Well it's finally here! After being teased for years about Alive IV's impending release, and even having the original release pulled from the stores a few years ago, with a big marketing campaign that went down the tube, leaving fans wondering, when the hell will Alive IV be coming out?
Well the inevitable has finally arrived upon us and behold, we have a performance that is beyond just your standard live concert format. Like many bands that have recorded with orchestras,
Kiss found their own way to appropriately arrange the performance of the orchestra coinciding with the appropriate songs. Hence the first half of disc one (act one) is
Kiss alone, comparable to any high energy
Kiss concert, which pleases those who just want to hear the band rock out, and most of you might admit that these songs might be best standing alone without the orchestra.
Act two is an acoustic set played with the Melbourne Symphony Ensemble, which consists of strings. The songs played here are ballads like
"Beth" and
"Forever," while other laid back tunes such as
"Shandi," which was a huge hit in Australia, get the discrete treatment, easing the pace for the rest of the disc. But this cant prepare you for what is next.
The second disc (act three) is with the full-blown symphony orchestra, strings, woodwinds, and brass blaring out sound that will make your hair stand on end. The arrangements for the orchestra, conducted by David Campbell are phenomenal and give a whole new meaning to the word "Alive." The power of the band and the power of the orchestra together is unbelievable, and the performance is spectacular. As soon as "Detroit Rock City" blares out of your speakers, you will be blown away. This is no performance that Carnegie Hall could handle; you have the loud rockin' performance from
Kiss, and their whole show, lights, and pyrotechnics playing in front of the orchestration.
The Orchestra themselves are in
Kiss makeup, as well as the children's choir used on "Great Expectations," making everybody become one with the band. The performance from Gene, Paul, Peter, and Tommy Thayer (replacing Ace) is phenomenal as usual, but don't let Ace's absence prevent you from enjoying this.
As usual, this record is to be played at maximum volume, and trust me you will hear everything, literally putting you in the audience. This is such an amazing feat for
Kiss, and the wait was worth it, again these guys outdo themselves.
Written by
Hashman Monday, July 21, 2003
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