Review
Monster could have lived up to its namesake — if only it were four songs shorter. Somewhere in the middle of a solid Kiss album are soft spots that hurt the disc’s strength. “Eat Your Heart Out” (complete with cowbell) sounds like bad Poison instead of bad Kiss; “Outta This World” and “Take Me Down Below” bring back horrible memories of the Desmond Child-infested ’80s; and “All For the Love of Rock & Roll” is a lamely written ode.
Now that all that is out of the way, Monster has some of the best Kiss tunes since their remarkable heyday in the ’70s. Opener “Hell or Hallelujah” is among Kiss’ best ever, with its absolutely killer Blackmore/Montrose riff and classic Kiss chorus. Tracks 2-6 follow the same rough and retro romp, with a loud and proud stature. Damn good stuff with damn fine production value thanks to frontman Paul Stanley. Stanley’s Monster production brings out the meanest of Gene Simmons’ bass and the crisp attack of the guitars. And, to tell the truth, the aforementioned “soft spot” is quickly forgotten by the time the winning track “Last Chance” finishes everything up.
No one is going to give Kiss an award for outstanding lyrics — rhyming cliches seems to be their specialty — or new ideas but their music is, nonetheless, mostly a “monster.”
Label: UMe (to purchase this album in CD format, click here)
