North American hard rock legends KISS, and the British hard rock legends DEF LEPPARD, will get the Rocksaws jigsaw puzzle treatment in April.
Zee Productions will release two classic DEF LEPPARD album covers, “Hysteria” and “Pyromania”, and four classic KISS album covers – “Rock And Roll Over”, “Destroyer”, “Love Gun” and “Dynasty” – as a 500 piece jigsaws, in April 2020, on Zee Productions imprint Rock Saws. The iconic arts of some of Rock’s most influential and highly regarded albums is presented in puzzle form for the first time ever. All puzzles come in a vinyl box set sized box, perfect to fit alongside a vinyl record collection.
The puzzles will be available on April 8, 2020, along with previously announced puzzles with STATUS QUO, SCORPIONS and ALICE COOPER.
Johan Kihlberg’s IMPERA have been confirmed as the special guest when KISS plays their final concert ever in Gothenburg, Sweden, on June 23rd.
Johan Kihlberg’s IMPERA is currently finishing up a new album to be released later this year on a yet undecided label. Besides main man Johan Kihlberg, the album features Snowy Shaw (ex-KING DIAMOND, SABATON) on drums, Jonny Lindkvist (NOCTURNAL RITES) on vocals, John Levén (EUROPE), Pontus Egberg (KING DIAMOND) and Mats Vassfjord (220 VOLT) on bass, Kay Backlund (LION’S SHARE) on keyboards and Lars Chriss (LION’S SHARE) on guitars and album mix.
On the previous albums Johan Kihlberg’s IMPERA has worked with several members and ex-members from bands like KISS, SAGA, Yngwie Malmsteen band, Europe, Freak Kitchen etc.
Johan Kihlberg’s IMPERA – 2020 live lineup: Johan Kihlberg – guitar Lars Chriss (LION’S SHARE) – guitar Matti Alfonzetti (SKINTRADE) – vocals Nils Patrik Johansson (LION’S SHARE, ASTRAL DOORS) – vocals Magnus Ulfstedt (ex- ECLIPSE) – drums Mats Vassfjord (220 VOLT) – bass Kay Backlund (LION’S SHARE) – keyboards
THREE SIDES OF THE COIN®, the premier fan produced KISS podcast, has selected Stationhead to create the first 24/7/365 KISS themed radio station. On the station the KISS Army can listen to KISS deep cuts, KISS demos, bands covering KISS, KISS members solo albums, albums produced by KISS members, songs written by KISS members and bands that have opened for KISS. There is currently over 17 hours of music in rotation on the station. THREE SIDES OF THE COIN® Radio airs 24 hours a day on the Stationhead app. THREE SIDES OF THE COIN® programs the radio show, they pick the songs… no corporate overlord telling them what to play. These are the song the fans want to hear!
Stationhead is a social radio platform that lets anyone have their own radio station and create and connect over interactive audio content with live talk, guest callers, messaging, and music streaming from Apple Music and Spotify.
“THREE SIDES OF THE COIN has become more than just a KISS podcast and Stationhead allowed us to create a 24/7 KISS radio station so we can play all the music we only talk about in the podcast.” stated Michael Brandvold, Cofounder of THREE SIDES OF THE COIN®. “The amazing features of Stationhead like instant listener requests, a live chat room and the ability to easily bring listeners directly on the air make this truly interactive radio.”
“We’re delighted to welcome KISS fans into the Stationhead community,” said Ryan Star, CEO and co-founder of Stationhead. “As a Long Island native–and one who, as a teenager, played his first stadium gig opening for KISS in Prague–I couldn’t be more excited to give the KISS Army a home to connect over music I grew up on.”
New LORDI album features unreleased song by KISS frontman Paul Stanley!
The hidden gem “Like A Bee To The Honey” also features the Hanoi Rocks legend Michael Monroe. Watch below.
