KISS was musically at their PEAK in that Kulick/Singer era 1991-1995. It`s a shame Paul and Gene didn`t go back to that after the reunion fell apart around 2002. They would most likely have had a comeback in the 2000s with that band.
My brother and i are KISS fans from the original lineup, remaining fans all through the 80’s and into the 90’s. we wanted the reunion so badly, but when carnival of souls came out, we knew the better band had been sacrificed, psycho circus was Cheesey. It was pandering to what they thought the fans wanted, but it wasn’t even the original members. COS is a real KISS album, Psycho Circus is one KISS song with a bunch of attempts at anthems. The people who complain about Carnival of souls being grunge are just like the people who complained that Dynasty was a disco album.
I agree. Psycho Circus song was fine and a couple other tracks but it's an album I have only listened to 3 times since it came out, anything after I still haven't gotten to because of the ho-hum nature of PC. I was fired up for the direction KISS was headed and thought musically that they were finally progressing with Revenge and further with Carnival. I was also hyped for the reunion tour. I expected it would be just that. Reunion tour, get their rocks off for a couple years then get back on track. But Gene only follows $$$ signs and doesn't care who he steps on in that pursuit.
Revenge is really good, but the excitement was mainly because they weren't writing shitty songs like Read My Body and I'm Alive. It wasn't Sgt. Pepper by any means, just better than Lonely Is The Hunter, but not oh wow oh my God what a record.
@@Pamplemousse82322 I agree with the "Read my Body" part but "I'm Alive" & "Lonely is the Hunter" were both from albums I thought stronger than Revenge. Revenge was an improvement over the two albums that preceded it but I never thought any more of it than that.
Revenge is good but not great! I see people talking about Read My Body but yet they must not have the Revenge album that was released to the public! Take It Off is right up there with Read My Body! It’s just Paul being Paul! As for Carnival Of Souls, that’s a crap fest of an album! It’s “darker” my a$$! That is nothing more than Kiss following the trend of the time! It was Disco in 79! It was 80’s metal in 85! Then it was Grunge with COS! COS ranks down at the bottom with Sonic Turd!
Bruce has to be one of the most honest, likable guys in R&R! I remember hearing at the time that CoS only came out because bootlegs were circulating, which Gene and Paul don't make money on, so they release the official album to squash the bootleg. Not sure if true but it was the rumor at the time. If Bruce reads the comments... Revenge is one of KISS' best albums, and although not well attended, was a great concert and stage! I saw the show in NJ, thanks to passes from, Bruce! Thanks!!
Some really great hard rock albums died off quickly because of the alternative rock scene took over the mainstream. "Dr Feelgood. PUMP. Use Your Illusion. Revenge. Pornograffitti. Slave To The Grind." etc
@@eltoro969 Dr Feelgood, Pump, and UYI all sold millions and had 1+ year touring cycles. Slave to the Grind is an underrated masterpiece. The self-titled Corabi Crüe album from 1994 is the most underrated banger of all bangers, tho
I was a KISS fan starting in 1976 with the Alive ! double album. Saw them live in 1977 for the Rock and Roll Over tour at the age of fourteen. As much as I loved all that I still think Revenge was one of their best albums. Musicianship-wise the lineup of Paul, Gene, Bruce and Eric Singer I feel was the best.
I think alot of revenge is the best they ever did but some of those i just wanna f with you songs at the end ruin the best album thing for me .. but yeah good take
When that album came out heavy metal and rock n roll were on the ropes, and thrash metal bands were either going soft or becoming too extreme. Revenge reminded me that a Rock and Roll album could still kick ass!
I got a promo copy of Carnival of Souls before it was released, and ultimately shelved. The song "Rain" was in heavy rotation on Detroit radio before it was pulled because of the reunion. It's the only Kiss album that I legitimately love.
I had the great fortune of meeting and getting to know Bruce at the KC KISS Kon back in 2008. My booth was right next to his. I asked him some questions that he has answered here and it’s cool that he has the same point of view now. No bitterness. He asked me at the time WHY! was I selling all of my vintage merch and I told him it was all about the music for me, and the posters, inserts, records, magazines, etc. were basically valueless to me. I was the only vendor there that day selling original items from the 70’s. I sold practically everything. I offered him my appreciation for his time in the band, and told him that “Carnival” was amazing. I still listen to it a lot. Great guy.
Revenge and Carnival of Souls were both amazing albums. I always found CoS to be dark and heavy, rather than grunge like some fans seem to think. I suppose there was an influence, but I never thought of it as a grunge album. I liked that era of KISS and wish they had tried to experiment with that more. But, money talks.
