KISS were starting to decline after their 92/93 tour wasn't as big as they had hoped. Grunge by this point had taken over the world and Gene wanted to essentially give this kind of sound more of a go. Paul was not hugely keen on the idea but decided to as well. While the writing for this album commenced, the band would host large KISS conventions and even do Unplugged performances where Ace and Peter would join for a few songs. At this point the writing was on the wall: A reunion tour was going to happen. Paul and Gene decide that the album release would be put on hold while they did this major tour and come back afterwards with their new darker sound. However, this reunion ignited the classic lineup of KISS and made the record company weary of the album coming out. Basically, once bootlegs started to come out, they just threw it on the shelves with no promotion and that was it. No tours, nothing. This would be the final album of the nonmakeup years and Bruces true finale with the band and it went nearly completely unheard. However, with this still being an official studio release, the albim deserves another glance.
Track List
1.Hate-Right away, this album smacks you with this lower tuned dryer almost doomy sound. The band took those aspects from "Revenge" and amplified them. I really like this one the riffs are really heavy and Genes voice really fits it well.
2.Rain-I love the almost Alice In Chains feel here especially in Pauls voice I like when he uses his lower register a bit more. I also like when he releases his voice more through the simple chorus with some nice string bends.
3.Master & Slave- This is my favorite song on the album with its heavy bass oriented groove. The chorus is pretty catchy as well. I like that Bruces solos all over this album too rely on creating an atmosphere than displaying technicality its a bit different and fresh.
4.Childhoods End-This one has this more melodic yet depressing feel to it that works in parts and falls flat at 9ther moments. I really like the cleaner guitars for how sharp they are but Genes voice could us a bit of reverb to give a bit of depth to it. The chorus is something reallt different it takes a few listens to get used to. The creepy kid like chorus near the end is an interesting addition as well.
5.I Will Be There-A darker acoustice driven track that Paul sounds a bit more tune with to his style. I really like the guitars throughout but it runs just a bit too long. Overall not bad.
6.Jungle- I love groove on this one with the really heavy bass being a major highlight. The chorus also has a big feel to it thwt makes this one stand out as well. It does again, last a bit too long almost going for a more psychadelic vibe to it toward the end but it isn't bad overall.
7.In My Head-This is where the album starts to feel a bit repetitive with the overaly slow chugging feel. Its not a bad track and doesn't overstay its welcome though.
8.It Never Goes Away- Another very doomy track that actually feels alot like something Dio might have done on "Strange Highways". This is one of the beat songs on the second half of the album for sure.
9.Seduction of the Innocent-This is very different sounding for KISS with almost a dark middle eastern musical influence. Think KISS doing Godsmacks "Voodoo" and you are pretty close. Besides the more atmospheric solo, it doesn't hit as hard.
10.I Confess-I almost get a 90s Ozzy vibe from the intro of this one with a dark atmosphere to it. This track is a bit of a slog as it doesn't change a ton throughout. It lasts on these softer dark verses that seem to take awhile to get going.
11.In The Mirror-This one feels a bit more upbeat but the production feels a bit flat. If the guitars were up front a bit more this would be a juggernaut of a tune. It just doesn't quite reach the potential it could have had.
12.I Walk Alone-And for the final song, this one hits a bit of a more creative stride with Kulicks vocals and alot of reverse tracking in parts. It takes a but to get going but its got a good flow to it. Not a bad ending track.
Overall, this album gets a 6 out of 10. Its an album where when KISS gets a good song out of this formula its a pretty damn good song. However, they are too far and few between and the album mostly melts together and overstays its welcome. It just doesn't work exactly as a KISS album per say. This would have had potential if it was a side project like if they reversed the name to SSIK or something to a wink and a nod to the members. But, in the end, it didn't really matter as the album did nothing to tarnish the band nor promote them. Ace and Peter were back and a new reunion album was now in the works...sort of.
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