Carnival of Souls takes the raw roots era KISS of REVENGE and updates it. "Hate" is the offspring of "Unholy" and "Spit" off of REVENGE, and "Jungle" is a darker version of "Who Wants To Be Lonely" from ASYLUM, only with a much better groove. In fact, almost every song on COS has a precedent in KISS' back catalog. "In My Head" is somewhat reminiscent of "Mr. Blackwell" from "the ELDER," and "It Never Goes Away" is a Black Sabbath style cruncher like "Strange Ways" from HOTTER THAN HELL. Other standouts inclue "Master And Slave," "Rain," and the Hendrix inspired "In The Mirror." The theme on COS is experimentation, but experimentation within the framework of what KISS has done before. The perfomances of Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick are excellent as well, particularly the performance of Eric Singer, who really brings this album to life. If you are willing to take a chance on a Darker, and Heavier version of KISS, you will not be disappointed by CARNIVAL OF SOULS.

While KISS certainly proved to be innovators and trendsetters with their classic early albums and shows, they have also proved to be trend followers as well. Since the late 70s, KISS has jumped on whatever bandwagon was the flavor of the month in order to stay relevant. In the late 70s it was disco-pop with "Dynasty" (1979) and "Unmasked" (1980). In the late 80s it was glossy pop-metal, with "Crazy Nights" (1987). So, what kind of album do you think KISS would make in the mid-90s? Yup, you guessed it, a grunge album.

Released in 1997, "Carnival of Souls" had been recorded two years earlier. The lineup for the CD includes Paul Stanley, (vocals, rhythm guitar) Gene Simmons, (vocals, bass) Bruce Kullick, (vocals, lead guitar) and Eric Singer (drums). "Carnival of Souls" had been intended for a 1995 release, with an accompanying tour to promote it. But those plans were cancelled when original KISS members Ace Frehley (guitar) and Peter Criss (drums) rejoined the band for their massively successful 1996 reunion tour. Kullick and Singer were dismissed from the band and "Carnival of Souls" was put in the can. Throughout KISS's reunion tour, bootleg copies of "Carnival of Souls" started to appear in various forms and quality. Sensing enough interest for an official release, "Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions" was released in 1997.

KISS's longevity can be attributed to the fact that they have proved to be good musical chameleons over the years. Even if KISS does shamelessly follow musical trends, they can still, overall, do so with considerable success. If KISS can incorporate disco-pop into their sound with "I was made for lovin' you" and make it sound like KISS, then KISS can certainly make a grunge sounding album in a KISS mold as well.

"Carnival" is a grunge sounding album, but with a metallic edge. Many reviewers/fans/critics have correctly stated that the album sounds like "Badmoterfinger" (1991) era Soundgarden. The album overall is quite dark, and not of the celebratory nature of most KISS albums. "Carnival," also demonstrates the dark, cheerlessness of KISS's "Music from the Elder" (1981). But whereas "Elder" was a progressive concept album, "Carnival" is a more stripped-down, straight-forward affair. Indeed, "Carnival" shows the band going for a minimalist approach. The whole album sounds sparse and stripped-down. All-in-all, "Carnival of Souls" can therefore be seen as "Badmoterfinger" meets "Music from the Elder" meets "Led Zeppelin III" (1970).

The title of the album "Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions," may lead one to conclude that it is a CD of demos from those '94-'95 sessions. Not so. The CD is a finished product and could have received an official release as is back in '95.

Stanley and Simmons each sing about half the album, with Bruce Kullick giving his first (and only) lead vocal performance with the closing "I walk alone." Stanley, Simmons, and Kullick co-wrote the album with Curt Cuomo, Scott Van Zenn, Jamie St. James, Ken Tamplin, and future KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer.

The opening sluggish "Hate," and the gloomy "Rain" sound like "Badmotorfinger's "Rusty Cage," and "Outshined" respectively. "Master and Slave" has the band stripped down to its bare-bones. Simmon's hammering bass over Stanley's eerie delivery before its melodic chorus is quite cool. "Childhood's End" is one of the album's strongest tracks. Simmon's cocky, defiant delivery, with its melodic, sing-along chorus, ultimately makes it a triumph. The album's shinning moment is the stunning semi-acoustic "I will be there." A tribute to a father-son bond, this is one of the finest songs that KISS has ever penned. It is somewhat reminiscent of "friends" and "Since I've been loving you" from "Led Zeppelin III". The melodic hard-hitting, "Jungle" is effective and keeps up the momentum. "In my Head," and "It never goes away" comes straight out of the "Badmoterfinger" playbook. While not bad, they're rather sluggish and never really get off the ground, putting a wrench in the albums momentum. The melodic mid-east flavored "Seduction of the innocent" gets the album back on track. "I Confess" is both menacing an aggressive. Stanley and Simmon's duet in the chorus works very nicely. "In the Mirror" has a cool Zeppelin-meets-Soundgarden like quality. The Bruce Kullick song "I Walk Alone" closes out the album. A celebration of the loner, this is one of the album's most memorable songs. It's a shame that Kullick was never afforded the opportunity to sing it live with KISS.

