Music from 'The Elder'

Music from “The Elder” is an unusual concept album on which KISS steps away from riff-driven celebration into orchestra, keyboards and strongly dramatic development. The songs prioritize a narrative atmosphere, and even the voices of Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons resonate in roles unlike their usual ones. The grandeur of the opening “The Oath,” the shading of “Only You,” the gentle face of “A World Without Heroes” and the dramatic development of “Mr. Blackwell” draw out unexpected sides of the band. Throughout, the construction favors the atmosphere of each scene and the flow of a story over the forward drive of rock and roll. Listeners expecting classic KISS will be greatly surprised, yet the record captures a real ambition to break an established image and build a single world. Commercially divisive and holding a singular place in the catalogue, it remains a much-discussed work precisely for the boldness of its gamble — essential for understanding the band’s experimental spirit.