By Thom CopherCHARLESTON, W.Va. -- "Sonic Boom" marks the first album of new material from the self-proclaimed "hottest band in the world" since 1998's "Psycho Circus." And time certainly hasn't mellowed the Paul Stanley/Gene Simmons machine. The new offering belches a familiar tried-and-true arena rock formula with machismo that clearly targets the band's 1970s heyday sound with a few latter-day highlights thrown in for good measure.
Produced by singer/guitarist (and all-around Rock God) Paul Stanley, "Sonic Boom" is a throwback in more ways than one. No time is wasted as the opener/lead single, "Modern Day Delilah" hits with a guitar shear and sonic thud reminiscent of the classic "God of Thunder." "Delilah" sets the stage for this 11-song stroll down Nostalgia Avenue.
"Stand by My Side" borrows as much from (the non-makeup era) "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" as it does from "Do You love Me" (1976's "Destroyer"). Guitarist Tommy Thayer does a fine Ace Frehley impersonation, playing praise to The Spaceman at every turn. His lead for "Russian Roulette" is ripped straight from 1975's "She," while "Yes I Know (Nobody's Perfect)" is a rollicking track a la "Let Me Go Rock and Roll."
Lyrically, Stanley and Simmons walk down a well-worn path. "If it's too hot you're too cold/If it's too loud you're too old," proclaim The Starchild and The Demon on "Hot and Cold." And it simply wouldn't be KISS without a little groupie chasing. Simmons is at his tongue-wagging best with lines like "Hey, what's your name/Yeah, we're both thinkin' the same thing."
Drummer Eric Singer ("All For the Glory") and Thayer ("When Lightning Strikes") add to the lead-vocal mix, bringing KISS back to the much overlooked and highly underrated four-singer setup that hasn't been visited for far too long. Stanley, need it even be mentioned, proves once again with his front and center vocals that he is one of rock's most powerful singers - not bad at 57.
While "Sonic Boom" doesn't even pretend to be groundbreaking, its seemingly tireless effort to revisit "best of" moments is refreshing in a "Yeah, I've been a KISS fan for 35 years" kind of way. If nothing else, "Sonic Boom" re-establishes the band's claim that the music can stand on its own without all the makeup and fireworks. Here, too, credit Stanley as producer for capturing a live-performance feel that "Rock and Roll Over" and "Love Gun" nailed in the late '70s but was lost in the following two decades.
An added highlight to the presentation is the two-disc bonus. One disc, aptly titled "KISS Klassics," provides 15 favorites that have been re-recorded - pretty cool, if you're into that kind of thing. The other is a six-song live DVD, which features the band live in Buenos Aires during its 2009 South American tour. The live disc is worth the cost alone.
Simply put, this is KISS, ageless and doing what it does best. There might not be any instant KISS Klassics on "Sonic Boom," but it's solid and familiar throughout with the band reminding listeners that its bottom-line is the essence of all that is good about rock 'n' roll.