It's a real shame that only two studio albums with Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick were recorded with KISS. That lineup of the band deserved to do more because it's a very talented lineup. KISS went from recording 2 studio albums a year to recording 1 a year to recording 1 every other year. Then they just stopped, I guess, because the albums weren't selling as well. Would have been nice to have a regular old KISS album to follow Revenge instead of that drastic departure in style immediately. Seems like there's an album that should be in between there that would contain a better version of Paul Stanley's style but also include the darker stuff Gene and Bruce wanted to do.
it was normal for bands to release two albums a year in the 70's....when the 80's rolled around it became an album every 1.5 to 2 years. KISS wasnt the only one. Van Halen did the same thing.
Had Revenge come out in '89 instead of Hot In The Shade, it would've been huge... and if Carnival of Souls come out in '92 instead of Revenge, it would've been huge. Revenge, Carnival Of Souls, and Lick It Up have always been the holy trinity of non-makeup albums for me.
Carnival of Souls sounds like it was inspired by Alice In Chains. Nice to hear Bruce confirm that. I enjoy every KISS album. I like the original KISS sound heard on the first three albums, Alive! and Rock and Roll Over the best.
I doubt he will see this but I am such a fan of his. In addition to his great work, including contributing to Animalize which I picked up during my formative years and still love, he has always been a class act.
I remember I listened to some of the songs in 98ish and threw the album in the trash. Then, during the pandemic, I re-discovered many albums from the 90s and COS was a big one. I now love that album.
I agree. But I do feel it was just thrown out quickly for contractual reasons and never properly mixed, or supported in any way by the record company or the band, which really had abandoned it altogether for Gene and Paul to get easy $$$.
I don't look at the Kiss catalog and judge an album based on whether it fits my musical tastes or was what I was expecting or wanted; I look at each album simply as to whether it was good or not, and Revenge and Carnival of Souls were good, with many interesting colors as Bruce duly noted.
It`s kind of a metaphor. Taste of arts like music tend to shift back an forth. I remember how big the 60s was in the early 90s. Trends come and go. I believe that was his point.
I saw every KISS tour from Animalize to the Lost Cities Tour. Revenge was the best of the bunch. I’m 52 and I’ve been a fan since ‘77. I loved the original four, and I was over the moon to see the reunion tour. Knowing now what KISS became, I would have preferred that the Reunion tour had been a one off, and then Bruce and Eric had rejoined and continued with Gene and Paul.
It kinda felt like the logical step after Revenge. Always liked Carnival of Souls and especially "I walk alone" was such a stand-out track for me. It still is.
Revenge was KISS at their non-makeup best. I remember being blown away when I saw the music video for Unholy for the first time. COS never got a fair shake due to the coming of the reunion.
To this day, I thought Revenge was a Platinum album! It's my absolute favorite Kiss album and in '92 when I was 11 or so, it blew me away musically with Unholy, Heart of Chrome, and Carr Jam.
I loved Carnival of Souls. When I first heard Jungle on the radio, I was blown away. Hate and Master & Slave are killer tracks. Then, as now, radio sucked for not playing more KISS.
Here in Northern New Jersey we've got a radio station (WDHA 105.5 fm) that actually plays songs from KISS that aren't the usual dry and aged songs from the band
Wow, Bruce. This guy is so feet on the ground plugged in and dialed in and… well he really gets it. Everything about popular rock music, people involved, lack of ego and he has great talent. Never really heard him talk. SO refreshing. Especially being associated with KISS. Not the easiest I can imagine . No barb at Gene and Paul. Really decent guys they are for sure. 👍🏻
I actually love that record. It’s raw and so different for KISS. I was the right age for it, but never really got on with grunge (alt rock was way better ie STP, AIC, GooGooDolls etc). Carnival Of Souls to me was a natural step from Revenge.
Revenge is a great album. My favorite cut is Domino. The whole album was a nice change. Too bad Gene and Paul didn't try to run both versions of KISS simultaneously. They could have made $$$
Great as his metal/punk moments were, when he sang ballads like Strange world, and songs like ' remember tomorrow ' , he had real soul and a certain timbre to his voice that Maiden never really matched again.
it's more heavier than regular grunge tho it's more like a grunge metal album took me years to get into it but now it's just another great KISS album! favorite songs for me is : Rain,childhood's end, seduction of the innocent. to name a few!
It doesn't matter whether Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons like CoS or not, or whether they stand behind their work. They already have my money for the CD and the vinyl in their account anyway. The main thing is that I like CoS and I can enjoy and celebrate the music.
I know I speak for quite a few kiss fans when I say I wish after the farewell tour was done Gene and Paul would have went back and got the Bruce and Eric singer lineup back together. And we're still wanting this to happen now that the end of the road tour is over I think there would be some big interest since this lineup hasn't did anything in quite some time.
