Carnival of Souls (album)
| Carnival of Souls | ||||
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| Kiss studio album | ||||
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Publication |
October 28, 1997 |
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| Label (s) | Mercury Records | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
60:11 |
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Toby Wright, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons |
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Carnival of Souls is the 17th studio album by the American hard rock band Kiss . It was produced back in 1995, but the label didn't put the CD on the market until 1997. The extraction Jungle entered the US Ten Top . However, the album is one of the two of a total of 20 studio albums that did not reach platinum or gold status.
History of origin
Classification in the musical background
→ Main article: Kiss (band) #Background of the albums
The 1992 album Revenge ended the long period of the 1980s. The LP didn't sound like its immediate predecessor albums, it was again significantly heavier and reminds of the change of direction in 1982 with Creatures of the Night , with which Revenge is often compared. Almost all pieces are classic hard rock with a well-dosed amount of jagged heaviness and a rich sound, in which hard guitar riffs dominate.
On the album Carnival of Souls , Kiss experimented with grunge and a dark hard rock / heavy metal melange. The album sounds more modern and song-technically constructive and pursues a contemporary style concept in the semi-hard mid-tempo area. Both the singing and the instrumental music are comparatively slow, lengthy, deep and sometimes melancholy.
Origin and result
The album was produced between November 1995 and February 1996, but was not released until 1997. The background was the reunification of the group. The original line-up fell apart in the early 1980s: Peter Criss left the group in 1980, Ace Frehley in 1982. The remaining original members and driving forces of the band, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, hired new musicians and from 1983 produced their LPs only without her classic make-up and the appearances were only done without make-up. In 1995, Kiss invited the former members to an MTV unplugged show in which the then current line-up played together with the retired founding members Criss and Frehley. This gave rise to the idea of appearing together again as the original line-up with make-up and predominantly playing old material from the 1970s. During this time of the reunion , the record company released the album Carnival of Souls seemed out of date . Because the band could not be heard on the album in the original line-up of the time and the band gave the concerts with the original line-up made up. The reactions of the fans and buyers were correspondingly restrained, although the production is considered to be of high quality in terms of music technology.
The music itself is a dark hard rock / heavy metal melange with elements of grunge music. Overall, both the singing and the instrumental music are comparatively slow, lengthy, low-pitched and sometimes clumsy. The lyrics are mostly nihilistic and characterized by a negative mood, significant content is, among other things, the dark side of the human psyche.
On this album, in addition to the front men Stanley and Simmons, a third lead singer presented himself: guitarist Bruce Kulick sings one song; since founding members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley left, a third voice on the albums had become extremely rare. only Eric Carr had the lead vocals on the 1989 album Hot in the Shade . Overall, the previously rather inconspicuous Bruce Kulick was significantly involved in the recordings of this album, as he took part in the songwriting to a considerable extent and recorded almost all guitar parts.
Singer and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley says about the creation and result of the album: “To be honest, I was against recording an album like this, but there are times in a band when you silently submit or give in because someone else is out of the Band really wants to do it. [...] For me it was nothing more than an attempt to create something that in my eyes was a pure misstep. "
Producer Toby Wright says of the making: “Kiss didn't want to make a happy album. At the time, gritty grunge was the latest trend. [...] They wanted to sound darker, harder and more aggressive. [...] Looking back, I have to say that the album is a bit confused stylistically. The sound is great, but the music is debatable. Some like it, some don't. I wish I had taken more time to work on some of the songs because we didn't spend very long on them. ”Looking back on the album in 2012, he put that statement into perspective and said Carnival of Souls was“ one of the best work by Kiss ":" I really loved this album and I think it's one of their best works because it shows an interesting side of their songwriting "
Lead guitarist Bruce Kulick comments on the result: “Because of the reunion tour, the album was supposed to be something like 'The Elder II' because the record company ruined every little chance the record had. They let it go down by not doing so much promotion for it. "
Drummer Eric Singer puts his view of the result like this: "If it were another band's album, I would say it's pretty cool, but when I listen to it I think: 'It's not Kiss!' That may be rock music, but far from true rock 'n' roll. "
Track list
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Chart positions Explanation of the data |
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- Hate - 4:36 (vocals: Gene Simmons; text and music: Gene Simmons, Scott Van Zen, Bruce Kulick)
- Rain - 4:46 (vocals: Paul Stanley; text and music: Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, Curtis Cuomo)
- Master & Slave - 5:00 (vocals: Paul Stanley; text and music: Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, Curtis Cuomo)
- Childhood's End - 4:20 (vocals: Gene Simmons; text and music: Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer , Bruce Kulick)
- I Will Be There - 3:49 (vocals: Paul Stanley; text and music: Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, Curtis Cuomo)
- Jungle - 6:49 (vocals: Paul Stanley; text and music: Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, Curtis Cuomo)
- In My Head - 4:00 (vocals: Gene Simmons; text and music: Gene Simmons, Scott Van Zen, Jaime St. James)
- It Never Goes Away - 5:42 (vocals: Paul Stanley; text and music: Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, Curtis Cuomo)
- Seduction of the Innocent - 5:16 (vocals: Gene Simmons; text and music: Gene Simmons, Scott Van Zen)
- I Confess - 5:23 (vocals: Gene Simmons; text and music: Gene Simmons, Ken Tamplin )
- In the Mirror - 4:26 (vocals: Paul Stanley; text and music: Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, Curtis Cuomo)
- I Walk Alone - 6:07 (vocals: Bruce Kulick; text and music: Bruce Kulick, Gene Simmons)
Chart successes
The album never reached the top 10 in any country .
