Monster

by Kiss

Overview

As Kiss approach 40 years of ridiculous rock & roll fun, it makes sense that their 20th studio album, Monster, is more self-referential than anything. Following 2009's Sonic Boom, the album marks the second set of tunes by a revamped "original" Kiss lineup, with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons joined by new guitarist Tommy Thayer and re-emerging Eric Singer donning the makeup and personas originated by Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively. Monster is a tremendous throwback to the superhuman partying and heavy metal Ragnaroek of Kiss albums like Destroyer and Love Gun, with meaty riffs, hamfisted drumming, and a combination of Simmons' patented demonic growls and Stanley's interstellar party-starting, not to mention amounts of cowbell that would have been above average even in 1977. "All for the Love of Rock & Roll" is a big-hearted boogie rocker that would have fit on Frehley's stoney 1978 solo album, while the campily sinister metal riffage of "The Devil Is Me" and "Freak" fit more into the era of slick radio metal of 1992's Revenge. The muddy analog a cappella intro of "Eat Your Heart Out" sets the tone for tongue-in-cheek double entendres updating "Shout It Out Loud" with slightly different lyrics but the same bell-bottomed irreverence. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	10/09/2012
Label:	Universal
UPC:	0602537144006
Rank:	22522

Tracks

1. Hell Or Hallelujah
2. Wall of Sound
3. Freak
4. Back To The Stone Age
5. Shout Mercy
6. Long Way Down
7. Eat Your Heart Out
8. The Devil Is Me
9. Outta This World
10. All For The Love Of Rock & Roll
11. Take Me Down Below
12. Last Chance

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kiss   Primary Artist
Eric Singer   Drums,Vocals
Gene Simmons   Bass,Vocals
Paul Stanley   Guitar,Vocals
Brian Whelan   Piano
Tommy Thayer   Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Eric Singer   Composer
Greg Collins   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Gene Simmons   Composer
Rob Jacobs   Product Manager
Eric Weaver   Assistant Engineer
Seth Waldmann   Assistant Engineer
Paul Stanley   Composer,Producer
Tommy Thayer   Composer
Matt "Wiggy" Wiggers   Assistant Engineer
Jeff Fura   A&R
Brian Lowe   Photography
Ute Friesleben   Production Manager
Tom Jermann   Design,Art Direction
Martin Cooke   Assistant Engineer
Russell Lee   Photography
Don McGhee   Management
Sujata Murthy   Publicity
Liam Collopy   Publicity