Irene Test | KVideo

Although he has since transformed into a reality television personality, Gene Simmons still has time for KISS. The band that made the tongue-wagging bass player famous is gearing up for their next release, an album titled Monster slated for July 2012. A follow-up to 2009’s Sonic Boom, Monster is produced by frontman Paul Stanley and is considered, by the group, one of their best releases so far. Simmons said: “[It’s] either the best or one of the top three records we’ve ever done. It’s like ‘Revenge’ meets ‘Destroyer’ – just guitar and drums, nothing else. No keyboards, no little boys’ choir, no strings, no nothing. Band-written; literally we’d get in and strum guitars like the old days.”

Their 20ths studio album is more than a back-to-basics approach. Instead, it’s an effort created by the high KISS found during sessions for Sonic Boom. In discussing their quick follow-up to the 2009 album, Stanley said: “I wasn’t interested in making an album unless I was in charge and no one agreed to it half-heartedly. The band’s all there, all the time, and we cut the tracks all facing each other in the same room. Chemistry and camaraderie, that’s essential. That’s what made ‘Sonic Boom’ so great, and this album is thunderously better.”

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Gary Graff | Billboard

KISS’ Gene Simmons is prepping the whip for his role mentoring the next batch of Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp attendees.

“I intend to be a hard taskmaster,” Simmons, who joins the camp Oct. 10-14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, tells Billboard.com. “The guy you hate the most when you go off into war is your drill sergeant, and he’s the guy you love the most when you get on the battlefield and all that hard work he put you through saves your life, or at least made you a better soldier. So I’m gonna be the drill sergeant and take these guys through it. They may not be able to perform in an arena, play in the band of their dreams or become big rock stars, but they’ll certainly be able to step up on their local stages everywhere and be 10 times the performer they were before.”

Simmons also notes that he’s “going to be insulting some people, because in the real world when you get up on stage, sometimes the audience will insult you. All they’re doing is telling you how they really feel — ‘Aw, you suck!’ ”

Simmons will be joined at the fall camp by Black Label Society leader Zakk Wylde, former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach and Vince Neil of Motley Crue, which will be touring with Kiss during the summer, wrapping up Sept. 23. Simmons says most of his lessons will be pragmatic — “Less about celebrity and more like, ‘OK, here it is,’ ” he notes — teaching the campers to “know about your instrument and know how to play,” develop some sense and appreciation for the business side of music and know that “you’ll be judged by not only how you sound but also how you look, how you dress, how you talk, what you say. I really want to treat this seriously.” Details about the fall camp are available at www.rockcamp.com .

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