Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions

Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions is an unusual work on which KISS distances itself from its usual celebratory rock and roll and turns toward dark guitar, sunken rhythm and introspective singing. The songs win on tension-holding riffs and shadowed sound rather than flashy choruses — a record that absorbs the alternative air of the mid-1990s in KISS’s own way. The heaviness of “Hate,” the sinking groove of “Rain” and “Jungle” and the introspective face of “I Walk Alone” differ greatly from the band’s prior image. A low-centered production and a dark, taut mood rule throughout, in contrast to the flamboyance the KISS name suggests. It departs from the band’s classic path, yet that very dissonance is part of its appeal. Including the circumstances of its making and its delayed release, it holds a singular, especially shadowed place in the catalogue — an intriguing record reflecting the experimental spirit of a KISS willing to betray its own image to meet the era’s heavy mood.