From: Bob Rodrick

I was so eager to give a review of the new "Psycho Circus" album. The problem is I haven't heard a full copy of it (if someone wants to anonymously send me one, I have no problem with that :) ), but rather high quality two minute snipets of every song, which I must have heard about 12 times now. I do wish to express my thoughts on what I've heard, but I won't get too detailed due to the fact that it hasn't blasted out of my stereo in its effect. So I will not get into my thoughts on the production or who is/is not playing on the songs (although I really do believe Peter is playing on quite a few songs....I'll leave it at that). This is just an intial preview review, concentrating on the quality of the songs.

SONG BY SONG REVIEW (on a scale of 1 to 5):

PSYCHO CIRCUS: This is the only song that I've heard in its entirety and it's an absolute killer. Has a bit of a "Hide Your Heart"/"Nowhere to Run" sound, due to it being in the same B minor key. Great vocals, great harmony guitar solo. 4.5

WITHIN: I don't understand this song. I've tried to be very open minded about it, but I just can't get into it. It just doesn't fit within the confines of the original Kiss. The verses are dead awful, but the chorus is half way decent. 1.5

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE: A mind blower. Definitely going to be a concert favorite. Very cool Rolling Stones/"Child of the Moon" harmonies thrown in there. A real blood pumper. The only complaint is that the song is almost stuck on the same A chord. 4.0

INTO THE VOID: I fully expected Ace to deliver, and he deliver he does, with perhaps the heaviest song I've ever heard him do. Fantastic. He sounds great. An absolutely killer guitar riff coming out of the solo that just blew me away. 4.5

WE ARE ONE: I haven't heard much of this song to make a solid judgement. I believe what I heard was the ending of the song, but what I did get to hear I really wasn't all that thrilled with. 2.5 (this rating will most definitely change when I hear the whole thing.

YOU WANTED THE BEST: I'm shaking my head with this song. The verses/vocal trading and Ace's solo are great, but I think the chorus is rather corny. I didn't like the idea that they were making this famous catch phrase into a song and I pretty much feel the same way now, but I don't think it's a terrible song. I think the chorus is terrible. 3.0

RAISE YOUR GLASSES: There's always one song on every Kiss album that grabs me by the first listen and this one is it for "Psycho Circus." At first listen, everything up to the chorus was magnificent. I was a bit skeptical at the chorus because it is rather commercial/Bon Jovi-ish, but at the second listen I am convinced that it really works. It's such a catchy song, you can't get it out of your head. It's because of this that I firmly believe this will be the second single. The absolute best song on the album from what I've heard. I get a "Flaming Youth" feel from it. 5.0 (I doubt this rating will change when I hear the full album)

I FINALLY FOUND MY WAY: Obviously recreating "Beth." This song is SO out of place on the album. It took quite a few listens to have it grow on me, but now I find it very pleasant. The middle eight bridge section where Peter and Paul sing together is very, very nice. I do wish they could have recreated "Hard Luck Woman" rather than "Beth." The third single pick in my opinion. 3.0

DREAMIN': Very 80's metalish. A mix of "Screaming in the Night" by Krokus and "Deep Cuts the Knife" by Helix. Again another one that had to grow on me. The verses are great. Paul's vocal is emotionally charged which is only a great thing. I dig it. Very bombastic for the original Kiss though. 3.5

JOURNEY OF 1000 YEARS: Not thrilled with this. Again, I need to hear the whole thing to make a full judgement. To my ears it's a mix of "Before the Dawn" and "Out of the Cold" by Judas Priest. The "Can you feel it coming" section is really good though. 2.5

INITIAL PREVIEW RATING: 3.5

I certainly will give an updated review when I get the full album. I just really wanted to give my thoughts on the 25 minutes I heard. Gene rather disappoints. I was expecting him to deliver more straight ahead rock, ala "Domino," but he doesn't. Paul and Ace do come through. Paul sounds amazing. At these quick thoughts I will leave at this until I get to soak in the full 45 minutes.

UPDATED REVIEW

After hearing the radio premiere last week, as well as listening to the actual CD five times in a row this morning, I now can make a more thorough and detailed review of the new "Psycho Circus" album. I'll go into a bit of who I think is playing on what track, the production, etc. Here's my new review, track by track (out of 5 stars).

PSYCHO CIRCUS: 4.5
My opinion on this song hasn't changed. Incredible sound. The guitars are so amazing! Paul's voice is top notch and I really like the prodution. Personally, I think ALL four members are on this song, Gene included. Gene has, believe it or not, a very distinguishable bass tone and style and it's on this song. He throws in some of his trademark bass licks throughout. That is him on the bass, no doubt in my mind. Ace may not play the solo (Paul does), but I believe he does some rhythm work. He plays these high pitched guitar chords, much like does on "Strutter." Very similar. Strong, strong opening song.

