Album Review: Kiss - Asylum

Kiss - Asylum

Mercury Records - 1985

6/10

Following a record that held very little memorability in comparison to their track record, Kiss didn’t really have to do too much to top what had come the year before. Asylum saw yet again another change in guitar personnel, recruiting Bruce Kulick, and finally securing someone who would remain for the foreseeable future. Stylistically, the only thing to do without adding anything new would be to focus on the pop elements, dial back the heaviness, and hope for the best. That’s really the best way to describe this record, as it’s essentially “more of this” with less emphasis on metal orientation.

This gave Asylum the advantage of resting on catchier writing to stand out just a little bit compared to Animalize, however the songwriting objectively wasn’t a whole lot better. With that said, at least there’s more than one measly song that I can throw praise to. “Tears Are Falling” is an obvious pop hit, but it’s miles more mature than “Heaven’s On Fire,” and going the softer route proved to work wonders in its refreshing ride. I also really love “Who Wants To Be Lonely?” which brought on harder chops for the same emotional feel. As corny as it is, even “Uh! All Night” has a solid, steady rhythm that I can appreciate, utilizing the gang chorus structure that flooded the last album. Maybe we could consider this “Heaven’s On Fire” part 2. 

Everything else is very average at best. The one advantage it has, like I said, is the poppier flow to at bare minimum make some of the tracks catchy. “Any Way You Slice It” is total glam cheese with absolutely nothing to it, yet I find myself singing along every time. You can even appreciate the heavier delivery in “Love’s A Deadly Weapon,” but calling this a good song would be a stretch. As I said on the last record, heaviness can’t save lackluster songwriting.

Ultimately, Kiss did show a step forward here, if only by a small margin and with cheaper tactics. We would also finally see a lineup that will last more than one album, carrying us through the end of the decade until Eric Carr’s tragic death in the early ‘90s. At least there are several songs worth hearing, even if the rest of it is very “by the numbers.” Take from this what you will, but don’t expect a lot.