Kiss/
Monster
(Universal, 2012)
Monster,
Kiss' 20th
studio album*,
is a complete and total jam. It sounds old school and authentic from
top to bottom, from the songwriting to the singing to the production.
This, kids, is what we call Rock and Roll. No loops. No samples. No
Protools or autotune. Human beings playing instruments. No outside
writers.
Every
song is a winner, and it has those comfortable moments that will
remind you why you fell in love with Kiss in the first place. Yes, it
sucks that Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer wear Ace and Peter's make-up,
but don't let that deter you from giving this album a spin. Tommy
Thayer does the best Ace Frehley guitar solos since the band's '70s
heyday. All four members co-write the songs, and all four take turns
doing lead vocals. In other words, this is an authentic old school
Kiss record.
For
the first time since Unmasked, I missed buying a new Kiss
album on the day of release. My life is now meaningless. I had
thought that the originally announced October 16 release date still
stood, not realizing that the album was bumped up a week. I
didn't discover it until Wednesday the 10th while shopping
at Target with my daughter. I spotted it on the endcap and flipped. I
couldn't believe that I missed it. I missed out on 24 hours of
jamming this album. I broke tradition. And worst of all, I will
likely be given a dishonorable discharge from the Kiss Army for
deserting my post.
*Not
counting live albums, the 1978 Kiss-branded solo albums, or any of
the compilations or box sets, even those with previously unreleased
material like Killers.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.
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