Founding Kiss drummer Peter Criss has announced his first solo album in 18 years. Criss confirmed the message in a video statement produced by Kiss fansite KissFAQ.
"I have an announcement," says the former Catman. "I have my new rock and roll album to you, Kiss Army guys, coming out in the fall, and I really hope you like it, man. And I wanna say God bless to each and every one of you."
More detail about the album is then provided by Julian Gill, who runs KissFAQ.
"This is a hard rock kick-ass album, co-produced by Barry Pointer, who's worked with Ozzy, Marilyn Manson, Fred Coury, Steve Stevens, amongst others, and, of course, John 5,” says Gill. “I was honoured to listen to this album at Peter's studio with him last night, and it was absolutely amazing to hear this new music. It was vibrant and powerful.
"I'm so excited for it to be released, and I think Kiss fans are gonna love this album. Peter's drum sound is absolutely massive and his vocals are powerful. Barry Pointer's production is stunning, and Peter's got an incredible group of musicians and background vocalists behind him."
Gill goes on to list the musicians who appear on the album, who include guitarists current Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 and Mike McLaughlin, who originally joined Criss's solo band in 1994. The bass is handled by Billy Sheehan and Matthew Montgomery (also known as Piggy D.), who's played with the likes of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie), while David Letterman's longtime musical director Paul Shaffer plays piano and organ.
"You know what?" asks Gill. "Peter has written some very powerful songs here and I'm so excited for you to hear them."
Peter Criss's last solo album was 2007's One for All, which also featured contributions from McLaughlin, Montgomery and Shaffer.
The announcement comes ahead of Criss receiving a Legacy Award at The Cutting Room in New York City this evening (April 25), for his work with the Raven Drum Foundation. The foundation was founded in 2001 by Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen and his wife, healing arts educator Lauren Monroe, and advocates for first responders and veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress.
