New KISS Studio Album – coming soon

KISS heading into studio in March

By Eric MacKinnon

KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer has confirmed that the legendary rockers are heading back into the studio and plan to release a new album before the end of the year. And he reveals it will follow much the same format as 2009’s Sonic Boom which was a massive success on both sides of the Atlantic.

In an interview with BackstageAxxess Thayer says: “The great news is that we are going in the studio again in the next month or two. We are starting to work on writing some songs, approach it just like we did with Sonic Boom and keep it all in the band in terms of the writing, with no agenda besides writing great rock n’ roll songs that we love, then rehearsing them before then recording them. It really felt good to us so we’ll go the same way this time.”

The new record will be the bands 20th studio album and Thayer reveals KISS co-leader Paul Stanley will produce it, after the success he had at the helm on Sonic Boom He adds: “Paul knows more what a KISS record should sound like than anybody, to be honest with you, so he is going to lead the charge and produce it again and we are all really excited about it.

“I know we are going to start working on it really soon in terms of the writing and rehearsing and we’ll probably be in the studio by March, so sometime this year I’m sure you’ll see a spanking new KISS album that’s gonna kick some butt!”

KISS has set "Monster" as the title of its new album, tentatively due in early 2012.

In a recent interview with U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley stated about the follow-up to 2009's "Sonic Boom", "We've recorded eight tracks. Everything's on except the vocals. There'll be 10 on the album, with a couple of tracks as bonuses for different projects.

"'Sonic Boom' was a pivotal album in the sense that we were aware of who we were as a performing band, but we had to re-establish who we are as a recording band. That being done, this is much easier and that much more self-assured.

Added bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons: "This new record feels heavier than 'Sonic Boom'. It feels like [it's] a connection between 'Destroyer' and 'Revenge'.

Regarding some of the tracks that will appear on "Monster", Stanley said, "I'd be surprised if the album didn't start with 'Hell Or Hallelujah'. It's up-tempo, a great riff, definitive KISS. There's a track called 'Born To Be A Sinner', and Tommy [Thayer, guitar] has a song called 'Out Of This World', which is terrific. They're anthemic songs. That's the nature of how we write. There are no ballads."

Added Simmons: "'Are You Ready?' is a new track that I worked out, wrote, and brought everyone into the studio and said: 'Let's bang this out.' Another of the new songs, tentatively titled 'Wall Of Sound', we just came up with on the spot. The guts of that song were written in 40 minutes."

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The February 2012 issue of U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine features KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley's thoughts on six songs from KISS's upcoming album, "Monster", which he is co-producing.

"I wasn't interested in making an album unless I was in charge and no one agreed to it half-heartedly," says Stanley. "The band's all there, all the time, and we cut the tracks all facing each other in the same room. Chemistry and camaraderie, that's essential. That's what made [2009's] 'Sonic Boom' so great, and this album is thunderously better."

"It's A Long Way Down"

Stanley: "It says that those who reach heights and don't appreciate them fall mightily — it's a long way down from the top. It's a defining track in the sense that it's very up-tempo and very much a signature song. Eric's [Singer] drumming is incredible on this."

"Back To The Stone Age"

Stanley: "One that Gene [Simmons] sings. It's exactly what you'd expect it to be from the title. I come from a school where you write a verse, a bridge, a chorus, and then you go back. That's in my blood. It's in Motown, it's in THE BEATLES, it's in LED ZEPPELIN, it's in THE WHO, its in all my favorite bands."

"Shout Mercy"

Stanley: "That's a great track. There's a lot of tracks that could start the album, and this is one of them. I like to think that the opening song is a declaration of what the album really is, whether it's a 'Love Gun' or a 'Detroit Rock City'. It's important to start with a song that defines what you're gonna be getting."

"Out Of This World"

Stanley: "That's one of Tommy's [Thayer, guitarist.] He really pushed the limits. His playing is phenomenal. It has the kind of excitement that I like to hear where you're not quite sure if it's gonna go off the rails or not. That's what makes great rock n' roll."
"Wall Of Sound"

Stanley: "We're not trying to reinvent the wheel here; we're at our best when we don't over-think. It's not a Rubik's Cube, it's a song, you know? This one is absolutely, immediately recognisable and identifiable and true to being KISS. I put the blinders on us to keep us from being derailed or the attention span broken by things going on around us."

"Hell Or Hallelujah"

Stanley: "Another up-tempo song, and it's very definitive. That's what I think is so great about this album: every track is quintessential. No one does it better — and many have tried. When we hit the bulls-eye, we hit it full on. We've cut 14 tracks. How many we'll use or how this will play out will be interesting, but there's no filler."

Stanley said that KISS was going to be wrapping up work on "Monster" this week. On Wednesday (January 4) Stanley gave an update on the album — which is their first new studio set since 2009's "Sonic Boom" — saying, "(We are) two days from finished with this album. It's awesome. . . by far the best thing we've done in I don't know how long. Have I said that before? Yeah! Was I right? Yeah! I'm right this time again! Truly, the album kicks major ass and we're very, very proud of it."

Guitarist Tommy Thayer also spoke about the new album, which will be the band's 20th, adding: "You're gonna be as excited as we are cause we're really excited, and we're not just saying that. . . this is great stuff. . . it's amazing!"

There's been no release date announced for "Monster".

Stanley admits that he's never surprised by how deep KISS' fan devotion continues to run worldwide. "It really for me, resoundingly once again, I guess validates for me why this band exists," he told The Pulse Of Radio. "It's not a tepid recreation of the past, it's really an ageless beast that dominates at will. It's timeless."

Gene Simmons told The Pulse Of Radio that despite the knocks KISS has received from the rock press over the years, that sometimes in rock n' roll, style actually makes for excellent substance. "Y'know, every few years there's a kind of born-again thing that happens with KISS, a kick in the butt," he said. "And despite the naysayers and whoever else we have long since buried in our backyards of mansions that bad reviews built us — we all live and die by the masses. So interestingly enough, the movies that I go see, that I love, when I read the reviews, I'm shocked because I always get the sense, 'Oh, they must have seen a different movie.' So when I go see 'G.I. Joe', or 'Transformers', or some of the other great thrill-rides; This ain't Shakespeare! (Laughs) But it also doesn't pretend to be. That's not why I'm going. I wanna see the world blow up."