KISS bassist Gene Simmons shared his thoughts about preserving musical authenticity in a recent interview with Billy Corgan on The Magnificent Others.
“Grunge came out,” Simmons said. “We even toyed around with ‘Carnival of Souls’ with a kind of [a ‘grunge album’].”
“The makeup is off, ‘Let’s take the makeup off and see what that [does],'” he continued. “So, as soon as you start to bend over for the soap, it’s not long before you become somebody’s b*tch. You lose yourself, and it’s difficult to go on a long journey.”
This statement reflects KISS’s own experiences with musical experimentation and style changes throughout their career.
KISS FAQ reveals that ‘Carnival of Souls’ marked the band’s attempt to modernize their sound. The album drew heavy influence from grunge bands like Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. Its release came only after bootleg copies began circulating among fans.
The experimental phase aligned with KISS’s non-makeup era in the 1980s. This period marked a significant shift from their iconic image. The band explored various musical directions and temporarily abandoned their established sound.
Blabbermouth notes Simmons’s consistent emphasis on artistic authenticity. He points to KISS’s influence on musicians like Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello as proof of their authentic approach’s impact.
Insights from Ultimate Classic Rock show Simmons’s particular criticism of their experimental albums. He views works like ‘Music From “The Elder”‘ as examples of straying too far from the band’s essence.
KISS ultimately returned to their classic makeup and signature style. This decision proved essential for maintaining their enduring legacy in rock music.
