Kiss
Sonic Boom

THE REVIEW

I was born in 1977, and I grew up with Kiss.

At three years old, I already knew "Destroyer" and "Dynasty" by heart, thanks to my uncle's record player. Over the years, my interest in them waned a bit; the lineup changes, musical shifts, and even the abandonment of their masks left me somewhat with a bitter taste.

Then, 11 years ago, Gene Simmons and company reunited in the original lineup, first during an unplugged evening, and then, after the official reunion, complete with a return to masks and costumes, they created "Psycho Circus."
A great emotion for me, even if the album wasn't the best, hearing them together again after 20 years was truly fantastic. But it didn't last long.

Today, only Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley remain from the original lineup, who since 2003, along with Tommy Thayer on guitar and Eric Singer on drums, have released the latest album at the beginning of October, "Sonic Boom."

Reviewing an album is something that can't be separated from the personal tastes of the reviewer, and in this case, more than focusing on the content of the CD, I want to talk about what I liked and what I didn't like about the whole operation.

"Sonic Boom" contains 11 new tracks, plus, in the deluxe version, another CD with 15 hits from the group, re-recorded for the occasion with the current lineup, and a DVD of a concert in Argentina.

Regarding the new tracks, they were preceded by some statements from Gene Simmons, claiming that this album was something that resembled records like "Destroyer," "Love Gun," etc.

For someone like me who loves them so much, a statement of this kind, even though you know it's likely just made to promote the album, doesn't fail to stir some emotion.

So, I buy the CD, deluxe version, return home, and play it.

It starts right away with "Modern Day Delilah." The initial riff immediately brings to mind "Hotter Than Hell," an album from 1974. Clearly, the sounds have changed, but the approach is the same... good. A song sung by Paul Stanley, who, honestly, I don't know how he does it at his age (the guy is 57), but he's still the same. Grit and great expressiveness. I listen to the track a couple more times and move on to the next one.

In "Russian Roulette," Gene Simmons takes the lead vocals. A pleasant track, which somewhat departs from the 70s sounds I found in "Modern Day Delilah," but still a nice track.

The album continues pleasantly, nothing groundbreaking, but it's listenable. Paul Stanley, with his unmistakable voice and compelling style, takes the lead as always. Gene Simmons makes his bass vibrate like in the old days, and the tracks he has written are well-sung. The two leaders are in good form, and you can feel it, they always believe in what they do; that's the strength of Kiss.

The riffs of all the tracks are classic Kiss riffs. On lead guitar, Ace Frehley is absent, and it shows, but Tommy Thayer does his job well, and Eric Singer plays his part well.
On vocals for track no. 7 "All for the Glory," there is Eric Singer, while on track no. 10, "When Lightning Strikes," Tommy Thayer takes the lead vocals. The album closes with "Say Yeah" by Paul Stanley.

It won't go down in history, but "Sonic Boom" is a good rock album.

A separate chapter, however, is the second CD, which contains the 15 re-recorded hits. I'm disappointed here.

The tracklist is okay; they certainly chose the most representative tracks of their career, but I didn't expect to hear them executed identically to the originals. They're the same, except for the fact that these were recorded using modern equipment.

I expected reinterpretations, rearranged or even completely revamped tracks, but nothing; they're identical. The worst part is the poor attempt by the two replacements to emulate the feats of the original members, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.

Especially in the guitar solos, Tommy Thayer never tries to do something different from Ace Frehley's original solos, only he's not "Ace Frehley," and the difference is noticeable. "The Spaceman" was certainly not the greatest guitarist in the world to me, but he was unique, that much is true...

Listening to "Detroit Rock City," for example, in the middle of the song, you can hear the engine of a car racing in the background; it makes you wonder if the car is the same one used in '77 or not...
Wasted effort, in my opinion, it would have been better to just put together the original tracks, and they would have made a better impression.

Final result: As a fan, I would have bought the CD anyway. Of course, from the store to my home, I kept imagining who-knows-what, not so much from the new tracks, which are certainly pleasant and to my liking, but from the hits.

Well, as my first review, maybe it wasn't the best, so all I have left to say is...

... "You wanted the best! You've got the best! The hottest band in the world... KISS!"