Top 10 KISS Albums

This is definitely the greatest KISS album out there. There are 20 studio albums, and I like most of the ones from the first album to the mid-80s, then most from the mid-90s to their newest one from 2012. There are 10 live albums, and all of their live albums are great to me.

Obvious #1. Other top 5 are hard to number. You cannot put studio and live albums in the same list. It's an apples and oranges comparison. Everybody has a different opinion. For me, 2 through 7 would be 'Revenge,' 'Animalize,' 'Psycho Circus,' 'Dynasty,' and 'The Elder.' Die-hard fan since '77. Also, 'Kiss/Kiss' receives special mention.

I love all KISS albums, but this is by far my favorite. It has everything you could ask for in a rock/metal band: heavy riffs, powerful vocals, melodies for days, great guitar solos (some fast, some more melodic and with feel), drums so heavy they will kick you in the teeth, and catchy hooks good enough for any AOR station.

I love how dark this album is, but at the same time, it somehow feels good too (Keep Me Comin', I Love It Loud, War Machine). I guess it's that take-no-crap attitude that makes you feel empowered and positive. In my humble opinion, this is the best drum sound KISS or any rock band has ever recorded and the best vocals I have heard Paul or Gene sing (although Gene steps it up on Lick It Up). This is the album I show when I want to get people into KISS.

The best debut album of all time and the best album of their whole career! It's just amazing, appearing out of nowhere with songs like Strutter, Nothing To Lose, Firehouse, Cold Gin, Let Me Know, Deuce, 100,000 Years, and Black Diamond. Just try to write a piece of history like this on your first attempt. KISS!

Totally underrated and virtually ignored when released, "Kiss"

is an exciting debut album from the soon-to-be superstars. While their image screamed glam, the music has a low-budget, garage-band charm that works wonders.

I LOVE LOVE GUN! There's something about Paul Stanley singing about his "love gun" that makes me love this album just a tad bit more than the others. Just kidding. ;)

This album is everything that KISS is about. We get vocals from all four members: Peter on Hooligan, Ace on Shock Me, Paul on Love Gun, and Gene on Christine Sixteen!

Every song on this kicks ass! And don't forget the awesome cover art! Just spectacular! #1

I love the 'Destroyer' album, but I think 'Love Gun' is number one. We're all KISS fans, right? Just listen to the starting song, THAT GUITAR, and then Paul Stanley yells "Alright!" It pumps all KISS fans up.

Their heaviest album and one of those with zero bad tracks on it (like their first album and 'Creatures'). It slows down when it needs to and goes back to kick you in the teeth. 11/11.

Probably one of their hardest and best albums. Unholy, Spit, Paralyzed, and Heart of Chrome are great songs, and that's only a quarter of the album. Also, The Great Eric Carr's one and only recorded drum solo. Great stuff. #1.

I have this and I love it. The best hits, in my opinion, are Unholy, Take It Off, and God Gave Rock and Roll to You.

After Alive! captured the best of the first three studio albums in stronger fashion, and the Destroyer experiment resulted in some of their most memorable songs, KISS took another chance by recording this studio album "live" in a vacant hall. This underrated album was a return to the basic raw power of Alive! and gave us such classics as Calling Dr. Love, Mr. Speed, Hard Luck Woman, and Makin' Love.

Ace's short, killer guitar solos stand out, as do Peter's drums (listen to the end of Makin' Love).

The momentum builds after the release of Destroyer, and this is a band at the height of their powers. Packed to the brim with their best songs. Gene singing Love 'Em and Leave 'Em jumps from the starting gates and slams down one of his best songs. The true legendary era is in full flight, and then came the T-shirts, stickers, KISS action cards, posters, et al. What a great time.

I went from Destroyer to Rock and Roll Over to Dynasty being the best album over the past two years. Back in 1989, when I first heard Dressed to Kill, I always thought it was a rock-solid album. It was better than the first two albums, the debut and Hotter than Hell. Over time, I found my way back to Dressed to Kill.

The great thing about KISS is they have so many different sounding albums. They cover all the bases.

KISS was every bit as good here as they were on 'Alive.' They were a solid band. Much of it was written on the fly to fill the 30-minute album. A KISS rocker.

I know I'm in the minority on this, but I think this is the best KISS album, and here's why: Prior to this album's release, KISS wasn't really selling a lot of albums, but their live shows were selling out. You really had to see them live to fully appreciate them - the pyrotechnics, the elaborate stage setup, and the costumes.

With this release, you really got a sense of the energy at their shows, and their fan base exploded. All their hits at the time were on this album. A massive drum solo and the sound of the crowd were all part of it. Still the best intro ever in "You want the best, you got the best..."

