Late-career records can go a lot of ways. Sometimes you get a polite, comfortable listen that’s clearly made for the artist. Other times, a veteran catches a real spark; songs that sound like they need to exist, not just fill a release schedule.
Peter Criss’ new solo album, Peter Criss, arrived today, Friday, December 19, and what jumps out immediately is how much he’s framing it as a band record, not a nostalgia product.
The hard rock crowd has heard plenty of “comeback” talk over the years, so it’s worth focusing on what’s concrete here: the people involved and the intent. On paper, the lineup reads like someone deliberately building a studio gang to keep things muscular and musical: players who can lock into groove, add bite, and still leave space for songs to breathe.
And Criss isn’t being subtle about what he thinks he captured, and he told Billboard as much: “I put my heart and soul into it. My voice, I’m still singing like a bird. Boy, am I lucky. I felt I was in control, and I was enjoying myself; you can hear me laughing on the record. We all had a great time, and we all had a part in it. It was like having a dream band. You can feel it in the music. It was just really wonderful. I haven’t had the experience of doing a record like that since maybe Kiss‘s first album. I felt like I was 20 years old again.”
That’s a big comparison. Kiss’ early chemistry is practically its own genre of lightning-in-a-bottle mythology, and most fans will take a “prove it” stance until they’ve actually lived with the tracks. Still, there’s something metal and hard rock listeners understand instinctively: you can hear when a record is made by people feeding off each other instead of stacking parts in isolation.
The co-production credit matters too. Criss teamed with Barry Pointer, whose resume touches everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to John 5, plus Mötley Crüe, Steve Stevens, Pearl Aday, and Dolly Parton. That range doesn’t guarantee heaviness, but it does suggest someone who knows how to capture performance, and performance is what Criss keeps pointing to.
Then there’s the personnel. Bass duties are split between Billy Sheehan and Matthew Montgomery (Piggy D.), guitars come from John 5 and Mike McLaughlin, and Paul Shaffer is on piano. Backing vocals include Dennis and Sharon Collins, plus Cat Manning of Cat 5. For hard rock fans, that’s an interesting mix: shred-ready hands, a bassist with serious firepower, and enough texture in the supporting cast to keep it from turning into a one-color modern rock template.
It also helps that this isn’t a quick follow-up. This is Criss’ first solo release since 2007’s One For All, and that gap can cut two ways: rust, or hunger. If he’s right about feeling “in control,” that second option starts to sound plausible. What’s equally interesting is where he says he’s aiming lyrically and stylistically: less “museum tour,” more “living person with opinions,” which can be risky but also more honest.
“There’s a little bit of everything in there. Now that I’m a senior citizen or whatever, I wanted to write a little about politics, a little good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. Music is so powerful, as you know. You can really pour your heart and soul into something…and I did. I hope my fans love it. I promised them I would do a rock album after One For All, and I kept my promise,” he shared.
The other hook here is the possibility – just a possibility – of shows. That’s where talk gets real for rock fans, because the stage is where reputations either hold up or get rewritten.
“If the album really knocks the fans out, would I go out? Sure. I wouldn’t mind getting back on stage, getting the guys together to do a couple of shows. Why not? I’m in pretty good condition for an old guy; everything is working, maybe a little bit of arthritis here and there, but I still play the drums a few times a week. So, yeah, I hope it does get to that point. I’m just gonna let it flow and see how my fans accept it,” Criss mused.
No grand promises; more like a door left cracked open. And honestly, that reads as more believable than the usual hype cycle. If Peter Criss has the energy he’s hinting at, a couple of well-chosen shows could feel less like a victory lap and more like a proper statement: an old-school rocker proving there’s still fuel in the tank, and doing it with musicians who can actually hit hard.
