From: Sean Cowie

I have recently heard an advance copy of KISS' forthcoming album, Psycho Circus, due in stores on September 22nd, 1998. The purpose of this page is to give fans an idea of what to expect from this monumental release, the first from the original 4 members since 1979.

With the return of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, one cannot help but ask the question: How will they fare after not recording together for nearly 20 years? In that time, we have had the rise and fall of disco, the emergence of new wave, heavy metal, rap, electronica and the entire "Seattle" music scene. Can a group who has remained bitter enemies during that time capture the essence of music as we near the year 2000 (well, maybe Ace can since he is, after all, a 2000 Man)? On September 22nd, the world will find out if The Second Coming of KISS is truly a divine experience. On to the songs:

Psycho Circus
The album opener. This song demonstrates that KISS has not lost a thing in the years since their split. A strong opening riff from Ace leads into one of Paul's most memorable vocal outings in recent memory. This song belongs to Ace and Paul; Gene's bass is there in spirit but lacks the crunch that it should have. As for Peter's drums, the only real standout for him is the bridge after the guitar solo; it'll make your teeth rattle! A great concert opener (i.e. "Welcome to the show") that will go down as one of KISS' great anthems. RATING: A+

Within
It's Gene's turn to bust some chops on this one. A GREAT bassline thumps through your ribcage on Within as Gene howls through a catchy chorus of "I wanna see from within/ I wanna be where I been/ I wanna truth not a lie/ I wanna lay before I die". This is Gene's strongest vocal outing since Unholy on the Revenge album. A real fist pumper! RATING: A-

I Pledge Allegiance
Runs in the same vein as Lick It Up, Shout It Loud, Rock and Roll All Nite--a hard rock party anthem. Paul sings, "I pledge allegiance to the stage of rock and roll" in the chorus. By this point in the album, one begins to get the feeling of what KISS is striving for: potential ANTHEMS! IPA is a good rockin' song. RATING: B+

Into The Void
Finally, a song from Ace! This is vintage Frehley's Comet stuff; it's like this fell out of 1987. A great crunching guitar track from Ace but otherwise, the other 3 members are not heard from. Ace makes a welcome return with this song but it is not a classic. RATING: B+

We Are One
If you like Gene's solo album, then We Are One will be your favorite cut on Psycho Circus. A much more relaxed song from The Demon than we are used to, We Are One is yet another song that will have the spotlights on the crowd at the shows as they cheer after Paul screams, "You people are the greatest!". It has anthem written all over it. RATING: B+

You Wanted The Best
With each member taking a bar of this one, it is the first group effort on lead vocals in KISS' history. As exciting as this may sound, the song lacks any degree of cohesiveness because of the various input from each member. The song isn't especially rocking, it isn't overly catchy; with a title like You Wanted The Best, one would expect to find it here. RATING: C

Raise Your Glasses
Was this an Aerosmith throwaway from Pump that Bruce Fairbairn brought to KISS? With all cynicism aside, Raise Your Glasses just doesn't cut it for me. This is a truly forgettable song from Paul. RATING: C-

I Finally Found My Way To You
Oh yeah, now I remember why I don't care much for Peter Criss...it's because he brings crap like this to the band!! Essentially "Beth Part 2", I Finally Found My Way To You is another schmaltzy ballad that showcases Peter's attempt to be Frank Sinatra. Unfortunately, this is the low-point of Psycho Circus. I guess the band had to let Peter have one song on the album but he MUST have had something better than this to contribute?! RATING: C-

Dreaming
Think the fast part of I Still Love You and you've got Dreaming, a power ballad from Paul. Nothing exciting here, but Paul does have a strong vocal part. RATING: B-

Journey of 1,000 Years
Almost psychedelic in its sound, Journey of 1,000 Years, is the most adventurous KISS track on the album. Gene takes leads here and creates a spooky sounding song that is reminiscent of his work on Music From The Elder, especially Only You and Under The Rose. This has become one of my favorite songs on Psycho Circus and is, dare I say it, one of my favorites from Gene in a while. RATING: A

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So there you have it; ten songs (a tad light in my opinion, gentlemen) that are all over the map. There is not a common element on the entire album; every song has a distinct personality all its own. As far as how the album sounds in terms of eras, I don't think it can be given a slot in the KISS canon. The title track and Dreaming would fit in with Creatures of The Night, while Journey of 1,000 Years hearkens back to 1981's Music From The Elder; I Finally Found My Way To You is right off of Peter's 1978 solo album whereas Raise Your Glasses has a very Hot In The Shade feel to it. This smattering of styles makes it nearly impossible to classify Psycho Circus in terms of what past KISS albums it sounds like. No, it is not Destroyer-era like Gene and Paul claim; no, it is not going to be the greatest KISS album of all time. Instead, Psycho Circus will stand on its own among the rest of KISS' oeuvre and hopefully carve out a comfortable niche for itself.

However I question how much group input was put into Psycho Circus. On too many of the songs, it sounds as if each member has "phoned in" their parts and Bruce Fairbairn combined them in the final mixing process. Other than You Wanted The Best, with each song, only the lead vocals dominate and the rest of the instrumentation could be done by any musician. I hope, as rumors contradict, that Peter DID play on the album and was not substituted with a session player. Likewise, Bruce Kulick was reportedly "assisting" in completion of the album. Remember what that meant last time? Does the name Vinnie Vincent ring a bell? Put simply, there is not enough of Ace and Peter on this album. Even though they were welcomed back, Ace and Peter still have only one song apiece on the album. Paul really dominates the material here. Even Gene is in limited exposure with only 3 songs, his lightest input since 1979's Dynasty.

I am hoping that in further listenings, my opinion changes and Psycho Circus grows on me because my first impression is not good. As I have believed all along, this album could really turn KISS on its ear if they are not careful. Just because Ace and Peter are back does not mean that the new material is automatically guaranteed to be good. Sure, the interest of every KISS fan is piqued but if the songs are bad, once word of mouth gets out, sales could go the way of the dreaded Music From The Elder. And, I hate to say it, but where will KISS be then?

Psycho Circus Album Rating: B

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