They should have done that back in 2002. The reunion tour was a big hype. Peter dragged the band down with him already on the first leg of the reunion tour. If they had called it quits after Peter and Ace was out and went back to Eric and Bruce, they would most likely have had a huge comeback.
Carnival Of Souls is one of KISS' top 5 studio albums. It's just incredible. I still listen to it. 9 of the songs are just completely top of the line, single worthy songs. When I first heard Revenge, I liked some of what they were doing, but songs like Spit, Domino, Paralyzed, I didn't even feel like they were worthy of making it on the album, and wasn't thrilled at all by them. I know that some people like the remake "God Gave Rock And Roll To You" but I could have seriously done without that as well. As a fan since 74, I felt pretty cheated that COS didn't get released earlier and never got a proper tour. While I greatly enjoyed the reunion tour, I felt that they could have held off a bit and gotten COS a decent tour. Even would have loved it if they would have done a small club tour with the COS album while doing the reunion tour.
Carnival of Souls and Music from the Elder are severely underrated, and are my two favorite albums, followed by Revenge. I was sad CoS never got a tour. It's a banger of an album. I first heard the bootlegs and loved it. The day it dropped as an official release, I went and bought it. It's heavy as hell. I remember losing my shit hearing "Jungle" on the radio, like "EVERYBODY QUIET!" Those that want to knock me for MftE, when listened to in the proper order (the original U.S. printing wasn't in order; current one is), it tells a great fantasy story.
It might have been their grunge or dark album etc, but "Hate" and "Master and Slave" are among the 2 best songs Gene and Paul written. I also love the riff to "Rain". Bruce's song, "I walk Alone" sounds great and stands the test of time.
Bruce is the absolute class act never says a bad thing about anyone even though I feel he got the short end of the stick. Paul and Gene dont give him and Eric Carr enough credit for helping them keep the KISS name alive for a decade and acknowledging there was a whole chunk of the fanbase who loved the non makeup era. Even now the website Focuses on the original line up and the one with the 2 cosplayers
Carnival Of Souls is the most underrated KISS album, I prefer it over 'Revenge'. Strange how Paul Stanley dismisses it completely, as he had the strongest songs on the album, whereas Gene Simmons had the best material on 'Revenge'. Bruce Kulick is an excellent player & a fine gentleman too, I had the honour of meeting him once!
I've been a fan since 1979 but for me, Lick it up is their best album. Fast, heavy and i love Genes voice on all his songs. And also Paul on A million to one where he puts on, in my mind his greatest vocal performance ever. My favourite album from the make-up era is either Rock and Roll over or the first one, mostly because of Black Diamond which is my favourite Kiss song ever.
Carnival Of Souls is a great album. Jungle is one of ny favorite KISS songs. As for it being Grunge, KISS had plenty of songs that were Grunge before Grunge was a thing. Gene has always had a penchant for writing darker songs, and some of their early stuff was very grungy; Going Blind, Strange Ways, Watchin' You... And don't forget Almost Human, which as I understand, was submitted by Soundgarden for the Tribute album. I would love to hear that cover, and I really don't know why it wasn't chosen, given the time it was released.
Jungle is my favorite Kiss song. I’m really bummed that this era was ignored at the end. What would’ve been really cool would’ve been for Kiss to have opened for Kiss a few times. Come out and play Jungle, Unholy and one or two others, unannounced and just for those who make it in early.
COS is tied with Sonic Turd for worst album they did! PC was nothing more than Gene & Paul letting Ace & Pete know who was calling the shots! They only contribute those two have actually on that album are the two songs they recorded!
I was so mad when Carnival of Souls was shelved. Psycho Circus was garbage and cheesy. And leaving Bruce and Eric in the dark like that was despicable. I'm still mad.
I listened to Carnival of Souls ONCE in the late 90s but it felt wrong to me that KISS went that route and very late into the alternative rock era. I was a huge KISS fan until Crazy Nights and even though I saw them in 96 on the reunion, I thought they were a shadow of themselves and actually left the concert half way in, because Peter was dragging the band down after just a few songs. Then I picked up Carnivals again in 2022, during the pandemic and I was floored how good many of the songs was when I no longer connected the album to KISS like I did in my mid 20s. I was now able to listen to it without any bias. That album is extremely underrated. Yes, Bruce is right, the mix could have been better as it probably was rushed, but the songs.. they are pretty good. If you are able to disconnect yourself to what you expect from KISS, the album is very good and if it weren`t KISS, a band with those songs would probably get a lot of attention.
I remember hearing “Jungle” for the first time on the local St Louis rock station. I was pumped after hearing that! That album was awesome. Psycho Circus sucked!
