Review of Kiss: The Second Coming

Introduction

Well my music taste is extremely varied - two nights ago I was at Gateshead International Stadium watching Bon Jovi give a fantastic performance, I`ve got some Tangerine Dream in the car and Agnelli & Nelson playing as I type this. You could say I that like rock/metal, some new age, dance/trance all both old and new, however, I am not a huge Kiss fan, not having listened to much of their material....so I wasn`t sure what to expect when Reviewer sent me this DVD to have a look at.

Basically, the disc is a documentary about the band and starts with a compressed history of the band members and leads up to their reunion, an MTV Unplugged appearance and eventual monster world tour of 1996-1997.

Video

The picture quality on the disc is good, at first I thought some shots were a bit grainy but it soon became apparent that this was a deliberate effect. Some of the early footage is ropey but the source material is obviously in bad condition.

The majority of the feature is taken up with the tour itself and features plenty of on stage action along with a lot of backstage, rehearsals and promotional materials.

There`s some spectacular concerts here, from Donnington`s "Monsters of Rock" to Maddison Square Garden and a concert in Stockholm which was the biggest event in Sweden since the 1912 Olympic Games - also included is the MTV special recorded under the Brooklyn Bridge with a huge firework display. Plenty to feast your eyes on!

Audio

First of all, this is not a music DVD but a documentary so the primary focus here is on the dialogue not the songs. The whole two hour documentary is well narrated and contains plenty of material from the band. There is quite a bit of music featured, but mainly in the background, or shortish snippets between the commentary.

Sound quality is good throughout, with the 5.1 mix giving some nice stadium effects on the live shows, with the subwoofer getting a workout when the fireworks go off!

The sound quality on the three live tracks is of a similarly high standard.

Features

There`s a lot of content in the main feature concerning all aspects of the tour, from the rehearsals, stage, effects, travel etc, so there`s actually little that could have been added to the DVD in the way of extra features.

There are however three live tracks, a discography and scene selection.

Also the menus are well animated, clear and easy to navigate.

Conclusion

Overall, despite not being a great fan of the band`s music, this was a very interesting DVD, that whilst being 2 hours and 13 minutes long was informative throughout and well worth watching.

It`s not going to appeal to someone who has no interest in rock music, but for those that are, the Kiss stageshow is spectacular and the band live up to their reputation of taking fan satisfaction very seriously by putting a lot into their stage shows and this DVD.

Good sound and video top off what was a suprisingly enjoyable DVD. Recommended.