Review Summary: Kiss try to recover flagging sales with album number 2. Forget its initial failings chart wise, this is a brilliant album.
Despite some minor success of their self titled début album, and a growing reputation for being a ferocious live act, things began to lose pace as the album quickly slipped out of the charts and KISS were called into the studio during touring to record a follow up album. Step up
Hotter Than Hell.
Hotter Than Hell shows some minor differences to the début but at the same time is also very similar. Firstly KISS recorded in Los Angeles unlike before when they recorded in their home of New York. Unhappy and uncomfortable with their LA surroundings, this may provide some explanation for the somewhat darker edge to the album.
Hotter Than Hell sports a considerably murkier production than
KISS, and is often described as being darker lyrically. This is certainly true in some instances, such as 'Goin' Blind' which is about the doomed to fail romance between a 93 year old and an under-age girl of 16. 'Parasite' is one of the heaviest KISS tracks you are going to find and also portrays failed love (the track is perhaps most famous for being covered by legendary thrashers Anthrax), otherwise this is by no means a dark record whatsoever, and with that manga influenced album cover you wouldn't expect it to be.
Hotter Than Hell is often overlooked when talking about the great KISS albums of all time, and with some absolute classic albums in their repertoire that is understandable, but it would be wrong to completely overlook it because this is a gem of an album and much like the self titled début shows KISS in a whole new period as to how we can possibly imagine them now;
Hotter Than Hell lacked a hit single and only managed to reach 100 in the Billboard Charts, that is unimaginable of them nowadays.
Despite the albums lack of a hit single, [Hotter Than Hell[/i] is full to the rafters with gems. 'Got To Choose' is a classic mid paced affair and a great opener, before going into the faster, thrashier, bass heavy 'Parasite' and then the closest to a ballad on the album, the dark 'Goin' Blind'. Once again there are no lead vocals from Ace Frehley (which we will not hear until
Love Gun's 'Shock Me') despite two tracks solely being written by the space ace ('Parasite' with Gene on vocals and 'Strange Ways' with Peter Criss).
Described on Spotify as showing more filler than their self titled, this is perhaps true but also a harsh statement as there is very little filler on show here. Out of 10 tracks, only 'All The Way' and 'Comin' Home' don't really hit home and appear samey to most of the others here, but every other track is a highlight. From set staples such as 'Hotter Than Hell', the party anthems of 'Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll' (which is very similar to
Dressed To Kill's anthemic 'Rock 'N' Roll All Nite', just saying) and my personal highlight 'Mainline',
Hotter Than Hell is an excellent and pretty consistent album that should have you partying away for hours on end.
With hindsight we will see that
Hotter Than Hell at first will be a commercial flop with no hit single and a poor chart positioning. It would reach Gold sales with the huge commercial success of later years with the release of
Alive, but initially this would be a great flop, which is a shame because
Hotter Than Hell is a genuinely great album and a much underrated one at that.
Recommended: Parasite, Goin' Blind, Mainline
. Yeah not everyone is a Kiss fan lol. They are one of a few bands on my list that I must see live at all costs lol
