Kiss Creatures Of The Night CD

Kiss: Paul Stanley (vocals, guitar); Gene Simmons (vocals, bass); Ace Frehley (guitar); Eric Carr (drums).
Additional personnel: Vinnie Vincent (guitar).
Producers: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Michael James Jackson.
Recorded at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, California. Includes liner notes by Robert Conte.
Digitally remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio.
By 1982's Creatures of the Night, Kiss had finally ditched their plans of becoming "respectable artists" (starting with 1979's Dynasty) and had come to the realization that they were a loud, no-holds-barred heavy metal band. Easily their best since 1977's Love Gun, Creatures of the Night contains very little filler and sounds as if Kiss had been reborn (it also includes one of the heaviest drum sounds ever captured in the studio by any rock band). The band is inspired and enthusiastic throughout, especially on such rockers as the opening title track, "Killer," "War Machine," "Saint and Sinner," and one of their great anthems, "I Love It Loud." Also included is one of Kiss' better ballads, "I Still Love You" (later featured on 1996's Unplugged set), as well as "Rock and Roll Hell," a song written about Ace Frehley, who would soon officially make his resignation from the band public. Guitarist Vinnie Vincent (real name: Vinnie Cusano) handles guitar duties here and was eventually named as Frehley's replacement, playing on the ensuing tour. Although Creatures of the Night deserved to be the album that put Kiss back on top of the charts, it performed below expectations (topping out at number 45), as did its tour. Hence, the album is one of Kiss' most underrated. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the makeup had grown stale and was now getting in the way of their music. The time had finally come for the band to unmask. [Creatures of the Night was later reissued in 1985 with a different cover (non-makeup) and remixed. But when all of Kiss' albums were remastered and re-released on CD in 1996, the original 1982 version was used.] ~ Greg Prato
On the heels of the unusual MUSIC FROM THE ELDER, Kiss decided to return to their hard rock roots with CREATURES and the result is their heaviest-sounding album to date. Unfortunately, Ace Frehley (frustrated by his diminishing role in the group) departed the band prior to recording. He was replaced by Vinnie Vincent, who contributed some lightning-fast riffs.
From the monstrous drum fill that opens the record, it is clear that the grease painted warriors mean business. The title track is a classic Kiss number with a "take no prisoners" punch. "Rock And Roll Hell" is a tale of a musician's excessive lifestyle (loosely based on Frehley). "I Love It Loud" is a Kiss anthem for the ages, with a pounding drumbeat and a sing-along chorus that had 200,000 Brazilians screaming in unison on the CREATURES tour. "I Still Love You" is a powerful, emotional ballad featuring Eric Carr on bass. "War Machine" closes the album and is Gene Simmons at his ferocious best, a killer track that leaves the listener spent at its completion. CREATURES shows a focused Kiss, a straight-up hard rock record that takes the listener through a riveting journey.