The musical lurch to the darker side, was i think an unsurprising career move on reflection.& shouldn't have been perceived as being the 'Kiss of Death' The Carnival of Souls is also the name of a cinematic cult classic, culturally the analogy is hopefully not misplaced. Once again great interview, & Your content continues to inspire!😊
Briliant album. 2:05 Very thick AIC influence (sometimes too much) but that's okay, Bruce admits that it had a big influence on the songs, and we love AIC.
I like Carnival of Souls, it was different for KISS and they were just following what was popular at the time, but I think they did a decent job with it.
Revenge was to hit & miss. Paul & Gene didn't have much to do with the lyrics of that album. The songs Gene wrote were great tunes. Lets not talk about Stanley. Vincent was called in and "Unholy" was well embraced by the Metal community. Then they released "Domino" & "Every Time I Look At You" A song written by Michael Bolton. (Hated It) They also released the song & video "Uh All Night" with hot chicks in G-strings. Trying to make their version of "Girls,Girls,Girls" style video. I believe that album lead to them getting the unplugged gig on tv. The rest is all Kisstory. Unfortunately, Gene & Paul never contacted Bruce after Ace's departure. Bruce is a classy guy. It's a shame we didn't get his material instead of "Sonic Boom" and so on.
@@shandonsahm3343I love the heavy metal side of "KISS" and would rate a lot of songs from Creatures, Lick it up, Revenge and COS over many songs from the first 6 albums.
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Loved Revenge and Love the Revenge Concert Tour. Band was firing on all cylinders.
Alive III is excellent.
KISS was musically at their PEAK in that Kulick/Singer era 1991-1995. It`s a shame Paul and Gene didn`t go back to that after the reunion fell apart around 2002. They would most likely have had a comeback in the 2000s with that band.
I’m gen x and the non makeup days were the best to me
Saw them on that tour when they played Cleveland with Great White and Trixter. Great show.
@@timglover5358🤘🏻
Cool guy...Honest, open and refreshing to hear him talk about his days. I really enjoy Bruce.
My brother and i are KISS fans from the original lineup, remaining fans all through the 80’s and into the 90’s. we wanted the reunion so badly, but when carnival of souls came out, we knew the better band had been sacrificed, psycho circus was Cheesey. It was pandering to what they thought the fans wanted, but it wasn’t even the original members. COS is a real KISS album, Psycho Circus is one KISS song with a bunch of attempts at anthems. The people who complain about Carnival of souls being grunge are just like the people who complained that Dynasty was a disco album.
Truthfully, I never saw I Was Made for Loving You as disco. To me it was another KISS song.
I agree. Psycho Circus song was fine and a couple other tracks but it's an album I have only listened to 3 times since it came out, anything after I still haven't gotten to because of the ho-hum nature of PC. I was fired up for the direction KISS was headed and thought musically that they were finally progressing with Revenge and further with Carnival. I was also hyped for the reunion tour. I expected it would be just that. Reunion tour, get their rocks off for a couple years then get back on track. But Gene only follows $$$ signs and doesn't care who he steps on in that pursuit.
Labels.
Love Bruce, they were lucky to have him.
True. In my country (Norway) we say people like Bruce is "the whole wood". That means he is a decent person all the way through.
@@eltoro969 Yes, you can just tell.
When I first heard Revenge, I was like, "Oh yeah, Kiss is BACK!" And Carnival of Souls, another excellent album of music.
Revenge is really good, but the excitement was mainly because they weren't writing shitty songs like Read My Body and I'm Alive. It wasn't Sgt. Pepper by any means, just better than Lonely Is The Hunter, but not oh wow oh my God what a record.
@@BikerEgg1 2 shitty albums
@@adamrenfrow I appreciate your opinion.
@@Pamplemousse82322 I agree with the "Read my Body" part but "I'm Alive" & "Lonely is the Hunter" were both from albums I thought stronger than Revenge. Revenge was an improvement over the two albums that preceded it but I never thought any more of it than that.
Revenge is good but not great! I see people talking about Read My Body but yet they must not have the Revenge album that was released to the public! Take It Off is right up there with Read My Body! It’s just Paul being Paul!
As for Carnival Of Souls, that’s a crap fest of an album! It’s “darker” my a$$! That is nothing more than Kiss following the trend of the time! It was Disco in 79! It was 80’s metal in 85! Then it was Grunge with COS! COS ranks down at the bottom with Sonic Turd!
Bruce has to be one of the most honest, likable guys in R&R! I remember hearing at the time that CoS only came out because bootlegs were circulating, which Gene and Paul don't make money on, so they release the official album to squash the bootleg. Not sure if true but it was the rumor at the time. If Bruce reads the comments... Revenge is one of KISS' best albums, and although not well attended, was a great concert and stage! I saw the show in NJ, thanks to passes from, Bruce! Thanks!!
