Wall of Sound Psycho Circus Review

KISS
Psycho Circus
Label: Mercury
Genre: Rock/Pop
File Under: Send in the clowns
RATING: 62

Between the demonic makeup, fire, blood, and plaudits from all the hippest hard and modern rockers, we tend to forget that, at its heart, KISS is a pop band. Sure, there's plenty of crunch and bluster to "Rock and Roll All Night," "Detroit Rock City," "Christine Sixteen," "Shout It Out Loud," and all the rest, but that's ultimately due to the sonic dressing that is applied to tunes written in the classic Beatles-Buddy Holly mode. Psycho Circus, the first new album from the original KISS lineup (bassist Gene Simmons, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, lead guitarist Ace Frehley, and drummer Peter Criss) in 18 years, offers more of the same. Produced by Bruce Fairbairn, the sound of Psycho Circus is polished and pompy, with walls of guitars bolstering layered vocal harmonies. It has its moments, too: The title track is an energetic theme-setter for the foursome's upcoming 3-D tour, while "I Pledge Allegiance (To the State of Rock & Roll)," "You Wanted the Best," and "Into the Void" are cocky and fun, with affably anthemic sing-along choruses.

But in the context of a generation of (hair) bands that have run the KISS formula into the group, a great deal of Psycho Circus is anonymous arena rock tepid power ballads such as "I Finally Found My Way" and "We Are One" sit alongside the overdramatic arrangements of "Raise Your Glasses," "Journey of 1,000 Years," and "Within." There's no "Deuce," "Strutter" or "Calling Dr. Love" under this big top, which makes Psycho Circus seem like little more than a cursory justification to put the show back on the road. -- Gary Graff
http://www.wallofsound.com/reviews/stories/3994_35index.html

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