New album from one of America's biggest bands, KISS
Album release: Monster by Kiss
Release date: 8 October 2012
Label: Universal
Listen: kissonline.com
"The music is all hard-edged — they call it "thunderock" — and throughout their electrical storm solid craftsmanship prevails." – Rolling Stone, 1978
"Nice to hear some things never change." Spin, 2009
"We’re a real, flesh-and-blood rock and roll band with people who’ve spent 40 years doing what we believe in" – Paul Stanley, 2012
Rock legends KISS return with Monster, the 20th studio album in their historic career, set for release in October through Universal Music Enterprises. The 12-track, straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll album features collaborations among all four members—including co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — in an album that shows the band at the top of its game. And that’s saying something, considering their illustrious, 40-plus year history: 28 U.S. gold albums (the most gold records for any American rock band), 40 million sales in the U.S., and total sales exceeding 100 million worldwide.
Monster is the group’s first studio album since the band’s 2009 smash success, Sonic Boom, and was also produced by Paul Stanley with Greg Collins at Conway Studios in Hollywood, CA, and The Nook in Studio City, CA.
Monster represents KISS’ nod to the music that first inspired them to pick up their guitars and flame-throwers and don makeup to entertain millions. The group goes back to their own beginnings with the Who-like Freak, while Gene lives up to the title track’s declaration on the raucous rock of Back to the Stone Age and the bludgeoning The Devil is Me. Even guitarist Thayer takes a turn on his own with Outta This World, a tribute to his KISS “spaceman” character, while drummer Singer provides the vocals (and the back story) for the arena anthem All for the Love of Rock & Roll.
“There are no symphony orchestras, boy choirs, keyboards, outside producers or songwriters on this album,” promises Gene Simmons. “The best thing we did was to turn inwards to ourselves. Tommy and Eric have revitalized this band, with a work ethic and the talent to back it up. This is a real band effort. KISS has become a behemoth. We’re going where no bands have gone before.”
Timed to coincide with the release of the album is a deluxe coffee table, and the limited edition KISS MONSTER book - a collection of artworks, with 126 photos from the band’s 40-year career (including never-before-seen images from the world’s greatest rock photographers). The three-foot high, two and a half feet wide and two-inch thick Monster book will be available in editions signed by all four band members and limited to only 1,000 copies worldwide. More info at www.kissonline.com and www.kissmonsterbook.com.
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