Band:	KISS
Album:	Kiss
Style:	Hard rock
Release date:	February 18, 1974
Guest review by:	Ace Frawley

01. Strutter
02. Nothin' To Lose
03. Firehouse
04. Cold Gin
05. Let Me Know
06. Kissin' Time
07. Deuce
08. Love Theme From KISS
09. 100,000 Years
10. Black Diamond

Released in early 1974 (40 years ago this month!), the self-titled debut album by New York band KISS didn't make much of an impact at the time. Instead, the band was forging an impressive reputation as a live act, with their outlandish make-up, wild costumes, and onstage gimmicks such as fire-breathing, blood and pyro. But the music on this album showcased a raw rock and roll sound that, in hindsight, turns out to be quite a solid effort. For many, this album would be discovered a few years after its initial release. KISS only broke through with mainstream success following the release of their live album Alive! and the hit single "Rock and Roll All Night", so it was then that a lot of people explored their earlier studio albums.

Containing tracks that have become a constant in their live shows, even to this day, Kiss kicks off with the impressive "Strutter", and the first half of the album contains other live favourites like "Firehouse" and "Cold Gin". These songs are driven by simple but effective rock guitar riffs. The lead vocals are shared mostly between Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, with Peter Criss also singing lead on the final track "Black Diamond". It would only be on later album releases that Ace Frehley would give his voice a workout. The flow of the album is tarnished by a song that wasn't originally on the album. "Kissin' Time" is a cover of a song that was a top-twenty hit by Bobby Rydell in 1959, and recorded by the band as part of a kissing contest promotion that their record label dreamt up. It was included on later releases of the album and shouldn't have.

The standout track is probably "Cold Gin", with its catchy riff and Gene Simmons' menacing lead vocals. This is a song written by Ace Frehley, whereas most of the other songs are written by Gene and Paul. It's fair to say that the instrumental "Love Theme from KISS" doesn't add much to the album other than a bit of diversity.

So, in summary, this is no masterpiece, nor comes close to being any sort of landmark release in the history of metal or rock, but it certainly was the beginning of something that would go on to be much bigger than anyone at the time imagined (with the possible exception of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who always had a confidence in their ultimate commercial success). That success was built on an entertaining live show that was second-to-none in theatrics, but it was also built on the solid foundation of solid rock music, which is captured here on this, their first album.