KISS also teamed up with Hiring Our Heroes, a campaign by the US Chamber of Commerce and supported by NBC News that aims to get veterans back into the workforce. KISS has hired a military veteran to be a roadie for their upcoming national tour. KISS co-founder Gene Simmons said that hiring veterans "is the most important thing that we can do.” The band held an open call and after receiving over 1,900 applications for the job, Paul Jordan, an army serviceman from Buford, Georgia was chosen. Jordan, who has devoted over 20 years to the military serving three voluntary tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, is a life-long KISS fan and member of the KISS army who sports a tattoo of Gene Simmons on his chest. Jordan reports for his new job as roadie, with his first full show on July 19.
Following KISS's lead, Boomer Magazine held an online contest to support Hiring Our Heroes and hired a veteran to conduct an interview with KISS. Robert Crespo, an Army serviceman, was chosen. Crespo served in Iraq's combat zone and listened to KISS ALIVE Symphony often while in the desert.
"KISS was the motivation to keep going," Crespo explains. Crespo's interview with his idols, KISS, will be featured in the August issue of Boomer Magazine and video footage will be available at Facebook.com/BoomerMag.
On October 16, KISS will release their 20th studio album, Monster, through the Universal Music Enterprises. The 12-track, CD is a celebration of the band’s signature sound featuring collaborations among all four members—including co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and longtime members, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer. On Monster, the group goes back to their own beginnings. Their first single, the full-throttle, autobiographical rocker “Hell or Hallelujah,” was recently made available digitally and debuted #1 on the iTunes Rock Song chart.
During KISS’ illustrious, 40-plus year history the band has earned 28 U.S. gold albums, the most gold records for any American rock band, 40 million sales in the U.S., and a total exceeding 100 million worldwide.
KISS return with Monster, the 20th studio album in their historic career, on October 15th internationally, and October 16th in North America, through Universal Music Enterprises.
The 12-track, straight-ahead rock 'n' roll album features collaborations among all four members-including co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer-in an album that shows the band at the top of its game. And that’s saying something, considering their illustrious, 40-plus year history-28 US gold albums, the most gold records for any American rock band, 40 million sales in the US, and a total exceeding 100 million worldwide.
Monster is the group’s first studio album since the band’s 2009 smash success, Sonic Boom, and was also produced by Paul Stanley with Greg Collins at Conway Studios in Hollywood, CA, and The Nook in Studio City, CA.
Monster represents KISS’ nod to the music that first inspired them to pick up their guitars and flame-throwers and don makeup to entertain millions. The group goes back to their own beginnings with the WHO-like 'Freak', while Gene lives up to the title track’s declaration on the raucous rock of 'Back To The Stone Age' and the bludgeoning 'The Devil Is Me'. Even guitarist Thayer takes a turn on his own with 'Outta This World', a tribute to his KISS “spaceman” character, while drummer Singer provides the vocals (and the back story) for the arena anthem 'All For The Love Of Rock & Roll'.
“There are no symphony orchestras, boy choirs, keyboards, outside producers or songwriters on this album,” promises Gene Simmons. “The best thing we did was to turn inwards to ourselves. Tommy and Eric have revitalized this band, with a work ethic and the talent to back it up. This is a real band effort. KISS has become a behemoth. We’re going where no bands have gone before.”
Pre-order Monster via Amazon below:
The single, 'Hell Or Hallelujah', is now available via iTunes. Singer/guitarist Paul Stanley calls the album’s lead track, "a battle cry that encapsulates the entire record...one way or another, we’re going to do it our way."
KISS performed ‘Hell Or Hallelujah’, at the HMV Forum in London, England on July 4th. The show was in benefit of the British Help For Heroes organization. Multi-camp footage of KISS' performance of ‘Hell Or Hallelujah’ can be seen below:
