Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent addressed the band’s “Creatures of the Night” and “Lick It Up” era in a recent post shared on Facebook.
Vincent reflected on that period of the band’s history, describing it fondly before the conversation turned to how KISS’ sound evolved afterward.
“Hi guys,” Vincent wrote. “This was a memorable time and a great era for KISS.”
A fan responded to the post, noting the shift in the band’s musical direction following that era.
“Creatures and Lick It Up was Heavy Metal Kiss,” the fan wrote. “The sound changed dramatically on Animalize. I wish we got a few more albums like Lick it Up which is by far my favorite non makeup album.”
Vincent then weighed in on the fan’s comment, suggesting that the lineup could have taken the band much further had it remained intact.
“Hey…100%,” Vincent said. “KISS should and could have gone the distance. They would have easily RULED THE ROCK WORLD WITH THIS LINEUP. And I mean RULED.”
He went on to elaborate on what he believes the band lost by not continuing with that lineup.
“The level of artistry music quality and songwriting would have been off the charts,” Vincent continued. “UNHOLY was a peek into what could have been achieved had we stayed together. KISS would have set album trends instead of sadly morphing into a tribute band to themselves.”
Vincent first joined forces with KISS in 1982, stepping in for founding guitarist Ace Frehley during the recording sessions for “Creatures of the Night.” He played lead guitar on most of the album’s tracks and co-wrote “I Love It Loud,” “Killer” and “War Machine,” though he was uncredited on the release.
Vincent toured with KISS in makeup as the Ankh Warrior before becoming the credited lead guitarist on “Lick It Up” and appearing on its cover. The 1983 album introduced the lineup of Vincent, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Eric Carr without makeup.
Vincent was let go in 1984 following the “Lick It Up” promotional tour, ending a brief but creatively significant run with KISS.
