After Eric Carr was diagnosed with Cancer, Eric Singer who had previously played in Pauls solo band along many other greats, joined until Carr could play again. Unfortunately through the recording of their next album, Carr would pass away and Singer would officially be the drummer of KISS. The band lost a massive part of what made alot of their 80s outputs so powerful but with the release of "Revenge" in '92, the band made it clear they had to fight on and even dedicated the album to Carr. This is my favorite album Ezrin produced as it sonically is so much better than the album before it. The band also went a bit darker to combat the onslaught of Grunge at the time.
Track List
1.Unholy-The album gets off on a very heavy start with a sinister rocker thats all Gene. This song reaply brings that feeling of the Demon with Genes super gruffy vocals. The chorus also is simple.and catchy bit with that heavy oomph from the bass up in the mix. The slick production really helps boost the guitars here as well.
2.Take It Off-This is a great sleazy rocker that I would love to have heard live. The riffs are big and Paul still sounds terrific. Its a song that wouldve fit on their 80s albums but its got a heavier 90s feel to it.
3.Tough Love-I really like the verses on this song as they have this kind of 90s alternative feel to them. The chorus however feels like its missing a lot of energy and is a bit generic. Its a song where 50% is good and 50% is a bit forgettable
4.Spit-This song has a bit more energy with a more zeppelin-esque feel too. It speeds up in the middle too which is a nice surprise but it doesn't last as much ad I wish it did. Overall, not great but not bad.
5.God Gave Rock N Roll To You II-This is the most well known song on the album. Its a reoworked cover that honestly more people probably know than the original by Argent. Its got a great huge chorus and a real nice upbeat vibe. The video in particualr features the last ever performance of Carr as Singer played on the track but was not in the video. Because of this, the song will always be felt as a tribute to him and its a great one.
6.Domino-This one has a realoy heavy ACDC feel to it and is a bit cheesy but very fun. Its another song thats total Gene and he kills it. The solo for this one really is a highlight too.
7.Heart Of Chrome-This is a heavier mid tempo track that realoy embraces the more 90s rock feel KISS are going for. Its got more sinister riff and the chorus has a pretty good hook to it.
8.Thou Shall Not-This is my favorite song on the album and one of KISS' heaviest. Bruce really rips it up on the solo as well. This one I catch myself headbanging to when i listen to it as Gene vocally goes for the throat. The guitars are also super crunchy as well.
9.Everytime I Look At You-This is a generic ballad that really never feels like its going anywhere. Its nicely produced but I dont really ever feel the need to go back to it.
10.Paralyzed-This one definitely screams early 90s with a bit of that 80s KISS feeling in its structure. The lower tuning and Gene almost sounding a bit Rob Zombie-ish give it that slick 90s edge. Not a bad tune.
11.I Just Wanna-Another Paul song that echoes a bit of "Summertime Blues" mixed with "Uh! All Night". Its a decent rocker and fun and catchy enough to please live crowds which it did when it was released.
12.Carr Jam 1981-Finally, we have an unreleased jam Carr did with Frehley back in 81 with an incredible drum solo that I wish lasted longer. Kulick overdubbed his playing over Ace's which is the only real edit done to the track. A great tribute to the Fox.
Overall, the album gets an 7.5 out of 10. This album was a huge improvement over the last with a heavier feel and a tighter tracklisting. Carr is sorely missed but Singer definitely shows his worth. While there are a few duds, theres enough to like to warrant a listen once in awhile. The album wasn't a huge seller but was enough for the band keep afloat and a decent tour for it. However, the band would dive deep into the Grunge sound as the rumblings of a reunion of the original members was beginning to shake the ground.
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