KISS : A Monster That Can't Be Tamed

KISS is at a point in their career where they don’t have to put out a new album. After 28 US Gold albums, 40 million US sales and over 100 million worldwide, they have nothing to prove to anyone, other than themselves. They don’t need to have a Top 40 hit and they definitely don’t sit around worrying if an album will go gold or platinum because none of that matters. If you’re a KISS fan, you probably thought that after the release of 1998’s Psycho Circus, there would be no more new KISS in your future. Well, funny how things change.

2009 saw the release of Sonic Boom. It was the first studio album from the band in over a decade and the first to feature the current lineup of founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons along with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer. That album and tour saw resurgence for the band. It wasn’t a platinum seller, but it proved that the band still had alot of fire in the musical furnace of this machine. Here we are three years later and the band is releasing its 20th studio album entitled Monster.

The album opens with “Hell or Hallelujah” which is the first single and was released as the band began their tour with Motley Crue this past summer. It’s a guitar driven anthem whose riff sounds a little similar to “Any Way You Slice It” from their 1985 Asylum album. Just go back and listen and see what you think. Another déjà vu happened when I listened to the song “Freak”. Now, call me crazy but it sounds a little bit like “Thief in the Night” off of their 1987 Crazy Nights album. Yet, it’s still a great song and a standout on the album.

I’m not really sure what got into Gene Simmons on this album, but he’s playing with a renewed energy and he delivers some of his strongest material in a very long time. “Back to the Stone Age” and “The Devil is Me” are two great examples of The Demon firing on all cylinders. The Stanley/Simmons track entitled “Take Me Down Below” is a (clears throat) tender love story. It’s classic KISS innuendo, which we haven’t heard in ages. It may not be Lennon and McCartney but it’s been a longtime since we’ve heard such lines as “I raised my flag and she dropped her dress”. The added touch of having Stanley and Simmons share vocal duties on this one is a major plus.

Stanley also has his fair share of shining moments on the album as well including “Freak” as well “Shout Mercy”, on which Stanley proves he still has a knack for writing a killer hook. His standout may be “Long Way Down”, which is a well crafted song with great melody and it’s infectious. The acappella intro to “Eat Your Heart Out” will probably catch you off guard, as it did me. This song is loud and fun and the harmonies on the chorus are a throwback to some of the boys early rock influences.

The new guys, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer also have lead vocal duties on the album. Thayer, in his tenth year with the band, offers up “Outta This World” which a good song and his voice sounds a little bit like Gene on this one. The chorus is pretty damn catchy too. Singer, in his sixteenth overall year with the band, offers up “All for the Love of Rock and Roll”, which didn’t blow me away, but it does allow Singer to show that he has a great voice.

 A tip of the hat needs to go to, here comes the collective moan from fans fixated on the 73-79 era of the band, Tommy Thayer. He shares writing credits on 10 of the 13 tracks on the album. A good rock song without a solo is like an Oreo with no crème. Well, Tommy offers up lots of Oreo filling on this album as he is laying down some great solos every time you turn around.

I really hate when the band is about to deliver a new album and they say it sounds like Destroyer or Revenge or a combination of both. I think a great album by any band needs to stand on its own merit. Now, I don’t think that this will go down as one of their all-time classics, but it actually is a very strong album. It’s not the Son of Destroyer or the Son of Revenge. Are they re-inventing the wheel on this one? Of course not, but they don’t sound like a band that’s about to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

Thayer and Singer were both KISS fans themselves before joining the group, which is not news to anyone. They were able to connect with Stanley and Simmons on a level that has seemed to re-energize them to some extent. Stanley may have had his hip and vocal issues and Simmons may seem determined to find more and more products to slap the KISS logo on, but they still know how to rock. Once considered all style and no substance, I think the group has finally shaken that image off. It may have taken them 40 years, but I think they have proven to the critics that they are a balance of both. They pull no punches and you get exactly what you expect from them, classic guitar driven rock and roll that’s fun.

KISS Prove Why They Are The Hottest Show On Earth

It was a hot summer night on August 28th in Charlotte, NC, but it was about to get even hotter. KISS brought their “Hottest Show on Earth” tour to town that night. They showed all of those in attendance why, after 37 years, they are still the iconic giants in the art of over the top rock and roll showmanship. The current touring lineup consists of co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons plus Eric Singer on drums and Tommy Thayer on lead guitar.

The amphitheatre was packed that night and the lawn was so full that it was hard to see the grass! KISS came up with a great marketing campaign for the summer tour. KISS and smart marketing go hand in hand. As dates for tour were being announced, a special offer for the lawn seats was announced. A paid adult lawn ticket could bring up to four kids, under the age of 14, to the show for free. There were a lot of parents who took advantage of this offer. There were even KISS shirts for the smaller kids on sale at the merchandise booths. Smart move on Mr. Simmons and the boys!

Touring with KISS is The Envy, who are signed to Simmons Records, and The Academy Is. Both bands performed short, yet very good sets, but you could tell that the crowd was there to see KISS. The house lights went down and the video screens came on showing KISS towering above the buildings ala Godzilla as they marched along towards the concert hall. The next images were of the band coming from their dressing rooms to the stage. The now infamous introduction was made and a huge explosion rocked the amphitheater. The boys hit the stage firing on all cylinders performing “Modern Day Delilah” from their latest CD “Sonic Boom”.

The set list for the 2 hour and 10 minute performance spanned the majority of their catalog, but was short on material from the group’s non-makeup years. “Deuce”, “Calling Dr. Love”, “Lick It Up” as well as the surprising non-makeup choice of “Crazy, Crazy Nights” were performed along with numerous others. A KISS show is known for its theatrics and they pulled out all the stops for the fans that night. Gene spit blood and flew to a platform near the top of the stage for “I Love It Loud”, Paul flew out into the audience for “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”, Tommy shot rockets at the stage lights during his solo, Eric’s drum kit rose up to the lighting rig and Gene breathed fire at the end of “Firehouse”. Of course, there was a ton of pyro and flames all during the show also.

Paul billed the band’s encore as the longest in the history of rock and roll. Most bands play one or two songs for their encore, but then again, KISS is not like most bands. Their encore was six songs which included an amazing acoustic version of “Beth” with Eric coming out from behind the drum kit to center stage to sing.
KISS brought out members of the armed services to present a check to the Wounded Warriors Foundation. One dollar from every ticket sold on their summer tour will be donated to this worthy cause. Paul gave a heartfelt speech about our troops and living in the greatest country in the world and then led the audience in the pledge of allegiance. That’s something that you usually don’t get at a rock show.

The band closed the night with their signature song known worldwide, “Rock And Roll All Night”. The confetti sprayed out into the audience so thick that it was hard to see the band onstage at times. A barrage of smoke bombs, flames and explosions made the stage look like a 4th of July celebration. As Paul smashed his guitar in half and the show ended.

The band looked and sounded incredible. Gene Simmon’s trademark tongue was wagging all night as his monster boots lurked the stage all night long. Paul Stanley was more energetic that night than I have ever seen him before in concert and he jumped around in his platform boots like he was 25 again! Tommy and Eric have brought a sense of urgency to the band again. You can tell that they are having a blast on-stage and not just going through the motions. Paul said at the show that a KISS concert was somewhere between church and the circus. Ringling Brothers doesn’t have a thing on these boys!