It's true. I bought my copy of COS at an Antique Store in Warrensburg MO ("Those Were The Days") in early 1997.
Some really great hard rock albums died off quickly because of the alternative rock scene took over the mainstream. "Dr Feelgood. PUMP. Use Your Illusion. Revenge. Pornograffitti. Slave To The Grind." etc
@@eltoro969 Dr Feelgood, Pump, and UYI all sold millions and had 1+ year touring cycles.
Slave to the Grind is an underrated masterpiece.
The self-titled Corabi Crüe album from 1994 is the most underrated banger of all bangers, tho
I was a KISS fan starting in 1976 with the Alive ! double album. Saw them live in 1977 for the Rock and Roll Over tour at the age of fourteen. As much as I loved all that I still think Revenge was one of their best albums. Musicianship-wise the lineup of Paul, Gene, Bruce and Eric Singer I feel was the best.
I have been a kiss fan since Christmas '75. When alive came out . Revenge is their best album. I said what I said.
100%!!
KISS fan since 83.
While I don’t share your opinion, I respect it.
Rock on bro!
I think alot of revenge is the best they ever did but some of those i just wanna f with you songs at the end ruin the best album thing for me .. but yeah good take
Kiss fan since 1977. Never heard a single Kiss album in its entirety after Dynasty.
When that album came out heavy metal and rock n roll were on the ropes, and thrash metal bands were either going soft or becoming too extreme. Revenge reminded me that a Rock and Roll album could still kick ass!
I got a promo copy of Carnival of Souls before it was released, and ultimately shelved. The song "Rain" was in heavy rotation on Detroit radio before it was pulled because of the reunion. It's the only Kiss album that I legitimately love.
Sure you got a promo copy!
I had the great fortune of meeting and getting to know Bruce at the KC KISS Kon back in 2008. My booth was right next to his. I asked him some questions that he has answered here and it’s cool that he has the same point of view now. No bitterness. He asked me at the time WHY! was I selling all of my vintage merch and I told him it was all about the music for me, and the posters, inserts, records, magazines, etc. were basically valueless to me. I was the only vendor there that day selling original items from the 70’s. I sold practically everything. I offered him my appreciation for his time in the band, and told him that “Carnival” was amazing. I still listen to it a lot. Great guy.
Revenge and Carnival of Souls were both amazing albums. I always found CoS to be dark and heavy, rather than grunge like some fans seem to think. I suppose there was an influence, but I never thought of it as a grunge album. I liked that era of KISS and wish they had tried to experiment with that more. But, money talks.
It's a real shame that only two studio albums with Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick were recorded with KISS. That lineup of the band deserved to do more because it's a very talented lineup. KISS went from recording 2 studio albums a year to recording 1 a year to recording 1 every other year. Then they just stopped, I guess, because the albums weren't selling as well. Would have been nice to have a regular old KISS album to follow Revenge instead of that drastic departure in style immediately. Seems like there's an album that should be in between there that would contain a better version of Paul Stanley's style but also include the darker stuff Gene and Bruce wanted to do.
it was normal for bands to release two albums a year in the 70's....when the 80's rolled around it became an album every 1.5 to 2 years. KISS wasnt the only one. Van Halen did the same thing.
True. Gene and Paul was at their peak musically in the early 90s. Just watch the Unplugged concert. They are masters of their domains.
Had Revenge come out in '89 instead of Hot In The Shade, it would've been huge... and if Carnival of Souls come out in '92 instead of Revenge, it would've been huge. Revenge, Carnival Of Souls, and Lick It Up have always been the holy trinity of non-makeup albums for me.
100%!!!
But unfortunately KISS reacts to musical trends.. they don’t create them.
I've been a Kiss fan since age 8, when Alive II came out. Carnival of Souls is one of my all-time favs.
Carnival of Souls sounds like it was inspired by Alice In Chains. Nice to hear Bruce confirm that. I enjoy every KISS album. I like the original KISS sound heard on the first three albums, Alive! and Rock and Roll Over the best.
KISS hired producer Toby Wright, who has worked with AIC on jar of flies, tripod ep and unplugged.
So Kiss was definitely going for that AIC sound.
Bruce🎸made Paul🎤shine on "Carnival of Souls". What a strong,
dark and metal-heavy KISS 💋 album. And Bruce is right.
"I Walk Alone" was prophetic.
I love Carnival of Souls!! Great record!!
Lmao
I Walk Alone is my favorite KISS song.
I doubt he will see this but I am such a fan of his. In addition to his great work, including contributing to Animalize which I picked up during my formative years and still love, he has always been a class act.
Carnival of Souls is a great album! Horribly underrated and overlooked!
