KISS - Monster

We're doing this like I do all of my childhood faves. A track-by-track review of the new record. Just stream-of-consciousness kinda thing. I won't dwell over it too long. Song titles will link to some A/V stuff so that you can play along.  ...Initial thoughts: I have higher hopes for this record than I generally would:

• I've heard a couple of songs (two) that I do quite like.
• The band has lived together longer (with the new guys) and may gel better.
• Thayer has a lot of writing credits. He's good. He DOES Ace, but probably feels more like Angus.
• Van Halen proved that an old washed up band can still do it and do it well!

Hell Or Hallelujah
The strong first single, ambitiously added as the first album track. (as KISS likes to do) The riff is derivative, but not in any specifically tired way. Just general '70s arena rock. Nugent/AC/DC/Aerosmith/KISS. If I threw it closer to anything, it'd be "Train Kept A-Rollin'". Regardless, it's as easily KISS own as any one's. And the bridge is particularly bad ass. It cracks the tempo in half as just as you're steadily toe-tapping, you suddenly become forced in a headbang. A quality Paul-off.

 

 

 

Wall Of Sound

Initially, you'll run into the wall of the fact that these may be the simplest cliché lyrics ever, which for KISS, is saying something. But really... "take a shot / best you got / roll of thunder / spell I'm under". so... yeah, this has been done. But the tune is heavy and totally feels good. This won't be the first time, though, that I challenge some new spirituality in Gene's lyrics. I'll start here: "Let the floods go raging by / Let the sinners wash away / To the dark of man there's a ray of light / There begins another day". This, again, seems like trite spiritual lyrics to the outside world, But to a hardcore KISS fan, this would be a huge change.  Gene's general optimism has NEVER extended to "sinners" or "rays of light". Let's talk later....

 

Freak

This one, I don't mind saying, is going to have to grow on me. It's heavy, and it's heart is in the right place. But it plods, where it should shuffle. And it's angst-y disguised as "pride", It's got the Lady Gaga message, "I'm a freak, and I like what I see." But KISS has always bee about "Rock on, I wanna be President!" KISS doesn't need to be accepted. KISS needs to rule.

 

Back to the Stone Age

This one has a big time feel of "Thou Shalt Not" here, musically. (A song from Revenge) The lyrics though are again over simplified as one of those neanderthal man-strength. This kind of thing before has been more monstrous. Monsters have more intellect than cavemen. Which rolls some eyes. But regardless, the Born-Again-Gene count comes up to two with the lyric, "I prayed to the sun / I've got a one way ticket to kingdom come". Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

Shout Mercy

This one doesn't actually shout "mercy" or "awesome" or "suck" or anything from one side to the other. It's actually fun. And as much as I hated Mötley Crüe's "Primal Scream" when it came out, they have since very effectively turned it into a rousing cloud pleaser. I could see KISS doing the same with this, if they ever gave new songs a chance to be played live.

 

Long Way Down

This one, however, is an immediate 5-star jam. Very Zeppelin-y; or more specifically, reminds me of Yardbirds' "Shapes Of Things to Come". Nothing lyrically is a new concept here, like I said. Men are puppets to the will of woman. And that's fine. We don't look to KISS to originate ideas, we come to them to perfect them. And this song runs to the red.

Eat Your Heart Out
This is an AC/DC castoff. Starts off with an a capella intro to underlie the "rawness" of the recording. This finally realizes that the production value purposefully sounds like it was recorded in a garage.

 

The Devil Is Me

This is the other song I heard before today. And it really is a backbone. It keeps Gene relevant. Yes.. he says he doesn't care about "relevance", but then writes these songs asking God to make him relevant. A huge, "Unholy"-thick song. The vocals as strong as ever. Count three, to my born-again-Gene hypothesis.
"I woke up in a sweat and heard the Lord's decree / The Devil is me / I fought myself to be set free / Because the Devil is me"

 

Outta This World

This one was written by Tommy, and it's actually pretty good. And it's mostly done in Ace's style, which is kind of a drag, because I know that Tommy can do otherwise. But then a Cheap Trick-y chorus pops up and throws some personality in there. It still focuses on the space travel thing, which is all Ace. If that's your base jump, I say write songs about being stoned instead.

 

All for the Love of Rock & Roll

Almost straight blew this off as a clear junior rip off of "Mr. Speed". But then I just let it ride and let it play party in my face. Like "Never Enough" from KISS' last record, it doesn't break ground, and is in fact, immediately familiar as something else, it still shows the unique child-like heart of someone who was doing a fresh cover of a classic. Take it that way. You'll have more fun.

 

Take Me Down Below

It's good. And by "good", I mean that "Uh! All Night" good. That "Love in an Elevator" good. That "Let's Put the X in Sex" good. THAT good. Remember "Room Service"? Yeah, it's like that. Only now you're 50. Psst, KISS... sometimes 12 should be 9.

 

Last Chance

Another middle of the road good song. I won't tell you that it's better than "Shout Mercy" or "Wall Of Sound". It's placed correctly at the end of the record. It's has that feel. You'd think that a bombastic '70s band would always have that bombastic clché ending. That's a quirk of many bands. KISS has never been like that. Even when the closing songs are among the strongest, ("Do You Love Me", "Black Diamond", "I", "War Machine") there's a coda which tempers the ending. Anyway- it's a good song.

 

Final thoughts: Those tracks that I heard going in left me a little more disappointed in the songs that didn't match up to those. So maybe my expectations were high in that regard. But Monster is DEFintinely a stepping stone on top of the last . Which is really good. Starting with the slipshod cash-in effort of Psycho Circus; if Sonic Boom was 50% better than that, then Monster is easily even 50% better.

 

Again, it all comes down to timing. The cd holds more information than the vinyl, so now we have to "give the people value" by filling that info-void. I say bullshit. Cut three of these songs, and KISS would have a near-classic.