WITHIN: 2.0
My opinion changed a bit on this one. I REALLY like the chorus. The verses still drag on a bit, but it's not a dull song. It's much more uplifting and uptempo, compared to most of the material on "Carnival of Souls." Again, I believe Gene is on bass. His sound is there. Guitar may be Paul, it sounds like his rhythm style. I don't think Ace is anywhere on here. It's not his kind of song. As for the drums, I actually tend to think it's Peter, based on his playing on the reunion tour. It's a similar, solid beat to how he was playing in concert. Not overlly bad.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIENCE: 4.5
Just a killer song. It's gonna be a classic some day. It's so "in your face" sounding. The guitars scream and Paul's voice is amazing. I like the lyrics a lot. Paul is definitely playing on this song, but I don't know if anyone else is. I don't think it's Peter here. I say that because the snare drum is a different tone than the rest of the album. Paul plays the solo, Ace could be doing some rhythm work, but I'm not sure.

INTO THE VOID: 4.5
Same as my last review. Ace's best song in years, including his solo work. Really heavy, great guitar riffs. There's no argument over who's on drums here. That's Peter to a T! I think all the guitars were done by Ace. Great, great song.

WE ARE ONE: 4.0
I was really surprised at this one. I didn't like the intial snippet I heard of this song, but now that I've heard the full effect, it's amazing! Very impressive song. Gene wrote some great lyrics and he sings really well here. It's single material. I believe Peter is on this one as well. Guitars are up in the air, but I'll put my money on Paul playing the "clean" sounding electric throughout.

YOU WANTED THE BEST: 3.5
Still a bit corny in the chorus. Most of the words are also a bit silly, but after hearing Gene explain what the song is really about, I can appreciate it more. No doubt that the whole band is on this one, and I think that was done purposely. I truly believe that this song was meant to be a full band project, so Peter's on drums, and Gene is on bass. Good vocal trade offs, and Ace's solo smokes!

RAISE YOUR GLASSES: 5.0
This is the best song Kiss has done in years! I haven't been this moved and excited about a Kiss song since "Heaven's on Fire." Paul's voice is one of the highlights of the album. The man is 46 years old and continues to get better and better. I'm surprised no one's mentioned this, but the chord structure in the chorus is very similar to "It's My Life," the song Paul and Gene wrote and eventually gave to Wendy O' Williams. This is the catchiest song on the album and it's destined to be a single! I think this is Peter on this song. The snare drum opening just sounds like him.

I FINALLY FOUND MY WAY: 4.5
It grew on me like a fungus. I LOVE this song. Not quite like "Beth," but in the ballpark. Peter sings great and the bridge where he sings with Paul is fantastic. Out of all the songs on the album, this is the most radio friendly and will most likely become Kiss's next big hit single. It's also destined to be played at many a wedding!! Good, modern production with some great keyboard effects.

DREAMIN': 2.0
Second listen, I like this song even less than before. It's all over the place, very poorly arranged. The verses do not flow evenly into the chours, and the chorus does not flow evenly into the bridge. Paul sings well, but this song is a total throw away. Uncomfortable to listen to. On a positive note, again, there is no argument that this is Peter on drums. It may just be Peter and Paul on this song. I don't hear Ace anywhere.

JOURNEY OF 1000 YEARS: 4.0
Strong song, VERY musical. I like how it reprises the whole theme of the album, with the strings playing the solo from the title track, and how Gene updates the words from "Within." Very impressive. I liked it more each time I listened to it. Ace is definitely on here. That's his famous toggle switch effect at the very end of the song. Could be Peter. Gene claimed it was Peter on the radio broadcast, but we all know how much we can believe Gene at times. Good song. Good ending

This is a 4 star album, out of 5. Out of all the attempts to recreate "Destroyer" ("The Elder," "Crazy Nights," "Revenge") this one comes close. At first, I was saying that they picked the wrong album to use as a focal point. I was really hoping for another "Rock and Roll Over," but I just can't complain about this album. It sounds like they worked hard on it. The music is TOP quality, well written. The production is great, not over the top, and not exactly raw. I do wish that Ace was more predominant on the album. Kudos to Paul for stretchimg more as a lead player. He hasn't really done anything like this since "Unmasked." The packaging is stellar. The holograms on the cover and tray are well done. This is something that I've been waiting for years and I am NOT let down. This is Kiss's best album since "Lick it Up." I raise my glass to a job WELL done!

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