My name is John Sunday and I've listened to this album probably 20 times now, so I'm over all that initial reaction stuff.

First of all, there is NO Desmond Child to be found anywhere on this album. I don't care what kind of hook some of these songs may or may not have.
As EVERYONE has previously stated, this is a seriously heavy album. It doesn't sound like Creatures or Revenge, but it does have a unified sound like those albums have. Some are ticked off due to the Pantera/Alice In Chains type of sound this album has.

SO WHAT! As one reviewer stated, it's Kiss' diversity that's been so enjoyable over all these years. If they were AC/DC then all there albums would sound exactly the same and we wouldn't be able to tell one from another. Is Kiss just cashing in? Well, what about Dynasty, Unmasked, Animalize, Crazy Nights? Were they not accused of doing the same thing then.

Yet songs like Charisma and Shandi were two of the most requested songs on the convention tour. Be PATIENT. Years from now most Kiss fans will look back on these songs rather fondly, I promise. This is another link in the ever-changing Kiss sound. I'm glad they're not satisfied to sound the same year in and year out. If you consider CRAP like Crazy Nights and Asylum true Kiss albums, you would be a fool to disregard this LP. I'll see some of you in San Antonio. Long live all the lives of KISS.