Review Summary: A glorious return to form by four creepy guys who insist on wearing makeup
I am not a big Kiss fan. I think alot of their albums are absolutely terrible (especially Dynasty), so when I borrowed Creatures Of The Night off a friend, I didn't have high expectations. However, it only took me a few songs to realise Kiss had stopped trying to be 'disco' and had gone back to what made them great in the first place. Good old heavy metal.
Creatures Of The Night gets under way with the excellent title track. This is one of the best songs on the album, and for me, one of the best songs Kiss has ever made. The lyrics speak for the band’s need to regain their lost ground as it tells the tale of put-upon outcasts plotting to break free: "Don’t know where we’re goin’, just know where we’ve been/Remember when the clock strikes twelve, the losers always win/We’re creatures of the night." Next is "Saint and Sinner'. This keeps up the momentum from the title track and is a surprisingly good song. "Keep Me Comin'" is in my opinion a fairly average song. It's not bad but it's certainly nothing I haven't heard before. However, 'Rock And Roll Hell' gets things going again. The drumming by Eric Carr is nothing short of excellent, and the lyrics tell of singer Ace Frehley's imminent departure from the band. "Danger" is again a pretty average song, not bad but nothing great. However, the next song "I Love It Loud" is absoultely epic. The song went on to become a stage favorite and the video for the song, which depicts a broadcast of the song laying waste to a suburban living room while horrified parents look on, remains a cult favorite with Kiss fans, and anyone who has heard the song will know why. Kiss traditionally have pretty average ballads, but the next song "I Still Love You" is one of their best ballads, and offers some variety to the album. "Killer" and "War Machine ensure the album ends strongly, both tracks are pretty good in my opinion.
This album was surprisingly good. I thought it would be pretty avergae, and I was happy to be proved wrong. And shortly after Kiss finally got rid of the ridiculous make up they insisted on wearing, which elevated my opinion of them even higher. If you could only buy one Kiss album, I would suggest either this or Destroyer.
