![]() Domino is an irresistible blues-rock ditty, while the catchy Thou Shalt Not is an AC/DC song in all but name, and could have been included on Electric (The Cult) without that album being all the worse for it. Overall, however, it seems this album is heading for the pits, like much of the group’s discography.īut then God Gave Rock and Roll To You raises the bar again, and the album gets much better. The following two tracks are also disappointing, although Spit shines in its faster moments and in its genius usage of The Star Spangled Banner on the solo. Unfortunately, Take It Off kind of crushes them, falling prey to all the tropes the opener had avoided, more notably chorus repetitions. By the time this track ends, our hopes are cranked away up. No frills, no unnecessary chorus repetitions, just balls-out hard’n’heavy. Based around a metallish riff and beat, the track comes crashing through our speakers and tears through its short length. Opener Unholy confirms our beliefs, being a cracker of an opening track. Add some much improved technique by Gene Simmons and some studio wizardry by Bob Ezrin (although his bells and whistles are less noticeable here than on Destroyer, they are nevertheless present) and we have the makings of a winner. The vocals became more settled and bluesy, the riffs much heavier, and Eric Singer stakes his claim by thumping his skins much harder than any of the group’s previous drummers. The band’s sound on this album is basically the dirty, edgy, slightly funky hard rock bands like Ugly Kid Joe had been taking to the mainstream for the previous couple of years. In the process, they manage to recapture some of their old-time glory, and bring a bevy of new fans on board. Adopting a whole new sound and image, without breaking the ties to their past, the group presents a strong set of songs that is but slightly marred by a few clunkers. Revenge marked not only a reunion with Cooper producer Bob Ezrin, in his third collaboration with the band, but also the second time this dynamic duo would revitalize a career.įor make no mistake about it: Revenge is KISS’s Trash. Unlike Carr, who was mostly an unknown drummer until his KISS stint, Singer was an old, experienced hand, having played with everybody from Lita Ford to The Cult, Badlands and Alice Cooper (on the excellent Trash). This album marks the “official” debut of Eric Carr’s replacement, Eric Singer. Finally released in 1992, Revenge showed KISS flirting with a new sound, but managing to sound more honest than ever, and taking their songwriting and musicianship to new levels. It is a well-constructed, catchy and moving ballad, and it deserves a spot among the great representatives of this genre, despite a few flaws.įittingly, KISS’s upcoming album, in which this song was included, also deserves quite a bit of credit, and represented a step in the right direction for the flailing shock-rocker. If anyone remembers the very last scene of that movie, this is the song Bill and Ted are supposedly playing, and which spills out onto the credits sequence. No matter, though, because the song helped KISS recapture some of their fire, included as it was on the kickass flick Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. Based off a track by another band, just like Shout It Out Loud 15 years previously, the “II” was added to differentiate KISS’s version from the original, but ends up making the title sound pretty stupid. That song, as most of you may have guessed by now, was God Gave Rock And Roll To You II. Not to mention, it isn’t even really him playing on the song. ![]() Knowing what we do now, it is painful to see his feigned happiness and pleasure in playing, when he must have been feeling excruciating pain. ![]() As the last shards of his legacy, Carr left the backing vocals on a new track, where his replacement drummer made his debut, and an appearance on the video for that same song, recorded in extreme pain and wearing a dark-haired wig to emulate his unruly mane. The death of the technically proficient drummer, in 1991, left the band in a shocked daze and the projected new album on the freezer, as Carr’s bandmates went through the grief that comes with losing an associate and friend. The last shred of that woeful decade, Hot In The Shade had started to show signs of recovery, and left the impression that, although far from recovered, KISS were at least healing. That the financially bountiful 70’s were gone was a given but the band still had the room to recover at least part of the dignity they had lost during the mainly dreadful 80’s. ![]() KISS’s third decade of activity was a make-or-break point for the band. Review Summary: 'Revenge'? Try 'redemption'.
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