I remember I listened to some of the songs in 98ish and threw the album in the trash. Then, during the pandemic, I re-discovered many albums from the 90s and COS was a big one. I now love that album.
I agree. But I do feel it was just thrown out quickly for contractual reasons and never properly mixed, or supported in any way by the record company or the band, which really had abandoned it altogether for Gene and Paul to get easy $$$.
People like you are what has made it extremely overrated! That grunge wannabe album should have never seen the light of day!
I don't look at the Kiss catalog and judge an album based on whether it fits my musical tastes or was what I was expecting or wanted; I look at each album simply as to whether it was good or not, and Revenge and Carnival of Souls were good, with many interesting colors as Bruce duly noted.
I love carnival of souls. It’s one of their best albums. I would have loved to see what they had planned for that album cover.
It was meant to be a flaming skull. You may be able to find it on googlev
It’s one of the two worst albums they ever made!
Star Wars did not come back better.
He said "bigger" not better.
It`s kind of a metaphor. Taste of arts like music tend to shift back an forth. I remember how big the 60s was in the early 90s. Trends come and go. I believe that was his point.
Could say the same for the KISS reunion tour 😂
I was just about to say that
He said bigger , not better
I saw every KISS tour from Animalize to the Lost Cities Tour. Revenge was the best of the bunch. I’m 52 and I’ve been a fan since ‘77. I loved the original four, and I was over the moon to see the reunion tour. Knowing now what KISS became, I would have preferred that the Reunion tour had been a one off, and then Bruce and Eric had rejoined and continued with Gene and Paul.
It kinda felt like the logical step after Revenge. Always liked Carnival of Souls and especially "I walk alone" was such a stand-out track for me. It still is.
Revenge was KISS at their non-makeup best. I remember being blown away when I saw the music video for Unholy for the first time. COS never got a fair shake due to the coming of the reunion.
Yeah, the timing su**ed big time. I love that album today.
Revenge isn’t anywhere near as good as Lick It Up, the best non makeup album! COS should have never seen the light of day!
To this day, I thought Revenge was a Platinum album! It's my absolute favorite Kiss album and in '92 when I was 11 or so, it blew me away musically with Unholy, Heart of Chrome, and Carr Jam.
Carnival of Souls kicks ass
I loved Carnival of Souls. When I first heard Jungle on the radio, I was blown away. Hate and Master & Slave are killer tracks. Then, as now, radio sucked for not playing more KISS.
Here in Northern New Jersey we've got a radio station (WDHA 105.5 fm) that actually plays songs from KISS that aren't the usual dry and aged songs from the band
Wow, Bruce. This guy is so feet on the ground plugged in and dialed in and… well he really gets it. Everything about popular rock music, people involved, lack of ego and he has great talent. Never really heard him talk. SO refreshing. Especially being associated with KISS. Not the easiest I can imagine . No barb at Gene and Paul. Really decent guys they are for sure. 👍🏻
I actually love that record. It’s raw and so different for KISS. I was the right age for it, but never really got on with grunge (alt rock was way better ie STP, AIC, GooGooDolls etc). Carnival Of Souls to me was a natural step from Revenge.
I had to be able to distance myself from my expectations of KISS to be able to appreciate COS. I hated it in the 90s. Now I love it.
Love Bruce Kulick such a great guy.
Class act...love your era Bruce!!!
Thank you
Revenge is a great album. My favorite cut is Domino. The whole album was a nice change. Too bad Gene and Paul didn't try to run both versions of KISS simultaneously. They could have made $$$
Great as his metal/punk moments were, when he sang ballads like Strange world, and songs like ' remember tomorrow ' , he had real soul and a certain timbre to his voice that Maiden never really matched again.
it's more heavier than regular grunge tho it's more like a grunge metal album took me years to get into it but now it's just another great KISS album! favorite songs for me is : Rain,childhood's end, seduction of the innocent. to name a few!
It doesn't matter whether Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons like CoS or not, or whether they stand behind their work. They already have my money for the CD and the vinyl in their account anyway. The main thing is that I like CoS and I can enjoy and celebrate the music.
As long time Kiss fan, I felt CoS was a return to their heavier stuff. A great album in any case!
Bad timing but a really great album I hated in the 90s but LOVE now.
I know I speak for quite a few kiss fans when I say I wish after the farewell tour was done Gene and Paul would have went back and got the Bruce and Eric singer lineup back together. And we're still wanting this to happen now that the end of the road tour is over I think there would be some big interest since this lineup hasn't did anything in quite some time.
They should have done that back in 2002. The reunion tour was a big hype. Peter dragged the band down with him already on the first leg of the reunion tour. If they had called it quits after Peter and Ace was out and went back to Eric and Bruce, they would most likely have had a huge comeback.
Carnival Of Souls is one of KISS' top 5 studio albums. It's just incredible.
