Welcome to Dissected, where we disassemble a band’s catalog, a director’s filmography, or some other critical pop-culture collection. It’s exact science by way of a few beers. This time, we follow the legendary career of KISS, from their 1974 self-titled debut to their most recent (and likely final) effort, 2012’s Monster.
KISS are one of the most successful rock bands — and brands — of all time.
Founded in New York City by Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss, KISS became a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s. Songs like “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “Detroit Rock City” would become perennial FM staples, but perhaps even more recognizable than the band’s music is its appearance.
The makeup will forever be KISS’ defining trait: the Starchild (Stanley), the Demon (Simmons), the Spaceman (Frehley), and the Catman (Criss). The band’s original lineup struck a shocking image, capturing the imagination of young fans at the time and befuddling their parents (who ended up buying the records for their kids nonetheless). As an example of this dichotomy, Criss claims that photographer Joel Brodsky wanted to put balloons behind the band during the photoshoot for the first KISS album cover, thinking the band were literal clowns.
Meanwhile, across the pond, young Norwegian children collected KISS trading cards despite having never heard the band’s music, attracted to the demonic makeup of Gene Simmons, which would become the primary influence for the corpse paint of black metal.
KISS’ massive commercial reach is one of the most remarkable feats in the history of the music industry. Not only did the band churn out album after album from 1972 on, but it toured relentlessly while making a point to hit smaller markets. As immortalized in the 1999 film Detroit Rock City, KISS shows were worth making a journey for, and the fact that the band would play podunk towns as well as big cities expanded the KISS Army tenfold.
Being the wise business men that they are, Simmons and Stanley parlayed the music with merchandising, with KISS action figures and collectibles becoming as ubiquitous as their records. Meanwhile, the band deftly surfed the rock trends of the times, always privy to what the masses were consuming. The band’s early Detroit-influenced hard glam rock led to disco metal, then to conceptual pieces like the unprecedented four “solo” albums experiment and Music From “The Elder”. Then, when hair metal took off in the 1980s, KISS went “unmasked” and took off the face paint for the MTV cameras.
But running a band as a business also took an interpersonal toll. Criss would exit KISS in 1980 (replaced by Eric Carr), and for various reasons that amount to a saga unto itself, Ace Frehley was no longer actively participating in the band by 1982, opening up a revolving door of guitarists (including Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John, and Bruce Kulick). The original KISS lineup would eventually reunite in 1996 and stay together for several years, though the four piece would again fall apart by 2003.
Financial disputes, addictions, and personal disagreements are at the crux of the disconnect, which, as of now, remains unreconciled. KISS have just embarked on the final leg of their “End of the Road” farewell tour (tickets available here), Simmons and Stanley are joined by Tommy Thayer on guitar and Eric Singer on drums — this latter-era lineup being responsible for the band’s final two studio albums. Sadly, all signs point to Frehley and Criss not appearing during the final December 2023 gigs at Madison Square Garden.
We can only hope all parties can put aside their differences and make that final reunion happen. Because the career of KISS — one that has brought so much joy to so many fans on an international scale — is one worth celebrating, and everyone who’s donned the makeup has had a part in it.
So, as the end draws nigh, we decided to do some celebrating ourselves, exploring all of the different eras of KISS to rank the band’s 20 studio albums from worst to best (we’re not including the 1978 solo LPs released under the KISS banner). There’s certainly enough here to rock and roll all nite (and for at least a few days). See how our ranking panned out below.
–Jon Hadusek,
Senior Staff Writer
20. Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997)
Licking It Up (Analysis): Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions, the band’s 17th studio LP, represents a striking departure from the classic KISS sound as they attempted to jump on the grunge bandwagon. It was released in 1997, which was a weird time for music in general. Earlier in the decade, grunge had unceremoniously bumped glam rock out of the spotlight. Apparently, it was as good a time as any for KISS to get experimental again (let’s not forget about 1979’s Dynasty). While KISS definitely has a signature sound, they were always a little more eager to try the genres of the day on for size than other rock artists like AC/DC… for better or worse.
From the very first notes of “Hate,” it’s evident that Carnival of Souls treads on unfamiliar ground. It awkwardly lands somewhere between Helmet and ’90s Anthrax in style exuding a gritty, dirge-like sound — in stark contrast to the glam and hard rock that had defined KISS in the past. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley’s vocals are darker and angrier, and Bruce Kulick’s guitar work delves into more dissonant and aggressive tones. Lyrically, the album expresses themes of inner turmoil and anger, reflecting a more introspective approach. KISS without makeup or a sense of humor begs the question: Is it really even KISS?
Loving It Loud (Best Song): “Hate” features a brooding atmosphere with chugging guitar work by Kulick while Simmons’ grainy vocals and deep bass lines as “The Demon” blend with the darker sound. Simmons conveys a sense of inner conflict and anger as the lyrics expound about hate at the heart of man, and saints and sinners. It’s a little reminiscent of “Unholy” both lyrically and musically, which makes it more familiar territory for the band.
Skippin’ Time (Worst Song): Maybe it’s because Kulick is singing, maybe it’s the weird effects, but “I Walk Alone” just doesn’t feel anything like a KISS song. It’s true, most of this album comes out of left field, but this track is the worst offender. It’s a slow, mediocre, and cheesy pseudo-grunge song. Kulick certainly lends his expert lead guitar skills to the mix, which is the only thing keeping it going at all. – Colette Claire
Pick up Carnival of Souls here.
