By 1985,
Kiss
were a shadow of their former selves. Gone was the raw
rock
of their not so distant past, as well as their memorable "heavy
Beatles
" songwriting. In its place was a sound that was too similar to other
pop-metal
bands at the time, as well as unimaginative, predictable songs, as evidenced on
Asylum
. The album marked the appearance of
' fourth guitarist in four years,
Bruce Kulick
-- brother of
Bob Kulick
, who played as a session guitarist on
Alive II
,
Killers
, and
Paul Stanley
's 1978 solo album -- who had replaced
Mark St. John
on the 1984-1985
Animalize
tour. Besides the popular video/single
"Tears Are Falling,"
is chock-full of nondescript fluff (
"I'm Alive,"
"Trial by Fire,"
"Secretly Cruel,"
"Love's a Deadly Weapon,"
etc.). Although the band again treads on
Spinal Tap
territory with
"Uh! All Night,"
several tracks could have benefited greatly from a heavier sound, such as
"King of the Mountain,"
"Any Way You Slice It,"
and
"Who Wants to Be Lonely."
Although it attained platinum status,
Stanley
Gene Simmons
would rightfully dismiss
later on. ~ Greg Prato