From: Tim Wadzinski

I was just checking out your page of PSYCHO CIRCUS reviews. If you want to include mine, here it is. It ran in this week's issue of SFK e-zine, dated 9/28/98.

KISS - PSYCHO CIRCUS (91%) Mercury, 1998
[http://kissonline.net]

Well well well... Where to begin? To quote a Judas Priest song: "You've heard all the stories, are they true? The rock 'n' roll circus is calling you." Who cares if the original fearsome foursome didn't play everything on this album? It's pretty damn cool regardless. Half the songs are silly-ish rockers (Paul's "I Pledge Allegiance To The State Of Rock & Roll," "Raise Your Glasses," and title track; Ace's "Into The Void"; and all four's "You Wanted The Best") that just make you smile. The big surprise here is how, well, *different* Gene's songs are. "Within" mixes a modern CARNIVAL OF SOULS-like verse with a stomping, raw CREATURES OF THE NIGHT-ish chorus, and once it grows on you, it's cool. "We Are One" is an acoustic pop anthem that just needs to be played in front of a swaying audience saluting with cigarette lighters. And closer "Journey Of 1,000 Years," you ask? Kiss goes progressive with a moving epic that morphs MUSIC FROM "THE ELDER"-era orchestration into something that recalls "Fractured Mirror" off Ace's 1978 solo album; very odd and very cool. Peter and Paul also get serious on us with "I Finally Found My Way" and "Dreamin'," respectively, but the pensive Gene kinda has them beat. Summary: PSYCHO CIRCUS is aptly titled, as it mixes bits from all eras of Kisstory. It's glammy, heavy, somber, fun, vacuous, silly, and just plain cool.

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