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Carnival of the Souls: The Final Sessions

Anna.VG

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Hello there Synners! I've been M.I.A for a couple of months but I'm back, and I'm back with a discussion. As you know I'm a huge fan of KISS since 2021 and for the last year and a half I've dedicated myself to listen album by album, you know, trying to know the story behind them, the lyrics and so on(I do that with every band that I love and adore)

And well, the thing with this album is that it's very different from their others albums; when you hear it, it's nothing like the KISS that most people know(the glam disco era lol) They tried to create this grunge vibe, because all the media and public attention was on those grunge bands towards the nineties. Although it suited very well Gene Simmons and his "Demon" character, Paul Stanley was unconvinced; he thought this genre didn't fit KISS at all. But they did it anyways and went into the studio with the producer Tobey Wright, who's worked with Alice in chains and Slayer.

This album puts a closure to their no make-up era and this was the last album they did with Bruce Kulick. Paul and gGne were not so fond in this album and even when they were recording it, the reunion era was coming closer and closer, so they were more excited working and planning that than the album. Their focus was the "classic" era, not something new. So they released it but people barely noticed it because, again, people, media and everyone was just too focused and excited to see the original alienation again after 15 years.

So the fanbase gets divided again, the same happened with the album Music From The Elder, some says it's pretty cool, others says it's the worst thing ever hahaha

In my opinion I liked it, it's very different from what we know, Carnival of Souls kicks off on a promisingly heavy note.

And that's why I suggest it hear, give it a listen if you want and tell me your thoughts about it, it'll be really nice if you do! :)
 

Ed Seith

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    Welcome back, Anna! I've never listened to this album (or most Kiss albums, really - too many bandmates so obsessed with them that I was tired of them before I heard anything).

    I did go to the "reunion" tour show in, I think, early 1996. It's the only time I saw a show at Madison Square Garden (I usually went to the New Jersey arenas when I lived in the area - cheaper parking and faster and easier to get to). It was a great show, as you'd expect, but of course it really wasn't a farewell at all, was it? :)

    I will give this a listen in the next few days - thanks for the recommend!
     

    Anna.VG

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    Welcome back, Anna! I've never listened to this album (or most Kiss albums, really - too many bandmates so obsessed with them that I was tired of them before I heard anything).

    I did go to the "reunion" tour show in, I think, early 1996. It's the only time I saw a show at Madison Square Garden (I usually went to the New Jersey arenas when I lived in the area - cheaper parking and faster and easier to get to). It was a great show, as you'd expect, but of course it really wasn't a farewell at all, was it? :)

    I will give this a listen in the next few days - thanks for the recommend!
    Hey Ed! Hahaha I'm sorry if I make you feel old but man, I wish I was born in the nineties so I could experience all of that😝 you were lucky to experience it, I've never been able to attend a KISS concert and that sucks!

    You're welcome, hope you like that album!
     
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    Christian Schulze

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    GOD! I love me some KISS.

    I recently even learned a song of theirs by ear, an easier start. I love KISS, despite how cheezy they can be. I listened to almost every album and I can tell they really hard tried to fit into the Zeitgeist of Mainstream Music. Like their hairmetal phase....their grunge phase. I did not stumble on this album yet so thank you for this! I will give it a listen!
     

    Jamie London

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    How do you feel about Music from the Elder?? 👀 That’s always a fun discussion haha. I dig Carnival though, maybe not as much as some of the other albums, but it’s definitely got a bit more grunge influence there and I’m always a fan of that.

    It’s also one of those things where I just miss Eric Carr’s presence when listening to it. He still remains my favorite KISS drummer and his backing vocals were always incredible, especially live. On KISSOLIGY Vol 2 they have a full concert they played in Australia in the 70s and when they play “Black Diamond” with Eric’s lead vocals, my god it’s phenomenal. That dude was such a talent.

    Happy to see you back, Anna!
     
    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    Anna.VG

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    GOD! I love me some KISS.

    I recently even learned a song of theirs by ear, an easier start. I love KISS, despite how cheezy they can be. I listened to almost every album and I can tell they really hard tried to fit into the Zeitgeist of Mainstream Music. Like their hairmetal phase....their grunge phase. I did not stumble on this album yet so thank you for this! I will give it a listen!
    I love them so much too! don't ask me why, I just simply do hahaha! Give it a listen, it's pretty cool!
     
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    Anna.VG

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    How do you feel about Music from the Elder?? 👀 That’s always a fun discussion haha. I dig Carnival though, maybe not as much as some of the other albums, but it’s definitely got a bit more grunge influence there and I’m always a fan of that.

    It’s also one of those things where I just miss Eric Carr’s presence when listening to it. He still remains my favorite KISS drummer and his backing vocals were always incredible, especially live. On KISSOLIGY Vol 2 they have a full concert they played in Australia in the 70s and when they play “Black Diamond” with Eric’s lead vocals, my god it’s phenomenal. That dude was such a talent.

    Happy to see you back, Anna!
    Hey Jamie! man, about music from the Elder it's something that, surprisingly, liked! Totally different from Dynasty and I get why some people hated it, there's nothing disco in here! I like it and my favorite song from it it's "A world without heroes", idk why I'm so fond on Gene's vocals

    Eric Carr was a total BEAST, he was such a nice guy with full potential. Totally made a difference in the band! I heard that version of Black Diamond (which is my favorite song) and he was brutal in it! I'm so glad there's a recorded version of it!
     
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    Ed Seith

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    I'm about halfway through the album so far.

    At first I was kinda blown away by "Hate." Never in a million years would I guess this was Kiss. Really strong, and Gene's voice slays on this material. Much more so than Paul, who often sounds like he's unsure of himself, especially during his verses. Rain is a good song, but I think had Gene sung the verses and Paul the choruses, it would have been better.

    After that, it seems to go into "standard Kiss songs with 90s production." Childhood's End is, again, cringey verses but then a stronger (but not great) chorus. I don't remember ANYTHING about even hearing "I Will Be There," which says a lot. Jungle is decent, but again, sounds almost like an 80s Kiss song made to sound 90s. Nothing WRONG with that, but really, Hate set such a high bar for me, that it has (so far) been all down hill from there.

    I will listen to the rest, but I'd be surprised if it gets stronger for me again. Still, Hate and Rain are really solid songs, and I'm impressed with just how heavy Kiss could get.

    UPDATE: I finished the album today. It ends really strong with "I walk Alone," so a strong beginning and ending with a fair degree of filler in the middle, in my opinion. But thanks for the recommend. I *know* I would never have listened to this album otherwise, and I enjoyed a fair bit of it.
     
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    William B.

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    It's a nice listen heard it like 4-5 times. I don't have specifics but some stuff reminded me of Alice in Chains and more. The drum groove on Master & Slave, I heard something similar in an Avenged Sevenfold song. I think Dimebag had a tattoo of Ace Frehley, forgot how I know this. I don't know much about the band but I think Gene Simmons did a big brother type reality show on TV and did they introduce band merchandise? The costumes are nice. I'm gonna listen to some of the older albums sometime.
     
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