Lordi’s 10th studio album “Killection” drops worldwide on the 31st of January through AFM Records. Not only is the album a brand new concept in itself – a fictitious collection of hits from the years and decades past – but it also brings a truly hidden gem into the daylight: one of the songs on the album is “Like A Bee To The Honey”, which was written by KISS’s lead singer Paul Stanley together with Jean Beauvoir, known for working with names such as Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones and of course KISS. The song that had been collecting dust in Beauvoir’s desk drawer ever since the end of the 1980’s has now been handed down to Lordi.
“This is a tremendous honour to a band that wouldn’t even exist without KISS. Simply having the privilege to listen to a song from the 1980’s that no fan has ever heard before… and then to get to be the artist that brings the song for everyone to hear – it is mind-blowing”, Mr. Lordi states.
Mr. Lordi and the band’s guitarist Amen had been making songs together with Jean Beauvoir as a trio, and one of these songs, Scream Demon, made its way to the new album. It was during these songwriting sessions in Helsinki that the very existence of “Like A Bee To The Honey” came up: Jean thought the song would fit the new record perfectly, and the band was more than ready to get this rare gem on their album. The song is made even more unique by its saxophone solo – first one ever in Lordi’s history – performed by the Hanoi Rocks legend Michael Monroe.
Formed in 1992, Lordi is by far one of the most successful acts in the Finnish music history, and the group’s very own visual creations have charmed millions of people all over the world.
“Killection” track list:
01 Radio SCG 10
02 Horror For Hire
03 Shake The Baby Silent
04 Like A Bee To The Honey
05 Apollyon
06 SCG10 The Last Hour
07 Blow My Fuse
08 I Dug A Hole In The Yard For You
09 Zombimbo
10 Up To No Good
11 SCG10 Demonic Semitones
12 Cutterfly
13 Evil
14 Scream Demon
15 SCG10 I Am Here
This week’s edition of Three Sides Of The Coin features an interview with The Demon himself, Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, in conversation with British rock writer (Record Collector magazine) and musician (with UK metalheads Black Sheets Of Rain) Rich Davenport. Simmons discusses what Kiss have in store for fans once the current End Of The Road tour concludes, revealing that the band have unreleased material ready to roll in the vaults, and plans for other projects including a movie and “…all kinds of stuff that makes purists furious.” Stream the interview below.
Says Davenport: “I was offered the chance to interview Gene for Record Collector magazine (www.recordcollectormag.com) as the band hit Europe for a series of shows, and as a fan of the band since I was 12 years old, I aimed to ask questions that would appeal to long-serving members of the Kiss Army. Gene was cordial and candid about such topics as the band’s reasons for making this tour their last, the possibility of an all-new line-up carrying on the Kiss name, his relationship with former guitarist Ace Frehley since Ace got sober, the origins of the bands vast range of collectible merchandise, the early days of Casablanca Records, and the different ways in which Kiss is perceived by audiences in different countries around the world. I had a lot more material from Gene than it was possible to include in the feature I wrote, so I contacted the guys at Three Sides Of The Coin, and on this week’s show, they’re airing the full-length audio version, giving you the unexpurgated Thoughts Of Chairman Simmons, on everything from Stevie Wonder to Scooby Doo.”
An abridged version of the interview appears in the current edition of Record Collector, along with a guide to the top ten Kiss collectables, compiled by Ingo Floren, author of The Official Price Guide To Kiss Collectibles, and is available from www.recordcollectormag.com
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently interviewed Grammy award wining producer, guitarist Bob Kulick who played on classic albums such as Kiss Alive 2 , Kiss Killers (4 studio tracks), Paul Stanley‘s Solo album, W.A.S.P.‘s The Crimson Idol, Meatloaf‘s Bad Attitude and so many more. Bob spoke about his career working on these classic album as well as the re-issue of Murderer‘s Row Debut which was released in 1996 and also features, Jimmy Waldo on keyboards and David Glen Eisley on vocals (Ex- Giuffria).
Bob Kulick is known for auditioning for Kiss prior to the band hiring Ace Frehley and playing with the band throughout their Kiss History.
