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RATINGS: A = must own B = buy it C= average
D = yawn F = puke |
Rating: B+
Kiss have done it
again. While many would love to count them out, they have,
once again, delivered big. Who wudda thunk that in October
of 2009, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley could make such a sonic
boom with, well, the album Sonic Boom. There is not
a clunker on the album, though some are much stronger than
others. A quick sneak peak at the album is below.
The release of the
year, at least according to Paul and Gene, will arrive just in
time for those early holiday shoppers.
"Modern Day
Delilah" kicks the album off and Kiss make it clear that
they are not chasing trends or trying to fit into the modern day
rock scene. They are clearly concerned with the Kiss
legacy. This song, the first single, will become a classic
and would have been the lead single on many of their '70
efforts.
"Russian
Roulette" is your typical Gene Simmons song where he
compares women to the deadly pistol game. The solo saves
the song and while a bit trite, by the end of the song one is
rocking just like they were listening to "Firehouse."
"Never Enough"
is a song that mixes a classic Kiss three-chord rocker with a
bit of Poison's "Ain't Nothing But a Good Time." It works
and will likely be a single and should be played live as it has
a killer arena sign along chorus.
"Yes I Know
(Nobody's Perfect)" is another Paul and Gene song about sex
and ego and how great they are and how many women they can fuck.
The intro to the song is killer and the song keeps finding its
way back to my ears, each time played just a little bit louder.
"Stand" is a
song that early Kiss fans will totally freak out over.
This could have been on Dressed to Kill. This is
Kiss writing music for the hardcore fans, who will love the odd
sounding chorus and the cool reprise at the end of the song.
"Hot and Cold"
is a fun one. Typical Kiss. Lyrics about hot and
cold and too loud then your too old. It is fun and while
there is nothing wrong with it, there is not too much original
about it... not that Kiss are worried about stepping outside the
box.
"All For the
Glory" sees drummer Eric Singer take the vocal. He is
a great singer and this song is made for an arena. Fists
will be pumping in the air as the machismo behind the band of
boys theme will win over the Kiss crowd.
"Danger Us" is a great title. Gene and Paul have
always been great when it comes to making plays on words.
The old school fans will love this one as it is the "Black
Diamond" of Sonic Boom.
"I'm an Animal" is another old school, Gene Simmons
track. I can see Geno spitting blood during one of Thommy
Thayer's solos during this track.
"When Lightening Strikes" is a first for Thommy Thayer,
as he gets to step up and sing lead vocals. It is a
rocking song that has a great beat and chorus and a killer
guitar riff. This, I predict, will quickly become a hard
core fan favorite. It would be fun to see Thommy perform
this one live.
"Say Yeah" is a Paul Stanley made for the arena
audience
rocker. The chorus is tailor made for twenty thousand
screaming maniacs to be shouting at the top of their lungs.
The song goes from hard rock, to slow and from in yer face to
passionate but it always retains energy and finesses.
At the end of the day, Sonic Boom is a good album. The
surprise is that it is this good. One would expect a
couple of tunes and a lot of filler but that is not the case
here at all.
Gene and Paul have always had a magic that seems to know when to
strike. They have known when to write and when to hire
outsiders. This time, they wrote them all and Paul Stanley
produced them. This is back to the basics Kiss, a return
to the 70's that will have the over 40 years olds wondering what
ever became of that Kiss Army Membership card.
By Jeb Wright
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