Kiss - Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions

Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions is the great Kiss curveball, a dark and heavy record from the band's unmasked era that very nearly never came out at all.

Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons recorded it in Hollywood with guitarist Bruce Kulick and drummer Eric Singer, working with producer Toby Wright. Then the original lineup reunited, the makeup went back on, and the album was shelved. Bootlegs leaked to fans, so it was finally released in 1997 with no tour and little fanfare. It became the last Kiss studio album to feature Kulick.

It sounds like no other record in their catalogue. The band leaned into the grunge-era sound of the time, with down-tuned guitars, murky textures and brooding lyrics in place of party anthems. "Hate" opens with Simmons in a snarling mood, while "Jungle", the lone single, slinks along on a hypnotic, heavy groove.

"I Confess" keeps the mood dark and heavy, and closer "I Walk Alone" carries a special charge for collectors, featuring Kulick's only lead vocal on a Kiss album. Singer's drumming is powerful throughout, and Kulick's guitar work is some of the most inventive of his tenure.

Long treated as a curiosity, it has gained a devoted following among fans who like their Kiss raw and moody.