Pretty much any band that has been around fro the past 20 years or more has survived periods of both great inspiration and dire experimentation, KISS being one of those bands. But, saying this, with their new release they seem to have come back with an album that has rediscovered what made them in the first place.  Monster, the follow up to their 2009 comeback Sonic Boom, is full of sleazy riffs, fist pumping choruses and the right amount of arrogance to remind us of their brilliance. Monster has been pushed as ‘no filler, no ballads, just full throttle rock n roll’, but is it? The answer is yes.

The lead single Hell or Hallelujah was a great teaser before the albums release, a brilliant vocal from Paul Stanley and a beauty of a riff to boot. The Devil Is Me and Eat Your Heart Out have this rumbling bass that is oh so familiar and sees Simmons taking the lead. 

The age old debate over Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer is bound to grumble a certain amount of fans, but here they really prove their worth. Thayer co-wrote most of the album alongside Stanley, and his and Singers vocals on Outta This World and All For The Love of Rock N Roll stand proud on the record and may finally earn them the credit they deserve. 

Monster will resonate perfectly with die hard KISS fans, it may not do much to win them new ones however. Instead of experimenting with new styles they take it back to basics. The album is far from serious, and at times slightly over the top, with tongue in cheek lyrics and its sense of humour, see Take Me Down Below, but it maintains its great energy throughout, with only the odd exception, see Shout Mercy. 

The greatest thing about Monster is probably how good it is going to sound live. It comes ready made with stadium filling anthems and songs you can dance to. It may not be one huge step for KISS, but it does prove that the band still have the ability to make great music and market themselves to the masses, and 40 years into their career that is a pretty great achievement. 

Caris Smith