Watch the interview here:
When asked about the Murderer’s Row Re-issue
“It is a re-issue but most fans would have never heard the vast majority of what is on this re-issue album. For the following reasons, for one it was released a long time ago in 1996 and second because it was never officially released in a few territories and last because it includes a second disk of demo remixes no one has ever heard before. People will find this album to be a lost nugget of gold. You will recognize the people involved like Jimmy Waldo (Alcatraz), David Glen Eisley (Ex- Giuffria ) bassist Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot) drummer Drummer Jay Schellenbaum (Asia). Most people will have not heard this so it will appear to be something brand new and we will also be releasing a brand new music video for the album for the song India to support the album. ”
When asked about his thoughts on the Kiss Farewell Tour
“I always say never say never again but I guess in this case they want to wrap it up in a great way and that probably makes sense. The have come full circle all the way from having an idea to being a successful band with a gimmick and then being able to transition through numerous musical changes, styles though the years while keeping themselves as current and as fresh as possible with different members and different costumes concepts. So now reaching this stage of being an institution so to speak a huge brand that people recognize and I think this is the perfect point for them to set themselves up for a glorious goodbye. ”
When asked if he would have been chosen as the guitarist for Kiss instead of Ace, what would he have brought to the band
“If I was in the band we would have written different songs and I might have approached stuff as I did on the Kiss studio song ‘Larger than life’ which appears on Kiss Alive 2 or Nowhere to run on Kiss Killers fiercely aggressive where necessary and melodic in the places where it needed melody support. I wrote a song on Kiss Unmasked called Naked City, people can hear my writing on there. Plus I co-wrote with Gene 4 songs that are featured on Gene Simmons Vault so there is more of my writing if people would like to hear my style. I played most of the lead guitar and a lot of the other guitars on Paul Stanley’s 1979 solo record. I did the demo for Mr.Speed which was released on the Kiss box sets too.”
When asked if the fans consider him one of Kiss’ formal guitarists
“Depends who you ask but I think the fans acknowledgment me being part of the extended Kiss family. I have my place in Kisstory so to speak alongside the guitar players that played on the records but I don’t over analyze it. ”
When asked what the spirit was like in the studio when they went in to record new songs after The Elder, off the Killers album
“They were trying to get these songs going while they were working on Creatures of the night and seeing about making a member change, for Ace to be replaced. I was called upon again as the bands friend and resident guitar player helper and help them work on new songs off of the Kiss Killers greatest hits album.The song Nowhere to Run and Partners in Crime I had a good time playing and was a lot of fun to do. Kiss was trying to do 5 different things at once and that made it very distracting and more challenging for all involved. Trying to find a new guitar player, trying to finish one record and working on another record it was pretty comprehensive. ”
When asked if he played or contributed to Creature of the night
“I played on a couple things and then the wound up not being used. ”
When asked about his feeling towards W.A.S.P. Crimson Idol remake
“I have not heard it but it’s flattering that Blackie would want to remake the album but coming up with what I came up with in terms of solos, somebody playing my parts t is a lot different than playing and coming up with the original solos with no guidelines.”
In the 1970s, Bob worked with KISS on “Alive II”, followed by “Unmasked” and “Killers”, as well as Paul Stanley’s 1978 solo LP. Bob’s younger brother, Bruce Kulick, would go on to join KISS for a number of years. Bob also found time to play on Lou Reed’s “Coney Island Baby” (1975), Michael Bolton’s 1983 debut, WASP’s “The Crimson Idol” (1992) and “Still Not Black Enough” (1995), in addition to a long running collaboration with Meat Loaf, from touring the “Bat Out Of Hell” LP, through to 1987’s “Live at Wembley” album, and also two albums with Balance in the early 80s. In the 1990s he recorded with Blackthorne alongside former Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet, as well as the hard rock group, Skull, who released their sole LP, “No Bones About It” in 1991.
