KISS Army Australia recently caught up with drummer Eric Singer. An excerpt from the interview is available below:

Q: It's been a little over 18 months since the release of Sonic Boom, an album which had the band much sounding much closer to it's trademark 70s sound. How do you see that album now? From your perspective was there anything you though "Maybe I should have done that differently" or "I didn't quite nail that"?

Singer: "Sonic Boom was really good and was the first step in the right direction for KISS. The newest record we are now working on at this time will show a natural progression from Sonic Boom to KISS 2011 as you will all hear soon enough."

Q: Since putting on the make-up it would seem that you have been quite conscious of taming down your drumming to be more in the style of the '70s material. Is that something you expect to see continue into the new album? Particularly amongst the Australian KISS Army it seems that there are a number of fans who loved your work on Revenge and the KISS My Ass Downunder tour and would like to see more of your flair on studio releases.

Singer: "I have always played for the song or band first. KISS in some ways has come full circle more back to its roots in style musically and that is reflected in the live playing and recordings. I never had a problem adapting to whatever is required of me. That is the sign of a seasoned musician. Leave your personal stuff and ego at the door. Play for the music!"

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Chris Epting recently filed the following report for AOL. It comes to BW&BK; courtesy of KISSonline.com:

Leave it to KISS legend Gene Simmons to spearhead a cutting-edge venture that breaks down walls and brings people together. Last week in Los Angeles, Simmons and Paul Stanley took part in an event that set a Guinness world record while helping to create unity and communication between people in over 100 countries.

The event, called KISS Live and Global, was presented and hosted by Ortsbo, the real-time social media language translation platform. Simmons also serves as an Ortsbo business partner and spokesperson.

Fans from all over the world who pre-registered at Ortsbo.com had the opportunity to interact with Simmons and Stanley in their native languages via a chat room. Questions and answers were instantly translated to and from up to 53 languages, allowing participants from all over the world to understand the entire event in their native tongues.

A ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hotel was transformed into a nightclub as Simmons and Stanley sat on stage by a computer, surrounded by KISS artifacts including guitars, a motorcycle, even the famed KISS Kasket.

Simmons manned the computer keyboard, demonstrating some truly impressive typing skills. The pair answered questions from around the world, dutifully talking up the Ortsbo technology and marveling at the power of being able to create a "one world" language on line.

Questions came in from over 100 countries and were translated into English for Simmons and Stanley, whose responses were then translated back into the native language of each chat participant.

The chat set an official Guinness World Record for Most Nationalities In An Online Chat Room, and a post-show ceremony was held in front of the small stage.

Click here for more.

(Photo by Chris Epting)