Into 1985 and KISS with another lineup changed kept the train rolling with yet another album. The band was in the middle of the decade where new bands were popping up on literally every street corner. They had to continue to provide big powerful songs to make everyone know they were still a force to be reckoned with. Luckily with "Asylum" the song quality is a bit better than that of "Animalize".
Track List
1.King Of the Mountain-This is a great opener with Eric Carr opening up on the drums right from the start. Bruce Kulick has a great solo as well and you can tell he and eric really gelled as musician. Pauls voice is still just as strong here as well this would definitely be a great show opener.
2.Any Way You Slice It-This is one of Genes better songs from thr non makeup years as it doesn't sound as generic. Its got more power and its got a pretty good hook as well.
3.Who Wants To Be Lonely-This song has a really good melody in the chorus that would be a very prominent sound on "Crazy Nights". Its another simple yet catchy AOR type tune.
4.Trail By Fire-This is a great tune that has almost an ACDC type groove to it. Its got some great pop vibes to it especially in the vocal harmonies.
5.I'm Alive-KISS ratchet up the speed with an absolute barnstormer. Pauls soaring vocals, Erics pounding drums and Bruce showing why he is such an underrated guitar hero is all so prominent here.
6.Love's A Deadly Weapon-"I'm Alive" slides almost seemlessly into this song which is another break neck speed metal cut. Gene sings on this one which adds a bit of gruff to it. Bruce's solo is the major highlight where he really gets the spotlight as the other only guitar during the solo.
7.Tears Are Falling-This is the more hit off the album that kept KISS in heavy MTV rotation. Its got a great feel and the chorus has a very big sound to it. Its tracks like this why I love 80s rock so much.
8.Secretly Cruel-This one has a bit of that old school KISS feel to it and its a decent tune. Definitely not a highlight but for a b side its pretty decent.
9.Radar For Love-This one has a heavier bluesy feel to it i like. The chorus also has a great swagger to it that makes it more memorable as well.
10.Uh! All Night-This is such an amazing 80s feel good song. Its simple, cheesy abd very over the top bu that damn chorus. It is so catchy. It reminds me of the beastie boys "you gotta fight for your right" a little and it definitely isn't a bad thing.
Overall, the album gets an 8.5 out of 10. This is one of 80s KISS' most solid albums. The band is slowly becoming a solid unit once again with Bruce being the shot in the arm the band needed in terms of a team player. The band would tour strictly America for this album to absolutely make a stamp on their home turf. KISS were finally hitting high points they were feeling in 78 and unlike then those times would continue to flourish now.
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