KISS

Once the true masters of mindless amped-up bombast and swaggering misogyny, with lyrics that were big and dumb, yet always fun, this album finds the band veering toward a pop flame and actually taking themselves seriously. Where once mighty excess and rowdy head-banging was the rule, Kiss have turned down the volume, becoming more economical and tuneful, sounding a little like Hall & Oates in face paint. Kiss don't take anything off on Unmasked -- unless you count Peter Criss. This is the group's last disc with the ornery stickman.

Heavy-metal monsters rarely die but eventually collapse under the accumulated weight of
their own leaden riffing, Tarzan-like singing and boorish macho arrogance. Three new
albums by Kiss, Humble Pie and Judas Priest merely represent different ways of trying to
avoid the inevitable. Once the clown princes of glitter rock, Kiss started cooling their
riotous act on vinyl last year with Dynasty, openly courting AOR radio with the d... More >