Mercury Records - 1983
8/10
After establishing a more metal-oriented sound a year prior, Kiss would carry this over to the new era of riding the glam metal wave, funnily enough alongside removing the makeup. At this point, Ace Frehley is completely gone, replaced by Vinnie Vincent on guitar to add a new personality to the recent rebranding. Lick It Up would be the end result, one that’s still fairly in line with the heavy metal riffing, just a little less loud in production and drum weight. From this point on, it remains Gene and Paul carrying all vocals save for a very rare sidestep.
Thankfully, things are still dynamically pretty tight this time around. If there’s anything to complain about, it’s a slight dip in songwriting quality particularly at the end, but Vinncent’s guitar passages carry a refreshed amount of weight that we got a little bit of on Creatures. The slower, stomping nature of “Not For The Innocent” showcases this wonderfully, and the guitar solo here boasts some very new energy. The famous title track is pretty trashy, yet it manages to stay strong with catchy vocals, heavy guitar bridges, and youthful energy. The other big hit “All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose” could be chalked up to the same thing, one even working in some rap to keep the attitude instead of metal.
On the other hand, Lick It Up has a few numbers that utilize more speed metal energy rather than slower trudge for that heavier effect. “Young And Wasted” is a furious Gene-fronted number with tons of rasp and bouncy guitar riffs, while opener “Exciter” and “Gimme More” let Paul Stanley work with this formula. Your inevitable fillers are hit or miss, some scratching the itch like the catchy closer “Fits Like A Glove,” while others feel void of any real purpose like “Dance All Over Your Face.” I guess at least the latter types still boast strong lead guitar passages, but that’s not enough to overlook it.
At the end of the day, Kiss’s first step in the non-makeup era is pretty strong with a few minor hiccups. It’s very top heavy, with everything worthwhile being within the first six tracks; the last four are when you reach the “hit or miss” stuff. If nothing else, things feel consistent for the whole run, and the energy that made its predecessor so great is still present. Had things not been rushed immediately after a tour, I think this could have fared just as well.
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