Legendary Rockers Kiss Strong as Ever After 35 Years

Oct. 18, 2009— -- Those grease-painted glam lords of campy metal are at back at it. Thirty-five years after their first album , Kiss has just put out "Sonic Boom," a new studio disc that's being sold exclusively next to the Cheerios and Windex at Walmart stores nationwide.

Click here to see behind-the-scenes pictures from the Kiss shoot.

It has been 11 years since their last album, and despite their age -- singer and bassist Gene Simmons is 60 years old, while singer/guitarist Paul Stanley is 57 -- they are strapping on platform heels, smearing on the makeup and hitting big arenas nationwide for a 47-city tour.

"If the audience really wants you, they keep calling you back," says band co-founder Simmons. "I mean, look at us. I couldn't be in any other band, I'm a misfit. I'm an outsider. I can't be in the [Rolling] Stones or U2. Those little people would get in my way."

Outspoken singer Simmons may capture the spotlight as the fire-breathing face of Kiss, but "Sonic Boom" was the brainchild of Stanley. The two original members are joined by guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, replacing Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.

"I could never imagine that we would be doing this this long, 35 to 40 years later and to be selling out," says Stanley. "I mean I could certainly see some of the guys in the band being in a padded cell thinking they were playing for a big crowd still. But here we are doing this, and it's amazing!"

Legions of fans, also known as the "Kiss Army," are still attending the shows, but this time many of them are towing along what might be called the "little" Kiss Army: their kids. Many face-painted children of the original fans are flocking to arenas with mom and dad, proving what Stanley refers to as a family-friendly show.

"You see parents bringing their children and holding them up, you know, to be, to be blessed, just like the Lion King. You know, it's like 'hakuna matata,' it's like the circle of life," says Stanley, referring to the catchphrase from the Disney movie meaning "no worries."

Despite the loyal fans and a couple of timeless Kiss anthems such "Rock-n-Roll All Night" and "Detroit Rock City," critics have long cast a shadow over Kiss with famously bad reviews.