The first album in nearly two decades from the original lineup of costumed '70s op-metal rockers Kiss isn't due in stores until Sept. 22, but the highly anticipated 0-song disc, Psycho Circus, has already been making its way -- in its entirety -- round the Internet.

While the past year has seen the unauthorized circulation of pre-released tracks from albums by major artists including Pearl Jam, Madonna and Eric Clapton, the posting online of an entire rock album as a series of downloadable audio files known as MP3s takes Internet piracy to a new level.

Kiss fan Peter Eklund said he thinks Psycho Circus is one of the best albums Kiss have ever made. That's why, on Aug. 16, he posted the album's 10 songs to his "Kiss Starlight" website. "I got a lot of good response," said Eklund, 23, of Melbourne, Fla. "People are thanking me for the files because it's been hard to get them."

One group not about to start thanking the fan sites responsible for the leak, however, is the Recording Industry Association of America. In the past week, the trade group has shut down two websites with full copies of Psycho Circus, as well as another webpage with links to one of those sites, according to Frank Creighton, RIAA vice president and associate director of anti-piracy.

Like many fans, Eklund came across his copies of the Psycho Circus songs on a site called "Roth's Kiss Rendezvous," which he said posted the songs on Aug. 11. It was one of the sites closed by the RIAA. "Kiss Rendezvous" creator Roth said Wednesday (Sept. 1) that he intended no harm with the posting. "I just wanted to promote the album, not take away from sales," he said. To do that, the 31-year-old webmaster, who did not reveal his full name, said that he deliberately muffled his copy of the songs and even cut some of the songs short.

Still, for many eager Kiss fans, Roth's posting was more than they could have hoped for. Although the charter members of the band toured in 1996 to sell-out crowds, the original Kiss lineup of Gene Simmons (vocals, bass), Paul Stanley (guitar), Ace Frehley (guitar) and Peter Criss (drums) has not released a studio album since 1980's Unmasked. While the band is best known for its early tunes, such as "Christine Sixteen" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Plaster Caster" (RealAudio excerpt), new tracks such as "Psycho Circus" and "I Pledge Allegiance (to the State of Rock 'n' Roll)" play on the same pop-anthem style that made Kiss one of the most popular bands of the '70s.

"You have the old stuff and the new," said Eklund, who has followed the group, known as much for their flashy costumes, makeup and stage show as for their cult following, since he was 8 years old. "It's still in the '90s, but you also have the impression from the '70s."

While posting an entire album for download is rare, Creighton said, he added that the popular soundtrack for the smash movie "Titanic" was also available on the Web as MP3s before its release. "It's an alarming situation because it's happening more and more; people become more familiar with the Internet and MP3 technology," Creighton said.

The RIAA's robot Web searcher first came across the Kiss material last week. "The minute we find pre-released material, we then program the Web crawler to look for additional sites with that material," Creighton said.

In addition, the trade group has also begun encouraging record companies to inform it of radio and retail release dates, album titles and track listings, so the organization can begin searching for upcoming work before unauthorized copies proliferate on the Net.

The RIAA has yet to determine the original source of the Kiss leak -- Roth said his copy of the Kiss album files was e-mailed to him anonymously. Whether an album hits the Web in its entirety depends primarily how it ended up in the hands of fans. When a single song turns up, it is often due to a radio station airing a song ahead of schedule, which is taped by fans and then posted on the Net. If the whole album is online, it may point to a leak from a retail source that obtained an earlier copy of the disc, Creighton said.

Kiss representatives from Mercury Records did not return calls by press time.

Meanwhile, Eklund said he has yet to be contacted by either Mercury or the RIAA about his website. As much as he'd hate to do it, though, he said he'll remove his copy of Psycho Circus from the Net if asked. "It's nothing to make a fight about," he said.