Melbourne Herald-Sun Psycho Circus Review

The news from the Herald-Sun newspaper in Melbourne, the most sold newspaper in the state, is as follows (24 Septenmber 1998) :

If you reform, they will come. And they did, in their millions, to see the original line up of KISS plaster over the cracks. And not just the canyons in their faces, their live show pretended the '80s never happened by concentrating on the early albums when they weren't considered a joke.

And now comes the first new KISS album from the original lineup since 1980's 'Unmasked'. 'Psycho Circus' is the cornerstone of the KISS marketing machine. This is the album to prove they can still cut it. Or at least trim it with gusto. Considering their last album saw them embarrassingly trying to go grunge, here they revert back to the big dunb rock that made them rich and famous.

Who else could call a song 'I Pledge Allegiance To The State Of Rock& Roll', jam pack it with cliches and not laugh their way through it. Or 'You Wanted The Best', where all four members trade lyrics like "the fans wanted us to play, we hear and we obey" then try to relive their '70s heyday by recycling familiar guitar riffs. So, finally, a new KISS album that doesn't suck...much. *** (3 out of five stars)

KISS ASYLUM -- KISS Museum News Archive Features Tour Dates Photos