Sonic Boom [Box]

Performer: Kiss
Engineer: Greg Collins; Miles Wilson
Producer: Greg Collins; Kiss; Paul Stanley
Distributor: n/a

Notes: Personnel: Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer (vocals, guitar); Eric Singer (vocals, drums); Gene Simmons (vocals). Audio Mixer: Greg Collins . Photographers: Neil Zlozower; Dean Snowden. When SONIC BOOM was released, it had been over a decade since the last Kiss studio album, so expectations were understandably high. In addition, the intervening period had seen the band fire two of its founding members for the second time, only to replace them with sidemen wearing Ace Frehley and Peter Criss's iconic makeup. Luckily, the new additions, unlike some of Kiss's "un-masked years" members, have a good feel for classic Kiss. That fact, matched with Paul Stanley's assumption of production duties, makes SONIC BOOM one of the most consistent and thoroughly Kiss-sounding albums since the group's `70s heyday. That said, the New York City unit manages to branch out a bit; alongside very ROCK & ROLL OVER/LOVE GUN-esque tracks such as the Gene Simmons-sung rockers "Yes I Know (Nobody's Perfect)" and "Russian Roulette," sit ambitious pieces such as "Stand," which employs a Motown-influenced chorus melody, sophisticated arrangement, and Beach Boys-style harmonies, and "All For the Glory" and "Lightning Strikes," which are vocal showcases from new guys Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer (respectively). Interestingly, both Singer's rasp and Thayer's slightly off-kilter delivery are highly reminiscent of their famous predecessors, which further contributes to the album's distinct Kiss-ness. Overall, though the record doesn't pack quite the same lean, mean, gritty punch as early classics like DESTROYER or KISS (or Ace Frehley's own 2009 album ANOMALY), it is a clear return to the sound of archetypal Kiss.

Entertainment Weekly (p.100) - "There's no denying the pleasingly hook-laden nature of such anthemic rockers as BOOM's 'Stand' and "Modern Day Delilah'..." -- Grade: B

A theatrical rock band formed in the 1970s heyday of glitter, Kiss brought to life a cast of cartoonish figures sustained by heavy riffs and an endless supply of face paint. With each band member assuming an alter-ego (Gene Simmons, demon; Paul Stanley, stud; Ace Frehley, spaceman; and Peter Criss, cat), Kiss set the standard for the ultimate spectacle, combining monstrously hook-heavy rock with outrageous costumes and stage shows. Following the release of four simultaneous solo albums, Criss left the group, and a few years later Frehley also departed. Simmons and Stanley soldiered on with various lineups, and the group even abandoned their make-up beginning with 1983's LICK IT UP. In 1996, the original quartet reunited and donned their old faces and outfits for a hugely successful tour.

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