KISS vocalist / guitarist Paul Stanley recently spoke to Patrick Ryan of USA Today about his new Soul Station album, Now And Then, as well as the 45th anniversary of Destroyer, and the possibility of new music from KISS. An excerpt follows:

KISS' Destroyer turned 45 earlier this week. How do you look back on that album now? 

Stanley: "I did that album as a young adult and here I still am. It was a real learning experience working with (producer) Bob Ezrin because we were just kids from New York. He treated us like the idiots we were, but idiots with great potential. That album was pivotal for us. It certainly caught a lot of people by surprise because it didn't sound like (1975 breakthrough) Alive! We came up with a cinematic album, something that sounds like an IMAX film. I'm very proud of it. It's not a coincidence that our set list still contains more Destroyer songs than any other songs."

Although you wrote "God Of Thunder", Gene Simmons wound up singing it. Do you regret that or was it the right move? 

Stanley: "Oh gosh, I was devastated. I was broken. I brought the song in and I thought it was this signature song for me. We brought in a producer for many reasons, and one of them was to be the tiebreaker between Gene and I, because there certainly were times where Gene and I were at odds. So I played 'God Of Thunder' and Bob goes, 'That's great, Gene is singing it,' and we go on to something else. And I'm just there shattered. In hindsight, it couldn't have been a better move. It's such a character-defining song for Gene and he did it so great. Sometimes you're lucky to be wrong."

Have there been any talks with Gene about more KISS music? (The band released its last studio album, Monster, in 2012.) 

Stanley: "I don't really see a reason for it, to be quite honest. For the most part when classic bands put out new albums, they're looked at and listened to and thrown away because they don't have the gravitas, they don't have the age that comes with something being a time capsule or being attached to a certain period of your life. I'm not alone in that. When you see any classic bands on TV or if there's a concert video, turn off the sound and I'll tell you every time they're playing a new song because the audience sits down." 

"So it's odd to me that people always want you to do a new album, but then they go, 'That's great, now play your hits.' So honestly, at this point, there isn't a real reward in it. There's much more of a reward in changing lanes – I'm still going forward. But in terms of recording more KISS material, I kind of go, 'Why?' I thought 'Modern Day Delilah' or 'Hell Or Hallelujah' were as good as anything I've written and as good as anything we recorded, but understandably, it's like new wine. It just hasn't aged. So I'd rather not try to roll a stone up the hill." 

To read the complete interview, visit this location.