Is It as good as It was..?

About five years ago we got the great message that Kiss had decided to record again. Something that had been out of the question for a lot of years, because of Paul and Gene’s stance on downloading and file sharing. It was great new for a person like me that had been pretty pissed off because of that. I never understood why they in the period 2004-2008 seemed completely fine with being a heritage act.

I have probably never been so uncertain what to expect from a record. Would the band live up to their legacy or would we get an half hearted product like Psycho Circus always have been to me? That they had got Michael Doret to make the cover did not make the anticipation less exciting. And in October 2009 they let loose Sonic Boom on the world.

My first impression of the record was very positive. I probably raved more about Sonic Boom when It came out than I have ever done about any new Kiss record released since I became a fan in 1978. But how does the record hold up today? I find It quite interesting diving into the record after not having listen to It in a couple of months. Before that I had more or less listened to It weekly or daily since came out.

So let’s bring on Da Boom…

Modern Day Delilah
A song I really did not know what to think of when It came out a couple of weeks before the record came out. And in the beginning I found It a little bit difficult to tie the song into the record since I had listened to It so much as a stand alone song and not as an album track. But after a long time listening to It together with the other tracks It really has grown enormously on me. Today I really consider Modern Day Delilah a real classic Kiss track. And I really thought It worked well as an opener on the tours following Sonic Boom.

Russian Roulette
I love the bass part in the beginning of the song. The raw bass sound really makes the hair stand on my back. That’s the kind of stuff  I want to hear on a Kiss record. And the song itself is also a really good Gene song. Not his best on the record but a damn good song. A song that really has stand the test of time since the album came out.

Never Enough
Probably one of the songs I think are the weakest on Sonic Boom. But still I really like It. It has not grown on me, but It’s still a fun song. The likeness to the Poison “Nothing But A Good Time” doesn’t bother me much either, and I really hate Poison. Just a little fun Paul Stanley song even if It’s not among his strongest compositions.

Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)
Used to be my favourite song on the record. And still among the favourites. But other songs on the record have grown more on me. But the song is the best example that Gene really shines on this record. And even if Paul songs are good they are not close to Gene’s contributions on Sonic Boom.

Stand
An incredible verse and pre-chorus ends up in a terrible chorus. If the chorus had the same quality as the verse and pre-chorus Stand would probably have been the best song on the album. I just hate how they ruined a great song with a shitty pompous chorus like this. It almost feels like they tried to put a bad version of “God Gave…” into an extremely cool rock’n roll song from one of the first albums. And It doesn’t work at all.

Hot and Cold
A really cool version of the “Rotten To The Core” demo from the 70′s. At first It sounded a little strange because I was used to the lyrics from the demo. But once I got used to the lyrics It became a really great song. And It has just grown and grown on me. This is really the kind of song I would like many more of on Monster when It comes out. Songs like this is really what Kiss is all about for me.

All For the Glory
This song was really the big surprise for me. It has gone from being just OK to being my favorite song on the record. It’s a really cool rock’n roll song with a great drive. It reminds me a little about “The Hellacopters” and that’s a good thing. Eric’s vocals on the song is also really cool. I would never have expected that I would like It as much as I did. Before the record came out I would have preferred that Gene and Paul sang all songs. But I’m glad they didn’t. Because this song ROCKS!!!

Danger Us
This song has gone from being the one I thought were the worst song to being one of my favourite songs on the record. The lyrics on the chorus is a little lame. Like a word play for small children. But the song in itself is really, really good.

I’m an Animal
The weakest Gene song on the record. It reminds me a little of Within from Psycho Circus. Why they chose this song over the other Gene songs to play live I really don’t know. But at least It worked out better live than what Within did. The song Itself is OK. But not close to the the best songs on Sonic Boom. And It really drags the record down a little.

When Lightning Strikes
A cool little song. Not as cool as Eric’s vocal contribution to the record. But I do like the song. Even if It doesn’t do that much for me. But I do enjoy It as a part of the record. And It makes the record flow again after “I’m an Animal” drags It down a little.

Say Yeah
Another great song from Paul. This has also really grown on me since the release. I also think the live version played on the tours were really great. If there is one song from Sonic Boom I would really like that they continued to play on the Monster Tour this would be the one.

So as you probably guessed by now I still love this record to death. And even if the favourites have changed a little since It came out in 2009 think It’s at strong as It was when It came out. I really hope that Monster is as strong, because the Hell or Hallelujah haven’t really had the same impact on me as most of the songs on Sonic Boom have had.

Verdict: 8/10