"NY shock rock legends" (as their press release usually goes) KISS release their 20th studio album on Friday - "Monster"

Touted by Gene Simmons as "in our top 3 best albums ever" (though he always says that) - hopefully 'tis better than 2009s lukewarm and very patchy 'Sonic Boom' opus

I'll wait till it is on sale for .99 cents at the bargain bin at my local record store and send it to my uncle so he can use it to scoop horse dung in his barn.

I already got my album named 'Monster' by Steppenwolf...



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I'll wait till it is on sale for .99 cents at the bargain bin at my local record store and send it to my uncle so he can use it to scoop horse dung in his barn

Surely ya could find a Chinese made shovel at ya local supermarket for cheaper than that...



ROCKMAN

I'll steal and probably be disappointed. I'm an early KISS fan (1973-1978/1980) and am always disappointed by their stuff since. I still fight for the fact that the early stuff I mentioned was just good old rock and roll even if it wasn't anything meaningful. I mainly liked it for Ace's guitar playing, and again the songs were nothing substantive, but I did enjoy it. I can understand how people write them off though.

Since the original band breakup, I would say they've had few good albums, if any. Revenge is very good, as is their unplugged. Thats really it. Sonic Boom was ok, but not great. Every album thats new though they plug as "its the classic sound (the era I enjoy) with a hard touch of Revenge" so I'm always disappointed thinking "this could be pretty good then!" They just know how to interest their core fan base I guess. Not to mention that as a fan, Gene has just become insufferable. It used to be ignorable but he's just such an @#$%& now it casts a light on the band.

Anyway, I like the single from this album, but doubt the album as a whole will be anything more than "meh". But as a fan, I'm sure I'll download and listen at some point. Them saying its "top 3" just leads me to believe its worse that I actually expected though.

Sonic Boom (WITHOUT the re-recorded hits, they were bloody awful!) was lightyears ahead of the hopeless Psycho Circus, imo.

I catched a Kiss-show in Norway this summer. Surprisingly, it's one of the better rock'n'roll-shows I've seen

They haven't made a good album since Love Gun. However, their concerts are always fun. Too bad they lost (or got rid of) Ace and Peter, they were the soul of the band, imo.

I liked sonic boom a lot

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frankotero
They haven't made a good album since Love Gun. However, their concerts are always fun. Too bad they lost (or got rid of) Ace and Peter, they were the soul of the band, imo.

I reckon working with Ace & Peter must have been difficult. Both substance abusers and total **** ups at times (by their own admission) particularly for two straight laced control fiends.

Kiss did some fine stuff after they left but not much that stands up to classic Kiss (certainly not after creatures and lick it up). They can rock without them but the truth is they needed Ace and Peter to give them the roll.

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Braincapers

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frankotero
They haven't made a good album since Love Gun. However, their concerts are always fun. Too bad they lost (or got rid of) Ace and Peter, they were the soul of the band, imo.

I reckon working with Ace & Peter must have been difficult. Both substance abusers and total **** ups at times (by their own admission) particularly for two straight laced control fiends.

Kiss did some fine stuff after they left but not much that stands up to classic Kiss (certainly not after creatures and lick it up). They can rock without them but the truth is they needed Ace and Peter to give them the roll.

All I can say is, I saw KISS in 2010 on the Sonic Boom tour. They were playing most of Alive so I was like "I love this album, this'll probably be the best chance to see them." At MSG, it was one of the most lifeless concerts I have ever seen. Everything was so shticky. I know thats their angle but it at least used to feel genuine. It could not have been more going through the motions, and the pyrotechnics were so tame by today's standards. It was so disappointing for me to see my legends like that. I remember Paul saying "we're gonna do our longest encore ever tonight!" Ended up being maybe 20 minutes. The whole show in total was probably only about an hour and 40.

And Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer are not bad at all. They are great players. But they have absolutely no identity. I don't care about the whole makeup thing, but they are told to play like Ace and Peter. There is no real emotion going into there at all. Which sucks because they are wasting their talent. And seeing the band, it never felt like true chemistry. You know Gene and Paul are controlling the whole thing and that Tommy and Eric don't do anything original. Tommy especially, because they brand him as the new Ace Frehley (later in the tour he started singing Ace's songs) and it feels like the worst identity loss ever.

Anyway, I then saw Ace Frehley in a small club about 6 months after that KISS show. No joke, one of the best shows I've ever seen. I guess its the "rock" feel the band gave off (similar to the fact that I prefer Slash's current 5 piece band to Axl's bloated version of GNR). Its just more authentic and more my style. KISS seems like they try hard, and I enjoy the stage show, but it seems so lifeless by them whereas Ace really lets the music shine. And not that money is an issue, it really doesn't affect my opinion on the show at all. But it should be said that I paid $164 for killer floor seats for KISS, and $40 for Ace. KISS just don't do it for me anymore. I still love the music they made, but I can't support their behavior in the modern day. The only way I'd ever see them again is if Ace and Peter rejoined, but that seems doubtful with age. And honestly, the two seem better off without being in KISS, at least Ace.

I agree with one of the posters above, seeing KISS is a very different experience to listening to them; I remember seeing a documentary before on fanatics and KISS collectors/super fans never listen to the music anymore, they are just there for the collecting. The merchandise, logo, cartoon superhero elements - I can see why it is so seductive to so many while the music itself isn't that good.

When you see a List of their Best Songs lined up, they have written many great rock'n'roll tunes, but album wise - arguably never made a truly classic album. Like most bands who suffer the quality dip a certain time into a career, KISS suffered same but their bad efforts are unlistenable, truly bad songs. Bad music. Some of the 80s albums are the nadir or rock'n'roll for many people who have heard them. Even the so-called "classic era" of the 70s had an ammount of filler. Some gems, slightly more filler.

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IrelandCalling4
I agree with one of the posters above, seeing KISS is a very different experience to listening to them; I remember seeing a documentary before on fanatics and KISS collectors/super fans never listen to the music anymore, they are just there for the collecting. The merchandise, logo, cartoon superhero elements - I can see why it is so seductive to so many while the music itself isn't that good.

When you see a List of their Best Songs lined up, they have written many great rock'n'roll tunes, but album wise - arguably never made a truly classic album. Like most bands who suffer the quality dip a certain time into a career, KISS suffered same but their bad efforts are unlistenable, truly bad songs. Bad music. Some of the 80s albums are the nadir or rock'n'roll for many people who have heard them. Even the so-called "classic era" of the 70s had an ammount of filler. Some gems, slightly more filler.

Well, their first album with Strutter, Deuce, Nothing To Lose, Firehouse, Gold Gin, 100.000 Years and Black Diamond deserves status as classic, imo.

I even liked the two fillers: Kissin' Time and Let Me Know, and the instrumental is charming in all its naivity

hope this one is better than sonic boom. ace released an album about the same time as sonic boom and it was better and so did bruce kulick who played guitar in kiss from the mid 80's until the reunion tour in the 90's

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DandelionPowderman

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IrelandCalling4
I agree with one of the posters above, seeing KISS is a very different experience to listening to them; I remember seeing a documentary before on fanatics and KISS collectors/super fans never listen to the music anymore, they are just there for the collecting. The merchandise, logo, cartoon superhero elements - I can see why it is so seductive to so many while the music itself isn't that good.

When you see a List of their Best Songs lined up, they have written many great rock'n'roll tunes, but album wise - arguably never made a truly classic album. Like most bands who suffer the quality dip a certain time into a career, KISS suffered same but their bad efforts are unlistenable, truly bad songs. Bad music. Some of the 80s albums are the nadir or rock'n'roll for many people who have heard them. Even the so-called "classic era" of the 70s had an ammount of filler. Some gems, slightly more filler.

