As
Kiss approach 40 years of ridiculously dumb 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 drummer
Eric Singer donning the makeup and personas originated by
Ace Frehley and
Peter Criss, respectively. Dressing up these semi-random players in the classic comic book costumes is just step one in re-creating the feel of
Kiss' 1970s over the top heyday.
Monster is a tremendous throwback to the superhuman partying and heavy metal Ragnarök 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. It's only when
Kiss stray from their most formulaic compositions that they start to falter. The remarkably dumb sex tale "Take Me Down Below" isn't just improbable macho fantasy, it's uninspired and boring. Musically, lyrically, and stylistically, it offers nothing, not even the joyful stupidity of the throwback feel of much of
Monster. At this point in their career, attempts at innovation are
Kiss' worst enemy. It's amazing to think that the bandmembers who once sang "My power is my age" and "Don't let them tell you that there's too much noise/They're too old to really understand" are still trotting out the same schtick as
Paul and
Gene enter their early sixties. These 12 songs might not score many new recruits for the
Kiss Army, but for the innumerable fans of multiple generations who grew up with and lived their glory days listening to
Kiss, the familiarity is what will make the record a keeper. With
Monster,
Kiss hit the mark best when rewriting the sound they developed as youngsters and when they keep it simple, predictable, and fun.