Maps of Music

Sonic Boom (2009)

Where the lyrics of Sonic Boom take you, and where it was really made.

Kiss's first studio album in 11 years, Sonic Boom, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, the highest chart position the band had ever reached.

Key places

Recorded at Conway Recording Studios (2009)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — The album was recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and produced by Paul Stanley. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at The Nook (2009)

Recording site The Nook — The Nook is listed among the studios where the album was recorded. It is located in Studio City, Los Angeles area. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Sonic Boom: nineteenth studio album by the American rock band Kiss
• First studio album in 11 years, following Psycho Circus (1998)
• Released October 6, 2009
• Produced by Paul Stanley, co-produced by Greg Collins
• Sold as a digipak with a 20-page booklet
• Limited 180-gram vinyl edition, pressed in five colors with 1000 copies of each

Background

• First album to feature Tommy Thayer as an official member; he had earlier appeared on 1989's Hot In The Shade as a guest musician
• Drummer Eric Singer returned to the band in 2004 and appears on the album
• Thayer and Singer both take lead vocal performances on the album
• Wal-Mart is the exclusive distributor in the US and Canada
• Sold in the US and Canada as a three-disc package with Kiss Klassics and a six-song live DVD recorded in Buenos Aires
• Promoted by a fan-routed North American tour and international shows throughout 2010, including headlining Rock am Ring in Germany

Recording

• Recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
• Produced by Paul Stanley and co-produced by Greg Collins

Cover

• Cover artwork created by Michael Doret
• Doret had earlier worked with Kiss on the cover of their 1976 album Rock and Roll Over

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · www.discogs.com · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Kiss was formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.
• The band traces its roots to Wicked Lester, a New York rock band led by Simmons and Stanley.
• Their first performance took place on January 30, 1973, at the Popcorn Club (later Coventry) in Queens.
• Casablanca Records signed the band on November 1, 1973, as the label's first act.

Members

• The four original members were Stanley (Starchild), Simmons (Demon), Frehley (Spaceman) and Criss (Catman).
• Eric Carr replaced Criss in 1980; Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John and Bruce Kulick later held lead guitar.
• Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer formed the final lineup.

Career

• Kiss became one of America's most successful rock bands in the late 1970s, with a 1977 Gallup poll naming them the most popular band in America.
• The band unmasked in 1983 and reunited the original lineup for the 1996 reunion tour.
• The band announced its retirement after its final show at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023.
• Kiss was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: mixed or average reviews, weighted average score of 57 out of 100 from nine critic scores
• Metal Hammer placed the album 13th on its Metal Hammer Albums of 2009 list

Records

• Debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 108,000 copies in its first week
• No. 2 was the highest chart position the group had reached, beating the No. 3 debut of Psycho Circus in 1998
• Finished 2009 with 238,000 units sold
• Finished 2010 as one of Billboard's Top 50 Rock Albums
• Gold certification in Norway
• RIAA gold certification in the United States
• Modern Day Delilah, the lead single, peaked at No. 50 on the Billboard Rock songs chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The video for the single Modern Day Delilah is topped and tailed with footage of giant-sized Kiss members walking through Detroit.
• Eric Singer had sung live many times before, including on the MTV Unplugged live album.
• Hot and Cold is a song Gene Simmons rewrote from his first band, Bullfrog Bheer, which originally titled it Rotten to the Core.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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