Kiss, ‘Hell or Hallelujah’ – Song Review

A tantalizingly raw opening riff straight out of Paul Stanley‘s ‘I Stole Your Love’ playbook kicks off ‘Hell or Hallelujah,’ the new single from Kiss.

From there, things lean a bit too heavily on the band’s sleek, uptempo borderline-metal ’80s sound, as opposed to the groove-oriented rock of their ’70s glory days, but the song still packs a nice punch.

Even when the production or arrangement gets a bit too glossy or busy, the energetic, catchy and primarily riff-driven ‘Hell’ offers gives old-school fans reason to be hopeful about the band’s upcoming 20th studio album, ‘Monster.’

Stanley takes lead vocals, singing of the trials and tribulations he’s overcome to earn his high spot in the rock world — “I road the highway to heartache / I took a trip on a ship of fools / I paid the price to have my way / Cause learning makes the rules.”

On the chorus, longtime partner Gene Simmons backs up Stanley as the duo promise they’ve still got enough in the tank to take on all competitors — “Hell or hallelujah / No matter what you do / I’m running through you.”

“New” members Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer are in great form throughout, and the latter teams up with Stanley for a nice, high-pitched Zeppelin style vocal-guitar duel during the solo section. As long as it doesn’t shove something like ‘100,000 Years‘ out of their setlists, ‘Hell or Hallelujah’ should represent the band well on their upcoming summer tour with Motley Crue.

Listen to ‘Hell or Hallelujah’ by Kiss