Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions by Kiss (CD, Oct-1997, Mercury)

This album is much darker than previuos releases from Kiss. It showed that whatever the current trend of rock Kiss could not only adapt, but be at the for front of current rock.I have heard many people say that this era of Kiss reminds them of Metalica and I'd agree with that. I am very pleased with my purchase of it.

If you are into grunge or a die hard Kiss fan this one is ofr you. But if you do not fit into any of these catagories then do not even bother buying this album. It is a very dark album compared to anything Kiss had previously released. The best songs are Master and Slave, Childhoods End, I Will Be There, Jungle, I Confess, In The Mirror, and I Walk Alone. This album is also unique because we finally get to hear Bruce Kulick take lead vocals on I Walk Alone.

This release is a nice change from the very poppy, too commercial sounds of previous songs with Bruce Kulick on guitar. This release has KISS producing a sound & style not that much different from the grunge sounds of Soundgarden in this reviewer's opinion. It's lyrical matter ranges from death of a friend to child molestation to hatred. A full-on far cry from previous titles: "Let's Put The X in Sex" "Forever"; etc.
Many fans cried foul for them adopting the Seattle heaviness & style on this effort but let's not forget that KISS has been innovative from the very beginning in trying new styles. Personally, the Crazy Nights, Smashes, Trashes & Hot in the Shade were sex rants with an overly commercial sound similar to Robert Palmer. So it was only a matter of time before KISS flirted with the heavy, Metallica-chunk sound as a nice break from synthesized guitar.
History shows that they did the same after the disco-influenced Dynasty, pop-influenced Unmasked. In which they released the very heavy metal Creatures of the Night to get back to the heavy sound.
Well, same here. Of course they would eventually top off the heavy sound on the return to classic KISS sounds of Psycho Circus in the later 90s.
I recommend this release to any member of the KISS ARMY who wants to hear KISS playing out their darker alter-ego.