waiting for the finishing touch.Not that it sounds bad but it has a bit of live feel,there could have a bit more guitars on it ,some vocals do not seam to be spot on ,same for the guitars.Not real mistakes but it just sounds a little too live.
Some people may love that but i want hear perfection on a record.If i want to hear a band play live ill buy a live record or go see them.
All in all i'm glad Sonic Boom is out and i hope it will sell like crazy so it won't take anouther 11 years to make a new one.
Are we going to get an Ace review on this site? Anomaly is awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 90
Kiss returns with all new material and the band is firing on all four cylinders. I haven't been able to take the cd out of my car player since the day I bought it a week ago. Stylistically I would say this album would have fit in nicely right after 'Love Gun', because the songs here sound like a bridge between the classic Kiss of past and the Kiss sound of the eighties. Paul took the reins on this release and did a great job of getting the best performance out of each member of the band, making it feel like a real band effort opposed to a continuation of a Paul Stanly solo album. Gene's vocals and bass playing is his best in a very long time, you can feel and hear his passion and enthusiasm throughout this project. Tommy and Eric each get a turn on lead vocals and both do a fantastic job. In addition, their playing is rock solid from beginning to end, proving that this lineup of the band is stellar! Oh, then of course their is Paul Stanley who sings his ass off here! Not a bad/filler song anywhere, it rocks from the first note until the last.
Rating: 98
I would give this cd a 100 if not for the 1 Gene Simmons turd included for length but I guess you have to let the dog out at some point. Paul has done a phenomenal job on production and i can't wait to see what they will sound like on their next release scheduled for the year 2020. What will be interesting to see in the future will be who actually played on the album like like the revelation of the uncredited Bruce Kulick handling guitar on Psycho Circus. I hope the success of this album, expected to actually enter the charts at #1, will keep Kiss inspired to carry on and abandon the Idea of Kiss II.
Rating: 89
This is what Paul said it would be but it could have been just alittle heavier just doesn't seem to have that giant knockout punch it needed but it's new KISS.
Rating: 9
The new kiss album is definitely one of the best hard rock albums of 2009.It's great production wise,it has big choruses,great solos,it reminds me of 70's kiss(esp gene's songs) without sounding retro and as a whole i think that it really combines different kiss eras.For example i'm an animal sounds like a song straight out from creatures of the night.Stand is like god gave rock n roll to you with gene and paul singing the way they did.Say yeah could have been in any kiss album from the mid eighties.Eric Singer's vocal debut was also a pleasant surprise and a kick ass song(Toomy Thayer's song was very good too).There aren't really any fillers on this album and kiss certainly delivered a great album.I hope we'll see another studio album from kiss in the future.
Rating: 99
Paul Stanley has delivered a GREAT album! The songs are all classic KISS with a touch of that 80's feel. I truly believe this album was not only about Paul and Gene's come back, but it affirms that Tommy Thayer is not just an Ace Frehely xerox machine. Tommy is a full fledged collaborator musically, lyrically, and vocally. This is Tommy Thayer making his mark in KISStory!!
I'm taking away 1 point for sound. Listen to this CD then put Ace Frehley's new CD on and you will hear a huge difference in the mix! BTW, Ace's CD is just as good as Sonic Boom, maybe even a little better!
Rating: 95
It is classic Kiss. Revenge is still my favorite album. A close second is Creatures of the Night. Sonic Boom has slid into third place.
Rating: 90
I really like this album, KISS fans won't be disappointed. Strange how they are touring now and only performing 'Modern Day Delilah'. Much better release than Psycho Circus. I'm hoping the CD sells enough for the band to record another album in a couple of years.
Rating: 89
I can't go all out with this one. Paul's vocals are great thru out the CD but I was surprised at how many Gene vocal tracks their are. Some of the tracks feel right at home in the 70's, all the way down to the production. The band is tight and everyone showed up for this outing. Having Paul in charge was a good thing. Still it does not quite hit the mark for me. Don't get me wrong, I grew up on KISS and have great memories of the band. For me this is a triple off the fence, but not quite a home run. Onto the bonus features. The Klassics rerecorderd with the current line up is OK and feels like the standard policy for older bands trying to stay vital in the market. The live DVD was a major disapointment. Only 6 songs, shot in 4:3 ratio and not very good quality. Since it was edited they could have cut down on Paul's banter with the crowd. My wife even commented do they always take so much time between songs, do they older guys need a breather? Overall, the new stuff was pretty good, the bonus stuff falls short.
Rating: 100
THIS is KISS !!! Rock'n Roll!!!
Amazing record,welcome back guys!!!
D.
Rating: 98
I laughed when i heard this one!! This is pure KISS and yes it reminded me when i was introduced to the band by my brother when i was like 10.years old! Same sound,Paul´s voice,Gene´s trademark bass slides..etc. Great feelgood rock record!!:)
Rating: 99
Long time KISS fan (since the mid 70's). From start to finish this is the best album the band has recorded since Destroyer or Love Gun. The songwriting is the strongest I have seen from the band in almost 20 years. Paul Stanley poured his heart into this project and it really shows. His voice has gotten a little raspy over the years, but that works in his favor on the new material. He sounds great and should be given much credit for making the whole band sound so good on the recording! Gene Simmons is in top form after being so lost in the '80's and has come full circle back to where he should be with the band. Russian Roulette is his best performance since Almost Human from Love Gun or I Love It Loud from Creatures. As for Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, I know they are getting a lot of criticism for putting Ace and Peter's makeup on respectively. However, each of the their talent music-wise more than makes up for them taking over the personas and I for one am okay with it. The fact is that Ace and Peter can no longer play up the standards that we were so used to back in their heyday. The music is what really matters! Tommy and Eric are just better musicians and fit in better in today's version of KISS and each of them more than does their part to deliver at the highest level. All For the Glory, Eric's track, was actually played on ESPN this weekend during the break between some of the football games and shows the versatility that Eric brings to the band. Tommy's song When Lightning Strikes is a very good performance as well. He has a classic 80's hair metal type of voice, but yet it fits in really well on the new album. The stand out tracks for the album are everything but I'm An Animal. I agree with Andrew in that it is the only filler track on the album. However, for a filler track it is still listenable. Without that song I would have given this album a 100. However, this album still rates as a classic in my book.
Rating: 95
Awesome! Anyone with even the slightest intrest in Kiss should get this album. Great musicianship all around, plenty of attitude, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, doesn't take itself to seriously, instantly hummable riffs/choruses = great Kiss album = great rock album all round.
Rating: 90
Good cd, I love the remakes of the original songs
Rating: 97
I am pleasantly surprised with this new KISS CD and I really like the fact that they went with an older and more Klassic Kiss sound. I love every song on the disc and the remade Klassics sound awesome too!
Rating: 98
Pure classic Kiss. Best since Destroyer...
Rating: 98
I can't find any real fault with this album, Paul Stanley delivered what he promised, a classic Kiss album.
I would have loved there to have been a speedier riffy track like 'Take Me' or 'Makin' Love', but that's my only complaint.
Otherwise, it's nigh on perfect for me, and has got me interested in kiss all over again.
Hope they play every track live.
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