Monster (Kiss album)
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| Kiss studio album | ||||
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Publication |
5th October 2012 |
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| Label (s) | Universal Music Enterprises | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
12 (CD / LP), 13 (download) |
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running time |
43:39 |
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| occupation |
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Paul Stanley, Greg Collins |
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Studio (s) |
Conway Studios, The Nook Studio ( Los Angeles ) |
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Monster is the 20th studio album by the US hard rock band Kiss . It was recorded in 2011 and released in Europe on October 5, 2012, and in the United States on October 9, three years after the previous studio album.
History of origin
Recordings
The success of the 2009 album Sonic Boom and the subsequent world tour prompted the group to record and release another album.
While “Sonic Boom” was recorded using the analog process, ie on tapes , before digital processing with Pro Tools , a special digital recording process was used for “Monster”. The reason for the system change was the fact that the purely analog recording resulted in longer pauses for transferring the recordings to the Pro Tools system, which not only cost the time required, but also money. The producers therefore decided in favor of the " CLASP " (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor) system, which had been developed by Endless Analog. The system combines the sonic advantages of analog tape machines with the simple editing and mixing options of digital audio workstations .
On April 8, 2011, the group began preparing for the recordings, and on April 13, studio work began at Conway Studios in Los Angeles . The songs written by the individual members for the album were first rehearsed together before the band started recording the respective title. All four members of the group were always present during the recordings and worked together on the respective tasks. The production of the album was responsible, as with Sonic Boom, Paul Stanley assisted, the Greg Collins. Stanley had full responsibility for production: he selected the tracks to use, he determined how the studio would work, and he did not allow outsiders to write the songs . The finished album should contain 10 tracks, other songs were intended as bonuses for further releases (e.g. maxi singles or similar). It was planned to release the album without a ballad . The title, Monster , was officially announced on August 21, 2011.
Although the album was largely completed by the turn of the year 2011/2012 and a release was planned for early summer 2012, the release date was postponed repeatedly and was finally set for October 5, 2012 in Germany. The single Hell or Hallelujah was released on July 2, 2012 ; in the USA it was released on July 3, 2012. The group was able to win the company " Universal Music Enterprises" (UMe) as a distributor for single and album . On October 3, 2012, two more songs from the album could be heard on the music streaming service SoundCloud with Long Way Down and All For The Love Of Rock And Roll before the start of sales.
publication
The album was released on October 5, 2012. As early as September 2012, audio samples of the songs on the album were made available in various European iTunes stores , but not yet in Germany. The manager of the band, Doc McGhee , announced on September 4, 2012 at an event of the "Society of Leaders in Development" in Nashville, another single release and a " monster campaign " for October 2012.
The album was offered in different versions worldwide. In addition to the standard edition on CD , there was a limited edition with a three - dimensional cover photo; a record and a download were also offered as additional versions. The latter contained a bonus track, Right Here Right Now . In the USA the album was offered together with a magazine as a so-called "Zinepak", in Canada there was a voucher for a one-year membership in the band's fan club , the Kiss Army , along with the CD , as well as a 3D sticker with the cover photo of the Albums.
Track list
- 4:07 - Hell or Hallelujah (Stanley)
- 2:55 - Wall Of Sound (Stanley, Simmons, Thayer)
- 3:35 - Freak (Stanley, Thayer)
- 3:01 - Back To The Stone Age (Stanley, Simmons, Thayer, Singer)
- 4:04 - Shout Mercy (Stanley, Thayer)
- 3:51 - Long Way Down (Stanley, Thayer)
- 4:06 - Eat Your Heart Out (Simmons)
- 3:41 - The Devil Is Me (Stanley, Simmons, Thayer)
- 4:29 - Outta This World (Thayer)
- 3:21 - All For The Love of Rock & Roll (Stanley, Simmons, Thayer)
- 3:24 - Take Me Down Below (Stanley)
- 3:05 - Last Chance (Stanley, Simmons, Thayer)
- 3:58 - Right Here Right Now (Stanley, Thayer), iTunes bonus track
reception
In the readers' poll for "Ultimate Classic Rock" Kiss achieved an outstanding result: Monster was voted album of the year 2012, the single Long Way Down was voted song of the year. In addition, the band won awards for Commercial of the Year and Photo of the Year, both related to Monster .
Classic Rock judged Monster that the album was “simply a solid rock epic with strong blues influences, lots of nice psychedelic elements, references to the Beatles, Who and Humble Pie , but also numerous self-citations.” This applies “especially lyrically, because it's all about demons, sex, freaks, and even more sex. This makes Monster “a typical Kiss album. Even if one of the better ... "
Rocks wrote that with Monster , Kiss “succeeded for the second time after Sonic Boom (2009) the feat of stealing so perfectly from her own legacy,” that one actually believes they are “new compositions.” The “constant one-to-one- Put on it, this self-confidence demonstrated to the point of arrogance "fascinates" the philistines and small townspeople in all of us: "Let me hear ya!". "Jörg Staude, author of the review, asks whether" more songs about the demon ( The Devils is Me ) or the extraterrestrial lead guitarist ( Outta This World ) or the love of rock music ( All for the Love of Rock'n'Roll ) or another ode to freedom ”and concludes with the conclusion:“ If that The whole thing is so much fun "and also poured into the most wonderful kiss sound of the seventies," then reads "the answer: yes!"
Ben Hiltrop from “teleschau - der mediendienst” wrote in October 2012 that Monster was “pure and loud entertainment that is absolutely fresh and fresh, but always sounds like the old Kiss”.
With Monster "the rock dinosaurs returned to their origins," wrote the " Kreiszeitung " from Syke . The album offers “few experiments that should please long -established fans”, “but solid guitar rock,” and it comes “sometimes more melodic ( Back to the Stone Age ) or quieter ( Long Way Down ).” “One or the other song such as Take me Down Below "has" the character of a hymn . "But everything sounds" thrilling, passionate - and very much like Kiss. "
David Rybol from undergrounded.de rates the album as a reflection on the roots, in which Tommy Thayer, as a former "Die Hard" fan and since 2002 as a guitarist and songwriter, has played a key role. (Rating with 8.5 out of 10 points.)
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Kiss Records New Album with CLASP . kissonline.com. June 26, 2011. Accessed on May 10, 2013. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ News on kissonline.com, April 14, 2011 ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Interview with Eric Singer, Kissonline.com, accessed on May 30, 2011 ( Memento of the original from June 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Interview with Classic Rock Magazine , August 2011
- ^ "Kiss' New Album Is A Monster," Kissonline.com, August 21, 2011
- ↑ KISS To Unleash "Monster" Via Universal Music In October . kissfaq.com. June 29, 2012. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ↑ Chad Childers: Kiss Unveil Two New Tracks from 'Monster' . ultimateclassicrock.com. October 3, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ↑ Info on KISSFaq.com, accessed on September 14, 2012 ( Memento of the original from October 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Info at ultimateclassicrock.com , accessed on January 17, 2013
- ↑ Marcel Anders in Classic Rock, issue 06/2012, page 92
- ↑ Rocks - The magazine for Classic Rock, issue 06/2012, page 95
- ↑ Kiss: Monster Lautes Entertainment October 6, 2012 ( Memento of the original from October 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed November 20, 2013
- ↑ Kreiszeitung - newspaper for the districts of Diepholz and Oldenburg; October 16, 2012, People and Media section
- ^ Undergrounded.de album review Kiss - Monster , accessed on November 13, 2012.
