KISS Sonic Boom Say what you will about Kiss, in the 70s, the band put out some seriously good albums. “Dressed to Kill,” “Destroyer,” and “Love Gun” are all classics. The band did all it could to continue to thrive, taking off its make-up, glamming things up more than most bands of the Sunset Strip, then when the 90s hit grunging things out with a dirtier sound before ultimately reuniting the original line-up and putting back on the make-up to varying degrees of success. “Sonic Boom” is the band’s first full-length original release since “Psycho Circus.” Criticized for having studio musicians do most of the work on that record, Kiss again parted ways with original drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley, recruited old drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer and hit the road a few times before Gene Simmons went all reality television on everyone and Paul Stanley put out a rather ridiculous/homo-erotic looking and sounding solo record. Well, Kiss is back. And when I say back, I’m talking good Kiss is back. “Sonic Boom” comes as advertised. A no-frills rock ‘n’ roll record, the first the band has done since the 70s. “Modern Day Delilah,” Russian Roulette,” and “Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)” all sound like they could be on a classic Kiss album. Some of the newer sounds experimented with on “Psycho Circus” show in songs like “Never Enough” and “Say Yeah,” but not in a bad way. Overall it’s classic Kiss. Speaking of which, the disc, another Wal-Mart exclusive (thank you, AC/DC), also features a bonus Kiss Klassics disc where the band re-records numerous tunes from its heyday. Normally, re-records are atrocious and a total cash-in. While the latter might be the case here, Kiss actually gave these tracks as much attention as it did for the new tunes. You’ve heard all the songs before, but they’re all slamming on here. “Deuce,” “Hotter Than Hell” and “Black Diamond” all got much-needed, dare I say it, sonic booms. As if that wasn’t enough, the band also threw in a DVD of a show in Buenos Aires. So you can say what you will about Kiss being greedy, corporate assholes. But “Sonic Boom” is three discs for the price of one, and all of it is good. Kiss is paying back its hardcore fans with this release. Big time. 8/10 – B.J. Lisko