There was no decoupling in the German-speaking area. In the USA, the single Jungle - a melodic, musically outstanding and lyrically gloomy piece - was a great success. The song reached number 8 in the US charts and was voted Song of the Year 1997 in the Metal Edge Reader's Choice Poll .
Reviews
- Rock Hard said in 1997: “Even more clearly than on the '92 'Revenge' single 'Unholy', Kiss shows a darker side that exudes a surprising post-grunge atmosphere. [...] Even critical contemporaries have to admit with no envy that Kiss makes a more than passable figure even on unfamiliar terrain. "
- Metal Hammer said 1997: “'Carnival of Souls' shows Kiss in a surprisingly innovative way, presents modern metal elements and should be quite heavy in the stomach for fans who swear by the hit-oriented glam epoch of the seventies. The twelve tracks follow a contemporary style concept, loosened up by isolated ballad-like sounds and semi-hard mid-tempo rockers. "
- Audio said in 1997: “Technically correct, but very uninspired, the quartet makes use of common grunge, rock and metal clichés. Not unbearable, but superfluous. "
- Coupe said in 1997: “Hard rock rhythms, the best for every headbanger. With titles like 'Master & Slave' Kiss will not conquer the charts, but the hearts of many. Conclusion: Power rock that makes the walls shake! "
- Break Out said in 1997: “The songs, all kept in the mid-tempo range, lack any fire, seem carelessly cobbled together and have a recognition value that tends towards zero. [...] 'Carnival of Souls' should easily go down as the worst work in the history of shock rockers. "
- Good Times said in 1997: “Sometimes in slow-motion sheep's clothing ('It Never Goes Away'), sometimes grotesquely unplugged ('I Will Be There'), the midlife long-haired people sometimes surprise with sophisticated songwriting ('Childhood's End') , pure ballads ('Seduction of the Innocent') and amazing intros ('I Confess'). Just listen! The album is better - and more fun! - as the rock-music-correct reviewers united front will admit. "
- EMP said in 1997/1998: “Songs like 'Rain', 'In My Head' or the aforementioned 'Seduction of the Innocent' are just fantastic, but spread a somewhat melancholy atmosphere that almost seems to be in Paul's 'I Will Be There' escalated. "
- Musik Express said in 1997: “And that's exactly what the material sounds like: second class. Uninspired Poser Metal with simple-minded melodies, stupid lyrics and striking song titles like 'Hate', 'Master & Slave' or 'Seduction of the Innocent'. "
- Rennbahn Express said in 1997: "It's not just musically something new, this CD is once again a milestone from the cult band Kiss."
- Visions said in 1997: “This is an alternative rock album that only reveals its authors in rare moments […] But when you consider that 'Carnival of Souls' is supposed to be the 30th Kiss album, it simply remains an outrage. "
- Rock Box said in 1997: "Rather, the band presents itself completely different, more modern, song-technically more constructive, 90's compatible."
- Fachblatt said in 1998: “Among all the albums by American cult rockers, 'Carnival of Souls' is in a relegation position. The band tried to integrate current trends into their sound, but that went completely wrong - the songs seem forced and convulsive. "
Individual evidence
- ↑ Old iron does not rust . In: Rock Hard , July 1992, p. 40
- ↑ a b Rock Hard 1997
- ↑ a b Rock Box 1997
- ↑ a b Metal Hammer 1997
- ↑ a b EMP 1997/1998
- ↑ David Leaf, Ken Sharp: Kiss Unmasked: The Official Biography . 1st edition. IP Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-931624-28-5 , p. 329/330
- ↑ David Leaf, Ken Sharp: Kiss Unmasked: The Official Biography . 1st edition. IP Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-931624-28-5 , pp. 330/332
- ↑ Toby Wright interview ( Memento of the original from May 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on Rockiges.gr
- ↑ a b David Leaf, Ken Sharp: Kiss Unmasked: The Official Biography . 1st edition. IP Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-931624-28-5 , p. 331
- ↑ Charts DE Charts UK Charts US
- ^ Album charts kissfaq.com
- ↑ single charts kissfaq.com
- ↑ rockthisway.de
- ^ Audio 1997
- ^ Coupe 1997
- ↑ Break Out 1997
- ^ Good Times 1997
- ↑ Musik Express 1997
- ↑ Rennbahn Express 1997
- ↑ Visions 1997
- ↑ Journal 1998