While "Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions" will ultimately be just a footnote on KISS's legacy, it's still a memorable album. While it doesn't rank up there with such classics as "KISS," (1974) "Destroyer," (1976) and "Love Gun," (1977) it's still an excellent album that fans of the band should check out.

What an album! It's a shame that the album didn't get the promotion that it richly deserved. It's a shame that this version of the band split shortly after the album was released; what a way to go out. Let's go through each song on this great record.

1) Hate - Without a doubt the heaviest song in the Kiss catalog. Great screaming vocals by Gene. 5 Stars

2) Rain - A good simple riff by Bruce. Great vocals by Paul in one of his heaviest songs. 5 Stars

3) Master and Slave - Great Lyrics and awesome bass line. 5 stars

4) Chilhoods End - Probably the deepest song lyrically that Gene has ever written. The song is about his best friend committing suicide. The child chorus at the end of this song is a nice touch. One of the most moving songs I have ever heard. 5 Stars

5) I Will Be There - A nice song by Paul about his young son. A little bit of a let down from the first 4 songs but a good song never the less. 4 Stars

6) Jungle - This is the only single released from the album which is a shame because there are better songs on the CD. The Lyrics are so-so and the only thing that saves the song is Genes awesome bass line. 3 Stars

7) In My Head - This is probably the weakest song on the album. The song sounds disjointed and rushed. The lyrics suck! 2 Stars

8) Never Goes Away - A slow burner. Kind of bluesy with great pleading vocals from Paul. Strong lyrically. 5 Stars

9) Seduction of The Innocent - The Best Song on the album. This song is a blatent attack on the catholic religion primarliy and religion in general. "You kiss hand of the man of all seasons and you don't know why" has to refer to the Pope. Gene isn't big on any organized religion but it seems that he really has it bad for the Catholics. A song that makes you think. A classic! 5 Stars

10) I Confess - Another great song by Gene blasting the Catholic religion. "You wash your face with holy water but it keeps looking back at me" line deals with the hypocrasy of people thinking they can sin, go to church and ask for forgiveness, then sin again. The truth be told! 5 Stars

11) In the Mirror - A solid song by Paul. 4 Stars

12) I Walk Alone - The treat of the album; a song written by Gene sung by Bruce (first time ever). A great song about tackling life on your own with confidence. 5 Stars

And there you have it. Kiss and in particular Gene Simmons had things they wanted to say with this album. Every song on this album that's written by Gene is about something other than getting laid or partying. This album is his showcase with the exception of "In My Head". You get learn about the Gene Simmons the person, not Gene Simmons the "Demon". This album is a must have for any Kiss fan or for any hard rock fan who appreciates songs with strong lyrics and important subject matter.

... It's too heavy to be classified as grunge.

Objectively, this is a dark album that seems built on the vein of such songs as Unholy, and the Creatures of the Night CD. There's no campy pop metal here. This is not a typical Kiss album, and I recommend it to anyone who likes metal.

The first song on the CD, "Hate", moves almost at breakneak speed, with some killer drumming by Eric Singer. Both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley finally put together a collection of heavy, well-written songs instead of one or two and then a bunch of filler. Lead guitarist Bruce Kulick (since gone solo), made his vocal debut with "I Walk Alone" and it also rocks.

As a fan of heavy metal music (I'm talking Ozzy, old Metallica - like "Master of Puppets" & "One", Black Sabbath (Ozzy years), Motorhead, and the like) I highly recommend this CD to all.

It's your problem if you don't like it.

Some people accuse KISS of following trends like the in the late 70's (disco), in the 80s (hair metal, glam) and now this one (grunge) but the bottom line is it isn't 1976 anymore! How can you be innovative if you're lost in time some 3 decades ago? You may say they're just trying to be like everyone else, but just listen to this album. It's got such a heavy and dark feel to it, but there's no doubt that it's KISS! Songs about sex, and partying, are no where to be found on this album, as they should be. 30 years worth "fun" rock, and it's about time they came out with something that has a little more soul, a little more meaning. I think it's an excellent album and it shows how KISS can keep up with the times WITHOUT sounding like anyone else. Pick this one up, you'll like it.