True to form, KISS faced the challenge head-on, and solicited the services of veteran drummer Eric Singer, a virtuoso player who would prove critical to the styles heard on Revenge, and Carnival of Souls, as well as the supercharged version of the band that hit the road in support of their newly minted albums.Īs the decade wore on, commercial challenges continued to mount, and in a Hail Mary moment, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons hit the proverbial panic button and summoned founding members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to the stage once more, and in one fell swoop, effectively ended both Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer’s time in the band.įrom 1996 through 2001, the Reunion era proved to be one steeped duality – hell on earth for the members of the band, and heaven in a cup for fans. Unlike Peter Criss who had been jettisoned from the band for bad behavior, Carr, unfortunately, took ill with cancer, and succumbed to his illness in late 1991, leaving a nearly unfillable void in an era where they needed him most. While KISS might have had a blueprint musically, as was the case at the dawn of the 1980s, the band found themselves without its long-time drummer, this time fan favorite, Eric Carr. But KISS had another approach, which basically amounted to the adage, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”įor some, the turnover from the wild party that was the late 80s, to the more sullen, alternative stylings of the early 90s was a death sentence, but for KISS, it was an opportunity to reinvent themselves once again and create something that harkened back to their meat and potatoes roots but still elevated them to contemporary levels. In the face of grunge, and alternative rock, many of KISS’ contemporaries folded their proverbial tents, and either went home or clamored to the sidelines to sit a few plays out. In fact, KISS hadn’t just survived it, they’d found their way back to platinum-level success with Lick It Up, and Animalize, but beginning with Asylum, and Crazy Nights, and ending with Hot in the Shade, KISS found themselves beginning to slide down the mountainside once again. The 80s had proved tumultuous on many levels, with the band surviving sonic challenges, lineup changes, and commercial adversity from all angles. In a sense, they perhaps were just recovering from the mess of glam metal and moving onward to a heavier sound and eventually…a reunion.”Īt the dawn of a new decade, KISS, like many bands, once again found themselves at a crossroads. “Many would say that in the early 90s KISS further downed their selves on the ladder, but others beg to differ. Header image courtesy of KISS Facebook (official)/Jay Starrīy Andrew Daly image courtesy of KISS Facebook (official)/Getty Images
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