I still listen to it. 9 of the songs are just completely top of the line, single worthy songs.
When I first heard Revenge, I liked some of what they were doing, but songs like Spit, Domino, Paralyzed, I didn't even feel like they were worthy of making it on the album, and wasn't thrilled at all by them. I know that some people like the remake "God Gave Rock And Roll To You" but I could have seriously done without that as well.
As a fan since 74, I felt pretty cheated that COS didn't get released earlier and never got a proper tour. While I greatly enjoyed the reunion tour, I felt that they could have held off a bit and gotten COS a decent tour. Even would have loved it if they would have done a small club tour with the COS album while doing the reunion tour.
Revenge was my gateway into Kiss, such a good album and my first live show tour, got me hooked. lets go!
❤😂❤we have been fans a longtime. Can't wait to see you.
COS is probably my favourite Kiss record. love that they pursued some darker heavier songs.
Carnival of Souls and Music from the Elder are severely underrated, and are my two favorite albums, followed by Revenge. I was sad CoS never got a tour. It's a banger of an album. I first heard the bootlegs and loved it. The day it dropped as an official release, I went and bought it. It's heavy as hell. I remember losing my shit hearing "Jungle" on the radio, like "EVERYBODY QUIET!"
Those that want to knock me for MftE, when listened to in the proper order (the original U.S. printing wasn't in order; current one is), it tells a great fantasy story.
Carnival is so fucking heavy i love it. So many great songs on that record. I wore it out when I got it.
Carnival of Souls was the ONLY KISS album without make-up that I actually liked.
Lick it up is pretty solid.
Although my fav album from that era is ASYLUM, I have to agree COS is up there.
1) ASYLUM
2) LICK IT UP
3) COS
4) ANIMALIZE
5) REVENGE
It might have been their grunge or dark album etc, but "Hate" and "Master and Slave" are among the 2 best songs Gene and Paul written. I also love the riff to "Rain". Bruce's song, "I walk Alone" sounds great and stands the test of time.
Bruce is the absolute class act never says a bad thing about anyone even though I feel he got the short end of the stick. Paul and Gene dont give him and Eric Carr enough credit for helping them keep the KISS name alive for a decade and acknowledging there was a whole chunk of the fanbase who loved the non makeup era. Even now the website Focuses on the original line up and the one with the 2 cosplayers
The mix is great and the album is great. It really stands out and stands on its own
I absolutely love Carnival of Souls!!!
Carnival Of Souls is the most underrated KISS album, I prefer it over 'Revenge'. Strange how Paul Stanley dismisses it completely, as he had the strongest songs on the album, whereas Gene Simmons had the best material on 'Revenge'. Bruce Kulick is an excellent player & a fine gentleman too, I had the honour of meeting him once!
I've been a fan since 1979 but for me, Lick it up is their best album. Fast, heavy and i love Genes voice on all his songs. And also Paul on A million to one where he puts on, in my mind his greatest vocal performance ever.
My favourite album from the make-up era is either Rock and Roll over or the first one, mostly because of Black Diamond which is my favourite Kiss song ever.
I loved that album, listened to it everyday while I was in Vegas.
Carnival Of Souls is a great album. Jungle is one of ny favorite KISS songs. As for it being Grunge, KISS had plenty of songs that were Grunge before Grunge was a thing. Gene has always had a penchant for writing darker songs, and some of their early stuff was very grungy; Going Blind, Strange Ways, Watchin' You...
And don't forget Almost Human, which as I understand, was submitted by Soundgarden for the Tribute album. I would love to hear that cover, and I really don't know why it wasn't chosen, given the time it was released.
Bruce played his greatest solos on Carnival Of Souls.
Jungle is my favorite Kiss song. I’m really bummed that this era was ignored at the end. What would’ve been really cool would’ve been for Kiss to have opened for Kiss a few times. Come out and play Jungle, Unholy and one or two others, unannounced and just for those who make it in early.
That album was much better than the 3 albums KISS did afterwards.
Absolute truth, but certain fans were too busy whining about Frehley to truly appreciate Kulick and Singer.
COS is tied with Sonic Turd for worst album they did! PC was nothing more than Gene & Paul letting Ace & Pete know who was calling the shots! They only contribute those two have actually on that album are the two songs they recorded!
I was so mad when Carnival of Souls was shelved. Psycho Circus was garbage and cheesy. And leaving Bruce and Eric in the dark like that was despicable. I'm still mad.
Carnival is criminally underrated. Fantastic album. It's in my top 5.
CoS was great! It was a whole album of God of Thunder meets War Machine, with a side helping of Unholy. What's not to love?
So glad to see how much its loved. Great fucking album.
