Kiss
Revenge

THE REVIEW

Revenge is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful albums by Kiss. It was released in 1992. The title spoke for itself. This album was about Kiss's revenge. Just as with Creatures Of The Night, tragedies—this time the death of drummer Eric Carr—pushed Kiss to give their best and produce an exceptional work. Eric Carr was replaced by Eric Singer who, together with Paul, Gene, and Bruce, locked themselves in the recording studios from the end of '91 until the summer of '92. Aided by the pressure of Bob Ezrin (the fifth Kiss), who rejected all the work created a year earlier and forced the four to do better. Having not performed live for a long time, they decided to present the new work for a month in some relatively small venues.

The album represented a real return to the past, as if from Creatures Of The Night the Kiss had produced nothing more. Enough with the earrings and lace. Enough of all that glam that made them look like gays. Return to the black darkness!!! The album opens with “Unholy” and “Take It Off”. The first song is a terrifying low blow, almost doom metal, for many, it represents the “‘God Of Thunder’” of the '90s. The second, very intriguing and catchy.

Then there's “God Gave Rock And Roll To You II” an emotional symphonic adaptation of a piece by Argent (a group to which Kiss opened in the beginning), in which Eric Carr also participated in the choirs, in the last days of his life. The track, for the record, was included as the soundtrack for the movie "Bill & Ted Bogus Journey" with a young Keanu Reeves.

Then there's “Every Time I Look At You”, in my opinion the best ballad among the numerous Kiss ones. Unfortunately, this track was not well exploited. It was released as the third single after “Domino” and did not enter the charts. “Domino”, indeed, was an exceptional track, very similar to past ones, from the first albums.

“I Just Wanna”, featuring former guitarist Vinnie Vincent, is also a valid track (the confusion in the chorus between ‘I want to forget you’ and ‘I want to fuck you’ is great). There are also “Tough Love”, “Spit”, “Heart of Chrome”, “Thou Shalt Not”, and “Paralyzed...” but the peak of sentimentalism is in the last track: “Carr Jam 1981”, an unfinished demo written by Eric Carr and Ace Frehley that should have been in Music From The Elder ten years before.

In summary, Revenge is a magnificent album, so much so that that year was one of the best for Kiss (alongside 77 and 83). After many years of ups and downs both aesthetically and musically, Kiss had come home.

“It was hard, but for all the devils, it was worth it. It made us realize how many mistakes we've made in the last ten years... I promise I will suspend all my activities unrelated to Kiss” (Gene Simmons).