Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick has penned a "review" of the band's new album, "Monster", for his official web site, Kulick.net. He writes, in part, "I can say that I love the '70s influences on this CD. Anytime a band has a foot in that era I am into it, because so many great bands and songs came from the '60s and the '70s. I hear STONES-type things in some songs, aggressive guitars and classic style riffs with all the snot you can put on a guitar.

"Tommy [Thayer, guitar] really stands out all across this CD. He is a fine player, and I get the sense that the tall shadow of Ace [Frehley] is no longer a concern.

"There are tons of meaty riffs played with a '70s flair, and that always makes me happy. I also love the fact that Tommy's solos are very front and center in the mix, the way they should be!

"KISS keeps moving forward with the makeup lineup featuring Tommy and Eric [Singer, drums] in a fashion that makes perfect sense: plenty of crunching guitars, vocal hooks, thundering drums, and big distorted melodic bass lines."

Read Bruce's entire review at Kulick.net.

As previously reported, "Monster" is likely to sell between 60,000 and 65,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on October 9 via Universal Music Enterprises.

KISS' previous CD, "Sonic Boom", opened with 108,000 units back in October 2009 to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. This marked the band's highest-charting LP ever.