I listened to Carnival of Souls ONCE in the late 90s but it felt wrong to me that KISS went that route and very late into the alternative rock era. I was a huge KISS fan until Crazy Nights and even though I saw them in 96 on the reunion, I thought they were a shadow of themselves and actually left the concert half way in, because Peter was dragging the band down after just a few songs.
Then I picked up Carnivals again in 2022, during the pandemic and I was floored how good many of the songs was when I no longer connected the album to KISS like I did in my mid 20s. I was now able to listen to it without any bias. That album is extremely underrated. Yes, Bruce is right, the mix could have been better as it probably was rushed, but the songs.. they are pretty good. If you are able to disconnect yourself to what you expect from KISS, the album is very good and if it weren`t KISS, a band with those songs would probably get a lot of attention.
Carnival of Souls is an absolute killer record. Bruce's tone is huge 🤘🔥🤘
I agree with a lot of these people, I enjoyed the hell out of this album. I walk alone was awesome, I love when the chorus kicks in after the solo.
I never heard any songs from psycho circus on the radio? I was pleasantly surprised to hear 'Jungle' a hand full of times.
I Loved that Album, it was a very heavy album. Good stuff.
I much prefer Kiss Alive 3 than Revenge. Beautifully mixed.
Huh. I just thought CoS sounded like Kiss. Now, PSYCHO CIRCUS - I looovvvvved that album!
I remember hearing “Jungle” for the first time on the local St Louis rock station. I was pumped after hearing that! That album was awesome. Psycho Circus sucked!
Revenge was my favorite album since the 70's
I thought the album was brilliant ! Still on my rotation !!!
I love this album so much.
Must have been devastating. Bruce always seemed like a lovely guy.
Yeah revenge is great album!
Carnival of Souls is a fuckin' great album! I bought it when it first came out, and love it!!!
We Love You Bruce!!! 🎸⭐️
Revenge is my favourite Kiss album
Carnival of souls. Great Kiss grunge record👍🏻
C.O.S. is a great album.
I've bought it twice.
COS is in my top 4 of Kiss' albums. Go Bruce!
💪 😎 👍
The musical lurch to the darker side, was i think an unsurprising career move on reflection.& shouldn't have been perceived as being the 'Kiss of Death' The Carnival of Souls is also the name of a cinematic cult classic, culturally the analogy is hopefully not misplaced. Once again great interview, & Your content continues to inspire!😊
The end of an era.
COS was in the vein of Hotter Than He'll..Revenge was more KISS-like. Bruce is a class act.
Ive always said that Bruce Kulick is a class act. Never has anything bad to say. Got kinda screwed but i get it, the Kiss machine had to go on.
I thought lick it up was their best since rock n roll over. Which is actually my favorite with original kiss members
Carnival of Souls is an excellent album!
Revenge is one of my favorites, if not the favorite Kiss album ever!
It’s so nice to hear someone (Bruce) talk about Kiss without the ‘spin’ that Paul and Gene always feel the need to put on it.
Briliant album. 2:05 Very thick AIC influence (sometimes too much) but that's okay, Bruce admits that it had a big influence on the songs, and we love AIC.
I like Carnival of Souls, it was different for KISS and they were just following what was popular at the time, but I think they did a decent job with it.
Carnival is for sure in their top 5, great album…
Carnival was fucking killer!
"Creatures of the Night" is CLEARLY one of KISS's finest hours.
REVENGE IS MY FAVORITE ALBUM EVER!! THE REASON I'M INTO MUSIC!! THE FIRST VIDEO I EVER MADE ON THIS CHANNEL!!!!!
I hated COS when I first heard it. Now, I LOVE it!!
Psycho circus great song
Revenge was to hit & miss. Paul & Gene didn't have much to do with the lyrics of that album. The songs Gene wrote were great tunes. Lets not talk about Stanley. Vincent was called in and "Unholy" was well embraced by the Metal community. Then they released "Domino" & "Every Time I Look At You" A song written by Michael Bolton. (Hated It) They also released the song & video "Uh All Night" with hot chicks in G-strings. Trying to make their version of "Girls,Girls,Girls" style video.
I believe that album lead to them getting the unplugged gig on tv. The rest is all Kisstory.
Unfortunately, Gene & Paul never contacted Bruce after Ace's departure. Bruce is a classy guy. It's a shame we didn't get his material instead of "Sonic Boom" and so on.
Carnival is one of their best albums imo
Huh?? No way it's the first six LPs only...
@@shandonsahm3343I love the heavy metal side of "KISS" and would rate a lot of songs from Creatures, Lick it up, Revenge and COS over many songs from the first 6 albums.
Carnival of Souls and Asylum are my Kiss favs!
ASYLUM is my fav album from that era. Very over looked.
I love Carnival of Souls!