Kiss – Monster – 2012
Monster is Kiss’ last studio album. Unless if they don’t decide to make a comeback. But I doubt it. Three years before Kiss releases the excellent album Sonic Boom. It was an album that I found to be unexpectedly good and had catchy melodies. The expectations for this album were thus high. Surely the guys (who may not be guys anymore, at least not Gene and Paul) could deliver an album of the same caliber as the previous one?
Unfortunately, my hopes were not fulfilled at all. Instead, my fears came true. It should be noted that Monster has a sticker attached to it. A sticker with text in approximate terms that states that the album contains no ballads and no filler material – just pure rock n’ roll. From my perspective, it is half true. There are no ballads, but more or less the whole album feels like filler material to me. It’s not bad, really, but it’s terribly unengaging. Sure, you can recognize who is playing; that’s not a problem, but the songs are not strong enough!
Contributions from all members
As usual, Gene and Paul contribute most of the material, but Tommy Thayer is actually involved in most of it too! As a vocalist, however, he has to settle for one song, and the same goes for Eric Singer. He has also only contributed to the composition of one song on Monster. But damn if it isn’t the best song – “Back to the Stone Age,” it sounds retro, and I like that! “Outta This World,” Tommy Thayer’s own song, is also high up among the best songs. So, Gene and Paul have to step back a bit and admit they are “defeated” by the other members. Technically, Gene and Paul undoubtedly sing the best, but it doesn’t help; authenticity is found in the vocal registers of the other members!
Already after the first listen, I was terribly disappointed. But I assumed that Monster had the potential to grow after a few more listens. Unfortunately, the effect was rather the opposite, and my irritation increases every time I listen to it. It gets tough towards the end, and even though there are, of course, forgiving factors, it is, all in all, a highly mediocre album in my ears.
