KISS entered into 1980 essentially as a 3rd of a band. Peter Criss was officially gone and Anton Fig came back to provide his studio drum work. This confused many fans as Criss still appeared on the artwork and even in the video for "Shandi". The album that was released delves harder into pop territory than ever. This created more short term fans yet alienated long time fans. However, is it as bad as alot fans say or, like Dysnasty, is this one a hidden gem?
Track List
1.Is That You?-Opening up with a mid tempo pop rocker and one that I actually enjoy. The main riff has a nice groove to it and still has enough bite to make it on any rock playlist. There is some really nice poppy melodies that lead into a catchy as hell chorus as well. A decent poppy opener.
2.Shandi-This one became a minor hit in Australia and is a decent pop ballad. Musically, its got some great stuff in the background with some nice acoustics. This one you could definitely dance to as well.
3.Another Signature Ace tune to add to the library. Its so catchy and his vocals sound great here. The energy is definitely there as well. The solo is a great upbeat one as hell that gets stuck in your head. A major highlight on the album.
4.Naked City-A nice rocker with Gene singing and a darker chorus riff. The verses have this slower tempo to them and Gene trying some higher range vocals definitely is a nice touch to the song. Its simple but another pretty catchy song.
5.What Makes the World Go 'Round?- This is one of the lesser tracks on the album. It has KISS' older rock n roll feel but it feels lile it could sound bigger in terms of its poppier tendencies. It just doesn't stick in my head as the other songs. Its not bad just a little generic.
6.Tomorrow-This one brings some of that energy back with one of my favorites on the album. It feels kinda like "KISS does Cheap Trick" which certainly isnt a bad thing. Its got a big hook that feels so 1980s its great. The solo is great even if.it doesnt last long. Definitely a major highlight from this album.
7.Two Sides Of the Coin-This is a great mid tempo rocker with some really good energy again especially for the chorus. The overdriven guitars really rock too. I love the middle part when the guitars get really.melodic as well its actually kind of unexpected but it works.
8.She's So European-While the name is kind of cheesy, the song overall isn't bad. Its a typical Gene sleazy rocker but with some keyboard in the backgroound which is a nice tough. Its again a simple power pop rocker but its pretty fun.
9.Easy As It Seems-This is another super underrated KISS song with Paul giving it his signature powerful vocals against a really poppy bassline and an intensley catchy chorus. Definitely one that cant be missed.
10.Torpedo Girl-The bassline to this song is pretty damn good with some interesting rhythm segments to it. Its detinitely the most out there song on the album. Its poppy but it has a creativity to it. Its one of the tunes here than takes a few listens to get into.
11.You're All I Want- This song kinda falls flat for me it just doesn't carry the same energy most of the album has. It isn't bad but it feels like it again could be more. The chorus just feels unfinished especially.
Overall, Unmasked gets an 8.5 out of 10. While continuing on their path into Pop rock, KISS still for the most part crafted a solid album of memorable power pop excellence. While it may have came out at the wrong time as bands like Sabbath and ACDC were making big heavy comebacks, today it seems more fans look at it with an open mind for the fun album it is. With a tour coming up, however, the band needed some new blood. Enter my favorite member of KISS, Eric Carr. This would be the start to the band becoming heavier but not without one more misguided step in their career.
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