Try as he might, Paul Stanley couldn’t break Kiss’ trend-seeking ways when it came time to record 1997’s Carnival of souls.
“I was dead set against making an album like that,” Stanley said of the heavily grunge-influenced effort on 2001’s book. Kiss: Behind the mask. “I’ve never believed the world needed a second-hand Soundgarden, Metallica or Alice in Chains.”
However, Stanley eventually agreed to the wishes of his old bandmate Gene Simmons, who was fascinated with the early ’90s alternative rock revolution. “Gene and I had discussions where he said, ‘I want to be like Billy Corgan!'” producer Toby Wright recalls in the same book. “They were looking for something a little darker, a little wilder, angrier.”
It wasn’t the first time Kiss had joined the biggest musical trend of an era to boost their popularity. Every time they reached for these golden rings – including 1979’s full disc I Was Made for Lovin’ You, the 1981 concept album attempted by Pink Floyd. Music from ‘The Old Man’ and 1987’s Bon Jovi-inspired keyboard pop Crazy nights – The Kiss ended up course-correcting with a straight-up hard rock record like 1982 Creatures of the night.
Listen to “Rain” by Kiss
They had just completed such a recovery with the 1992 film produced by Bob Ezrin Revengebut when it came time to record a follow-up Simmons was eager to strike back into new territory.
“Was it as honest and authentic as our other stuff? No. It’s like going to another country,” admitted Simmons at UCR in 2021. “You like the way the East Indians dance and you’re like, ‘Oh, that it’s beautiful”. Then you get up on the dance floor and try to do it. Can I dance like someone who has danced East Indian dances all his life? No.”
Some songs in Carnival of souls effectively mix the more serious approach of grunge with the heavy riffing of Revenge – most notably their lead single “Jungle” and Bruce Kulick’s guitar showcase “In My Head”. But the choppy pace and somber mood of songs like “Rain” and “It Never Goes Away” aren’t the most natural fit for the band’s skills.
In addition to disagreements over the direction of the new album, Simmons and Stanley were distracted during its recording by discussions about a potentially lucrative reunion of the original Kiss lineup.
Listen to Kiss’ ‘Hate’
“Gene and Paul’s focus when the record was being mixed was [with] reunion tour,” Kulick told EON Music in 2022. Drummer “Eric Singer and I talk a lot when we watch Carnival of soulsmany of the rough mixes after we recorded sounded closer Revenge – because Toby took it a step further when he mixed it.”
When the return of Ace Frehley, Peter Criss and the group’s famous make-up was announced in early 1996, Carnival of souls was placed in the drawer. However, bootleg copies of the album began to circulate among collectors, and Kiss unceremoniously released it on October 28, 1997. A newly expanded title, Carnival of Souls: Final Sessionscommemorated the end of their makeup-free era.
The original line-up soon began to fill stadiums and arenas around the world, so there was no tour in support of the LP, which made little mark on the charts and soon faded into obscurity. According to Setlist.fm, the band has never played a single song from Carnival of souls – even during their rare – heavy Kiss Kruise performances.
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