The Kiss album Paul Stanley was “dead-set against”

Kiss was on the verge of becoming an icon in the 1990s. They no longer had to fight for relevance because of their past successes. They’d already had two decades of success and a loyal army of fans who dressed up as the band for their concerts. But they persisted in their ambition to adapt to the times, much to Paul Stanley’s chagrin.

Kiss’s fans knew what to expect and didn’t want the band to depart from their signature sound. Stanley also did not want Kiss to leave their comfort zone and follow contemporary rock trends. But on the 1997 album Carnival of Souls, the band chose to venture into the realm of alternative rock.

Kiss chose to align themselves with the younger generation of rock despite having no ties to the grunge movement. However, the scene had vanished by the time Carnival of Souls was released in 1997, making their cynical move useless. The album was originally recorded in 1995 but was postponed due to touring commitments.

Stanley was a reluctant contributor throughout the recording process and was dragged across the finish line by his bandmates. The guitarist didn’t want Kiss to go down this path with Carnival of Souls. The band was a democracy, and he needed to keep his frustrations to himself.

The album was a commercial and artistic failure by the band’s high standards. Most notably, Carnival of Souls felt like Kiss had betrayed themselves to capitalize on popular trends. As a result, their integrity suffered greatly.

Only four years after the album’s release, Stanley began to air his grievances with Carnival of Souls. “I was dead-set against doing that kind of album,” he admitted in the book Kiss: Behind the Mask. I never thought the world needed another Soundgarden, Metallica, or Alice in Chains.”

However, the single ‘Crazy Nights’ was Stanley’s only shining moment on the album, and if he had his way, the rest of the album would have sounded similarly. Instead, the song stood out like a sore thumb in the otherwise depressing situation.

“It’s a simple, celebratory song,” he said of ‘Crazy Nights’ during a discussion with Louder Sound about the most pivotal tracks of his career. One of my issues with an album like Carnival of Souls was that we needed to do something kinda morose and down. I was thinking, “What do we have to be morose or down about?”. We’re wealthy, happy, and healthy… we’re in Kiss!’”

Although Gene Simmons was the one who made Kiss go grunge, he later admitted that the decision was a blunder and that the band should have left it to the experts rather than creating a low-quality replica.

Simmons said of Carnival of Souls on UCR in 2021, “Was it as honest and authentic as our other stuff?”. No, It’s like visiting another country. You like how East Indians dance and think, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ Then you go up to the dance floor and try it. Can I dance as well as someone who has spent their entire life learning East Indian dances? No.”

Although drawing on new subcultures has resulted in some of the highest quality art, Kiss missed the boat with Carnival of Souls, and they should have stayed true to their identity rather than attempting reinvention.