The members of Kiss have been actively recording new material, completing a track penned by founding frontman Paul Stanley. Guitarist Tommy Thayer revealed the news during a recent interview with Guitar World, confirming the legendary rock group has been working behind closed doors.
“We did record a great new song that Paul wrote,” Thayer said. “That’s probably about as much as I can tell you right now.”
He elaborated on the band’s selective approach to releasing fresh music at this stage in their career.
“But Kiss has always believed in making things an event,” he added. “So whatever new music comes, it has to feel special and have a reason for existing. You don’t make another Kiss record just because you’re supposed to make another Kiss record.”
The confirmation aligns with statements Gene Simmons made earlier in the year. Speaking to KISSbySienna in May, Simmons provided an early hint about their studio activity.
“Kiss is in the studio now. So we just recorded a new song, as a matter of fact, that Paul [Stanley] wrote. I can’t tell you more about it. And that’ll be coming out at some point,” he said at the time.
Before any new music surfaces, the band is preparing for its only scheduled 2026 live appearances at “Kiss Kruise: Land-Locked In Vegas“. Running from November 13 to 15 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, the event will feature two unmasked performances by Kiss, one acoustic and one electric.
The weekend will heavily focus on honoring original guitarist Ace Frehley, who died in October 2025 at age 74 following a fall in his home studio. For the tribute, Stanley, Simmons, Thayer, and drummer Eric Singer will each perform a solo track in Frehley’s memory alongside the Ace Frehley Band.
The Vegas lineup also includes Night Ranger, former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick, Slaughter, Faster Pu**ycat, Keel, and Chris Jericho’s tribute act Kuarantine. A November 12 pre-party will feature Enuff Z’Nuff, Beasto Blanco, and the Ace Frehley Band playing the 1976 album Rock And Roll Over in full.
Throughout the weekend, members will host individual fan events. Simmons will showcase his private collection, Stanley will lead a cooking event, Thayer will host a live band karaoke session, and Singer will hold a drum-off and Q&A. Additional panels include a “Future Of Kiss” discussion and various archival displays.
Looking further ahead, Kiss is actively developing its highly anticipated avatar-based live experience in partnership with Pophouse Entertainment, the Swedish company co-founded by Abba‘s Björn Ulvaeus.
While the band debuted early superhero-styled holograms at their final Madison Square Garden concert in December 2023, Pophouse CEO Jessica Koravos told Pollstar the production has been completely overhauled.
She said: “What the crowd got to see at MSG was an early prototype of the Kiss avatar concept. A lot has evolved since then — both in terms of creative concept for the show and avatar technology. We are now deep in development with a top-flight creative team headed by Thierry Coup — the team was on set last week testing out pyro effects against a new generation of LED screens to make sure we max out the Kiss signature flame throwing. The show concept is a crazy 4D roller coaster ride through the hits, the comic book worlds and personas of Kiss.”
The avatar shows will focus on the classic “Demon” and “Starchild” personas. Speaking to Pollstar, Simmons and Stanley confirmed the virtual concerts will feature their established catalog alongside newly written material.
“It’s going to be the iconic face personas, The Demon, the Starchild, and so on. Who you want to place into that lineup is up to you,” Simmons explained at the time.
Stanley added: “We will have all the classics through the years and some surprises.”
When clarifying the inclusion of new tracks for the digital concerts, Simmons was definitive.
“You’re gonna get all that stuff, and also new songs,” he said.
When pressed on what “new” meant, Simmons confirmed their recent creative output.
Pressed for clarification on the “new” material, he confirmed: “Exactly what that means, written by us. We have songs done.”
