(LiveDaily) - Thirty-five years into their career, face-painted
rockers KISS know they're preaching to the converted, and what the
converted want is some approximation of the albums the group created
during its '70s-era heyday. In that regard, "Sonic Boom" (Amazon.com:
http://xrl.us/SonicBoom1 ) mostly hits the mark.
The last time KISS delivered a new studio album (1998's overproduced,
mostly uninspired "Psycho Circus"), that approximation was primarily
limited to an album cover that featured the four original members
together and in full makeup for the first time in nearly 20 years. In
actuality, guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss were
sidelined for most of the recording process in favor of uncredited
session players, and group leaders Gene Simmons (vocals/bass) and Paul
Stanley (vocals/guitar) brought in a number of outside songwriters.
This time around, Stanley--who self-produced "Sonic Boom"--insisted
that he and his bandmates write and record all of the material. The
result: KISS sounds more like its original self than it has in three
decades--ironic, given that Criss and Frehley have long since been
replaced by Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, respectively, who for the
past several years have been impersonating Criss and Frehley on
stage..
Continued:
http://xrl.us/SonicBoom2
