Kiss
Dynasty

THE REVIEW

The Kiss have always been a chameleonic band, moving from the pure and straightforward rock of their early albums to the grandiose songs of "Destroyer" and reaching into pop music and disco with this album. A low blow to their fans? Maybe, but I find the album convincing; it's pleasant to listen to, almost an easy listening album to enjoy in one go while you're busy. It's simple and doesn't require much attention while listening to it.

An easy and pleasant album. The first track is now famous worldwide, still danced to in clubs around the globe, and naturally, we're talking about "I Was Made For Lovin’ You Baby". The initial bass groove accompanies us throughout the song, with a simple and continuous drum rhythm, and a guitar that underperforms in both the riffs and the solo. Despite this, the song turns out to be a hit (perhaps the best-known, and unfortunately, most commercial piece by the band). The high-pitched voice of the Starchild and the catchiness of this piece immediately stick in the head; you find yourself humming it all day. A song written by the rock's King Midas, Desmond Child, it reveals itself to be more of a Hit Parade piece than a "rock gathering" anthem, but ultimately, as I mentioned earlier, those listening to this album aren’t seeking ultra-technical songs or perhaps rock music status symbols. Those who listen to "Dynasty" are simply looking for diversion, and a nice, catchy song like this can represent an album like this very well. To conclude, I would call it a nice, melodic piece but nothing more. Then we move on to the Rolling Stones cover "2,000 Man", Paul Stanley hands over the baton to Ace Frehley, who, as usual, delivers a good result. The cover is well done, the song is particularly enjoyable, and in my opinion, Ace Frehley’s voice among the four Kiss members suits the song best. Naturally, in the Stones' hands, this piece is something else entirely, but I don’t feel like criticizing the second track of "Dynasty". It’s a song worth listening to, if only to see a well-known song by the Stones (remembering it's from the album "Their Satanic Majesty Request") in a different light.

Moving on, we find ourselves facing the song on this album that gives me the most chills. We’re talking about one of the magic pieces that came out of the hands of the wizard Paul Stanley, namely "Sure Know Something". It's a delightful rock-pop ballad that is relaxing and moving. The guitar riffs soften this song, and Gene, with his bass, nails a perfect groove that fits this track superbly. The slow drum beat enhances this song further, making it so catchy and melodic, not to mention Paul’s splendid vocal performance. This song is certainly the best on the album, so enjoyable, one of the best by Kiss. Now it's the Catman’s turn. The song is "Dirty Livin'", a little gem on this album. The song talks about a "dirty" life amidst traffic and drugs, and that’s exactly the feeling the song evokes, as if you’re in the fumes of a metropolis. Setting aside the subjective sensations the track induces, we find ourselves in front of a good piece of work. The electric guitar delivers a truly beautiful solo; it's a constant presence throughout the duration of the piece, the bass with its hard and noisy foundation ties to the simple drum rhythm, and Peter Criss’s hoarse voice seems tailor-made for this track, a unique mix that perfectly suits Dirty Livin' which I would promote. But let's move on to "Charisma", where the guitar and bass go hand in hand almost as in a "duet". Apart from this, the song proves to be rather gaudy, and Simmons on vocals doesn't convince. Besides a fairly nice chorus, the song doesn’t draw any attention, it doesn't stand out from the others, it's almost a filler within the album. We could have done without "Charisma", just as we could do without the guitar solo in this track, in fact, the solo proves to be quite predictable and boring.

The next track is "Magic Touch", a song which, despite remaining pop-rock, is more easily associated with later works like "Crazy Nights" than with "Dynasty" itself. But aside from this, unlike the previous one, the song is truly enjoyable. The choruses and the refrain make it a really nice piece, the only flaw being the guitars being too loud, which, in my opinion, should have been less harsh and less distorted in a track like this. Now, a small drum roll, and we're ready to listen to a fairly rock song compared to the rest of "Dynasty", naturally signed by Space Ace. This is "Hard Times". For Hard Times, in a sense, the same discussion as "Charisma" applies, a song without glory or disgrace that could have been omitted, but ultimately it presents itself for what it is, a simple song to listen to on the fly, perhaps while in the car. Personally, though, I much prefer this song to "Charisma", maybe because it's more rock, maybe because I’m a staunch Frehleinian, I don’t know. But it's time to listen to the next track, and this is "X - Ray Eyes" by Simmons, which is the most useless, decadent, and garish piece of the entire CD. It’s quite boring, a predictable piece, those “filler” types that Kiss often included in their albums. I won’t waste more words on this rather unattractive piece, and I'll move on to the last track, "Save Your Love" by Ace Frehley. This track doesn’t convince much either. It’s a song that doesn’t shine, with a refrain almost "martial" in nature with those repetitive choruses. This track certainly doesn’t close the album on a high note, yet another piece that I define as filler, a pity because Ace rarely missed the mark.

In short, to conclude, I reiterate my thoughts—don't expect to find a masterpiece by Kiss or in rock when purchasing this album. We’re not talking about "Love Gun" or "Kiss" (the self-titled CD from 1974); it’s an album without glory or disgrace, a CD one can easily do without, free from guilt. These are the CDs that I wouldn’t throw in the trash and that I enjoy listening to while I’m busy. It's nothing special, catchy and slick as Kiss always accustomed us to, a nice CD, just something like that, nothing more.