I know Kiss gets a pretty bad rep. Yeah, they have legions of “fans” who probably only like them for being a real-life Saturday morning cartoon show or because they’re suckers for drama, or whatever. But one thing is certain: people don’t claim to like Kiss because they have some amazing discography or anything like that.
But I say, it’s not too late. It’s not too late for a band that has been around for 50 years to start writing music they can be proud of! I mean, 5 decades of practice is more than enough time to hone their chops to finally write some bangers. Look at it like this: the last 50 years can sorta be like that of a prize fighter’s amateur fights. Now it’s time to start getting into the professional big leagues.
All of the elements are there. Their branding is on point. They have cool make-up and crazy outfits. They have millions of fans and experience playing in arenas. All that’s missing is a halfway-decent song.
Let’s face it: what Kiss has become is just sad. Between the drama with Ace and Paul, Gene Simmons being Gene Simmons, and not releasing music since 2012, they’ve gotten stale. I think Kiss should capitalize on the fact they aren’t raking in all that cash anymore to focus on writing good stuff. No more crazy distractions.
I would think that if Kiss were to do their 8th “farewell” tour, they would at least want to have a couple of full-fledged bangers to leave a lasting impression on folks. I just don’t think “Heaven’s on Fire” is going to really “wow” the younger generations into the Kiss Army life.
They say age is just a number, and when it comes to 70s rock bands, there’s no time like the present for Kiss to shock the world and prove that beyond all the ridiculous signature theatrics, nonsensical band drama, and prerecorded live backing tracks, they can actually write some music to be proud of.