Music 3 Worst Discs from Kiss, according to a critic of Rolling Stoneranking explores stumbling over one of the greatest rock bands in history, with albums that pursued trends and sounded little honestly writing

Among the great rock bands, few were as despised by the specialized media as the Kiss. Unfair. The group founded by Paul Stanley (voice and guitar), Gene Simmons (voice and bass), Peter Criss (battery and voice) and Ace Frehley (guitar and voice) did a lot for rock, be it with their albums full of strong songs, talents that brought countless boys fascinated to catch a musical instrument for the first time, shows that became true shows – Simmons guarantees that even Paul McCartney I imitated the concept – impactful look and marketing vision to the point of launching all types of licensed product: from coffin to toilet paper.

But it would also be unfair to see only merits in this trajectory. As with every long career as an artist or band – they have been active for five decades – there have been a number of discographic stumbles, especially motivated by Stanley and Simmons prefer to go after sound trends than incorporating influences into their own essence.

The following list features Kiss’s three worst albums in the opinion of someone who has this band as their favorite two decades ago. Believe me, it hurts more in me than on you. Check it out!

The 3 worst albums of Kiss

3) Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997)

Unlike the other two on this list, Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions Nor can it be defined with a bad album. But there are two serious problems that permeate him. The first is simple: this work has not been completed. His recordings occurred between 1995 and 1996, when behind the scenes, a return of the original Kiss formation was designed.

That is: during this period, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons had to distribute their concerns between composing and recording new material with Bruce Kulick (guitar) and Eric Singer (battery) and discuss the details of the returns of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, both had been over a decade. Hard to focus this way. When they decided to launch in 1997, Frehley and Criss were already back. They only put the material on the market to combat pirate versions circulating – and barely did a more neat job of mixing and mastering.

The second failure falls on the concept: here, Kiss merely reproduced grunge/alternative sound in the previous years. Basically, they acted as trend persecutors. Not that they didn’t do it before – they emulate a disco in Dynasty (1979) and Unmasked (1980), they tried to be contemplative in Music from “The Elder” (1981), sought to adapt to Glam Metal in much of the works of the 1980s – but in Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions This was well scratched. Hence incredible songs like “Hate”, “Master & Slave” and “I will be there”but the result is even below other questionable records, such as Crazy Nights (1987) and Hot In The Shade (1989).

2) Music from “The Elder” (1981)

The greatest failure in Kiss history. And yet, it is not listed here as the worst album – opinion that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley would disagree. Music from “The Elder” It was a desperate attempt to be taken seriously from a famous band just for… Don’t take yourself seriously. Conceptual, the work sought to narrate the story of a boy belonging to a generation of angels who protect the world of demons. The plot is so badly sewn that no one understood it, and did not help the fact that the album was released with the order of tracks mixed, messing up the entire sequence of facts. Musically, the group explored symphonic, half -progressive influences (I said “half”), but it was poorly finished to the point that it just sounds tacky.

In addition, he was recorded in a troubled internal period: Peter Criss had just left, Ace Frehley was increasingly immersed in addiction, Paul Stanley faced a difficult time in his personal life and Gene Simmons was increasingly seduced by fame-a few years later, he would move creatively from the group and leave everything on Stanley’s back. To make matters worse, they called the producer Bob Ezrinwhich, despite the high moral for conducting the classic of Pink FloydThe Wall (1979), was in a megalomaniac phase and, of course, filled with drugs.

As in Carnival of Souls, there are interesting songs. “The Oath”, “Dark Light” (even looking like a demo) and “I” These are some of the highlights. But the whole is so weak that no wonder the album failed in sales, was not even promoted on tour, yielded Frehley’s departure and led Simmons and Stanley to follow the musical path exactly opposite in great successor Creatures of the Night (1982).

1) Animalize (1984)

Choose controversial, I know. Do not report me to the HR of Rolling Stone Brazil. I’m aware: this was the album that had the highest position on the American charts since Dynasty (19th) and gave the world “Heaven’s on Fire”hit that kept Kiss in a resumption of popularity started with the removal of makeup and Lick it up (1983). But it was this song and “Thrills in the Night”little takes advantage of the only record recorded with the late guitarist Mark St. John – Which did not even finish the process, being replaced by Bruce Kulick in some tracks and Limado of the tour after an alleged and poorly explained diagnosis of arthritis.

Soaked in the excesses of Glam Metal to the point of having leopard AND Zebrinha on the cover, Animalize is one of the best representations of how Gene Simmons was part of Kiss only in body. His soul was in the ill -fated attempts to settle as Hollywood actor, with films as embarrassing as his contributions to this album: “Burn Bitch Burn”, “Lonely Is the Hunter”, “While the City Sleeps” and “Murder in High-Heels”. Seriously, read the lyrics of these songs. Gene was replaced in some songs by Jean Beauvoir, Plasmatics musician that nothing could do but follow the orders of an accumulated and uninspired Paul Stanley. The successor Asylum (1985) At least it begins to restore a band spirit, with Kulick effective and more active.

Rolling Stone Brazil Special: Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden on the cover: A Rolling Stone Brazil He launched an edition of unpublished collector for fans of the Heavy Metal band. The biggest albums, the list of shows in Brazil, the power of the group’s market and even a tour of the band’s plane you can see in the printed special, for sale at Profile store.

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