Well, their first album with Strutter, Deuce, Nothing To Lose, Firehouse, Gold Gin, 100.000 Years and Black Diamond deserves status as classic, imo.

I even liked the two fillers: Kissin' Time and Let Me Know, and the instrumental is charming in all its naivity

the first album, destroyer and love gun. thats 3 out of what 20 albums?

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keefriffhard4life

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DandelionPowderman

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IrelandCalling4
I agree with one of the posters above, seeing KISS is a very different experience to listening to them; I remember seeing a documentary before on fanatics and KISS collectors/super fans never listen to the music anymore, they are just there for the collecting. The merchandise, logo, cartoon superhero elements - I can see why it is so seductive to so many while the music itself isn't that good.

When you see a List of their Best Songs lined up, they have written many great rock'n'roll tunes, but album wise - arguably never made a truly classic album. Like most bands who suffer the quality dip a certain time into a career, KISS suffered same but their bad efforts are unlistenable, truly bad songs. Bad music. Some of the 80s albums are the nadir or rock'n'roll for many people who have heard them. Even the so-called "classic era" of the 70s had an ammount of filler. Some gems, slightly more filler.

Well, their first album with Strutter, Deuce, Nothing To Lose, Firehouse, Gold Gin, 100.000 Years and Black Diamond deserves status as classic, imo.

I even liked the two fillers: Kissin' Time and Let Me Know, and the instrumental is charming in all its naivity

the first album, destroyer and love gun. thats 3 out of what 20 albums?

Only the first album can hold a candle to Dressed To Kill, imo.

Unmasked is a guilty pleasure for me, and Alive is a great ("live" ) album.

However, perhaps the best album Kiss ever released is the one that gets bashed a lot, The Elder. They grew up by making that one - and imo should have quit at that point.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-04 13:41 by DandelionPowderman.

Their first album, Dressed To Kill, Destroyer, Rock And Roll Over (to a lesser extent) and Love Gun are their best albums IMO. The only later one I would say is even close is Revenge, and thats only got about 5 tracks I enjoy on that. Admitted, I've never listened to most of their 80s material. But they had a string of great albums up until Love Gun, even if they weren't all classic. And Alive is one of my favorite live albums ever. Again, its hard for me to just blow KISS off because I do truly enjoy their early material.

Kiss, Hotter Than Hell, Dressed to Kill, Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, Love Gun, Dynasty and Ace's solo are excellent but you can a 2CD comp covering those years which has most of the best songs. Personally I think Destroyer, Alive and Alive II are the essentials.

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Braincapers
Kiss, Hotter Than Hell, Dressed to Kill, Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, Love Gun, Dynasty and Ace's solo are excellent but you can a 2CD comp covering those years which has most of the best songs. Personally I think Destroyer, Alive and Alive II are the essentials.

"I'm 93, you're 16"

Classic line!

crazy, my daughter has "hello kitty KISS" toilett paper, I wasn´t believing it when she and my wife brought it home from the store

Monster sounds promising. "Wall Of Sound" is awesome.

First spin right now

KISS- music to annoy even the dead.

Maybe the Stones can find some body doubles for Taylor, Jones and Wyman and get a second wind for the new millenium?

Just downloaded the whole album. Will listen later. I still contend that the first track Hell Or Hallelujah is really great. I probably like it the same or alittle more than their last lead single Modern Day Delilah. Hell was the first single this time and their lead singles are all that draw me into to hearing these full albums.

I liked Sonic Boom a lot.
Monster doesen't sound as good to my ears from what I've heard.

[doctorstonesblog.blogspot.com]

>I already got my album named 'Monster' by Steppenwolf...

I've got two other albums named MONSTER, one by Fetchin' Bones and one by R.E.M.'

OH and a plural one: MONSTERS by Meat Puppets.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-10-06 08:07 by Glam Descendant.

"Monster" 3D cover: