KISS Is 'Four Days From Finishing' New Album

KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley has issued the following udate:

"We're about four days from finishing the new KISS album. Eleven tracks, and it IS everything I've told you. It IS classic. It IS all written within the band. And IT ROCKS BIG TIME! Tommy [Thayer, guitar] and Eric [Singer, drums] both handle lead vocals. The songs, sound and playing will knock your socks off. You will all be as proud and excited as we all are. Oh...and WAIT till you see the cover! We ARE just getting started!"

As previously reported, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons confirmed that a deal is in the works with Wal-Mart that will result in an "entire section" of the giant retailer's stores across the country (apparently dubbed "Kiss Korner") being dedicated to KISS.

Simmons and Stanley made a surprise stop at the at the 39th annual Wal-Mart shareholders meeting on June 5 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Though they didn't perform, a camera crew from Simmons' A&E TV show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" followed him around Bud Walton Arena.

There has been no official announcement of a KISS deal with Wal-Mart for the band's next CD, although artists such as THE EAGLES and AC/DC have both issued recent albums exclusively through the giant retailer. In addition, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry may have inadvertently let it slip that the band's next studio album will come out exclusively through Wal-Mart.

KISS made headlines in April when it announced its U.S. and Canadian tour will be the world's first to put fans in charge of where a tour is routed. This is destined to be the most explosive show of the year; and by partnering with web site Eventful, fans will "Demand" exactly where KISS and will perform in (top-voted) North American markets beginning this September.

KISS just wrapped up an astonishing trek through South America, where fans hailed the band at sold-out stadium shows across the continent. From the Hipodroma la Rinconada in Caracas, Venezuela to the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, KISS treated fans to a set of some of rock's greatest hits, including "Rock and Roll All Nite", "Detroit Rock City", "God Gave Rock & Roll to You" and "Shout It Out Loud", and more. The group's 2009 South American tour also included sold-out dates in Santiago, Chile; Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil; Bogota, Columbia and Lima, Peru.

An official video announcement by the band's Paul Stanley, Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer and Gene Simmons (see video at KissOnline.com),shot in front of a capacity crowd in Santiago, kicked off this first-ever tour promotion. With tens of thousands of their Chilean counterparts cheering in the background, North American fans were astonished to learn that they were being put in charge of routing their favorite band's upcoming tour.

Photo of KISS in the studio by Dean Snowden for KissOnline.com