New KISS Release Recorded in Studio City

The secretive company The Nook co-produced the song available July 2.

Studio City Patch

It's not a little-known company in the music world, but it's location is kept "mum" and there isn't even a public phone number.

But, The Nook is smack dab in the middle of Studio City, and they're responsible for the Monster album that KISS is releasing in October (and the song single that's available on July 2.)

Here's Michael Leonard's story about the making of the album, and the local connection:
KISS will release their 20th studio album, Monster, in October. There are 12 tracks, all collaborations between co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, with guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer.

Monster is the group's first studio album since the band’s 2009’sSonic Boom. Monster was produced by Paul Stanley with Greg Collins at Conway Studios in Hollywood and The Nook in Studio City, California.

On Monday (July 2), KISS’s “Hell or Hallelujah” will be available as a digital single. It gets a physical release the next day. Stanley says it is “a battle cry that encapsulates the entire record... one way or another, we’re going to do it our way.”

“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 [Thayer] and Eric [Singer] 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.”

This being KISS, there is merchandise! Timed to coincide with the release of the Monster album is a deluxe coffee table, limited edition KISS Monster book, a collection of artwork, 126 photos from the band’s 40-year career, including rare images. It’s three-feet high, two-and-a-half feet wide and two inches thick. And comes with 10 different covers for different nations. The Monster book will be available in copies signed by all four KISS members and limited to only 1,000 copies worldwide.