I love the raw feel of this album. In terms of recording, this was Kiss' rawest record. It produced "Parasite" and "Goin' Blind." Even the more "filler" songs ("Comin' Home," "All The Way") now sound like Kiss classics. They haven't been played out and sound better than they did then. Great album.

I've heard 'Destroyer' many times, and I'm convinced that it's vastly overrated. This one has my favorite track Parasite, and together with the title track and the other great album tracks, makes this the best, with the debut coming in a close second.

I know it's not a popular opinion, but this is my favorite KISS album. The disco label is an uneducated, lazy statement. This album mixes elements of hard rock and funk with touches of punk and KISS sleaze. This is their most unique album, and it is painfully underrated. 2,000 Man is a great Stones cover, Sure Know Something is hooky as hell, and the list goes on. Every song is good.

I don't care if you admit it or not. I am a true KISS fan, and a true KISS fan should know that I Was Made for Lovin' You is their biggest song, not Detroit Rock City, Love Gun, or any other song.

Heavens on Fire! I've Had Enough (Into the Fire)! Thrills in the Night! Not to mention the wailing vocals of Paul Stanley, the grooving bass of Gene Simmons, the pounding drums of Eric Carr, and the electrifying guitar of Mark St. John!

Animalize contains some of the best KISS songs and some of the best songs of all time!

You wanted the best? This is the best!

Definitely one of the best albums in terms of creativity. I never understood the malice and mockery it received when it came out. If this album had been released by any other band, it would have been hailed as a masterpiece. KISS weren't allowed to create such artistry. Just a Boy and Odyssey are proof that Paul Stanley is a great singer. Only You and Under the Rose are just epic.

Very underrated album with great songwriting and some really great tracks like The Oath, Mr. Blackwell, and the instrumental Escape From The Island by Ace. It was bad timing after releasing 'Dynasty' and 'Unmasked,' I guess.

Great album! Great live album that summarized the very best of KISS' early career! Best image of Gene ever on the cover!

Paul Stanley's vocals were amazing on this album. People say KISS followed the trends during this era. I say people were just copying KISS. Crazy Nights is the best. Turn on the Night, My Way, Crazy Crazy Nights, Reason to Live, and Hell or High Water are all amazing KISS songs. The cover is cool too with the broken glass and the blue background.

I don't think this is the best KISS album, but I definitely don't think it's the worst studio album they made. Crazy Crazy Nights, I'll Fight Hell to Hold You, My Way, Reason to Live, and Turn on the Night are all really good songs. So what if they wanted to fit in with the trend? They did a good job of it.

This album should be much higher. It is their best album since Lick It Up. Psycho Circus is their most epic song in decades. This album has aged far better than most of their albums. Should be top 10 easy. This album has lots of different textures in it. There is always a song to suit your mood. A great car album.

It may not be their best album. I would place it around 13. It does have some really catchy pop tunes. Talk to Me, What Makes the World Go Round, Naked City, and Easy as It Seems are four solid songs. Unlike a lot of other bands that folded during the disco era, they adapted extremely well. My favorite is Rock and Roll Over. My worst of the studio albums is Crazy Nights.

This record is a straight-up power-pop classic. Don't let anyone, even members of the band, tell you different. This is a top 3 KISS record. For all their genre-hopping, THIS is the record that truly reflects their influences, and I believe is the TRUE sound of KISS. Right up there with Destroyer, it's really that good.

Hate, Rain, Childhood's End, I Will Be There, I Walk Alone. This album is very grunge-influenced. It's a great album but wasn't very well sold.

Third-best of the regular studio releases, after 'KISS,' followed by 'Love Gun.' Predominantly in exact 70s style and packed with memorable offerings, the band doesn't sound exhausted at all, even thirty-two years on from their last original record. Thus, it's surely recommended.

Great throwback feel in all the songs and really good songs that are catchy as hell. Who cares if Ace and Peter aren't on this? It sounds better the more you listen. For sure, top 10 material!

An album that gets better with age. Highly recommended.

An excellent album for legends to put out 40 years after their first. It competes with and, in most cases, is better than anything put out by bands 30 years younger than them.

Love this album. KISS being KISS.

This is the hardest vote I have ever had to make on these sites. I've been a die-hard Kiss fan since 1988 when I was 11 years old after being introduced to Smashes, Thrashes, and Hits (which I still love to this day). I now know the band very well, especially their music.

Voting for their best album at this point is extraordinarily tough for me. Even though Dressed to Kill is very impressive (especially Two Timer), Unmasked is great from start to finish (Naked City being my personal favorite from that album), and Dynasty is an unbelievable album considering X-Ray Eyes and Charisma are from Dynasty, Lick It Up tends to be my favorite most times, and you gotta love Not for the Innocent. Crazy Nights is also a truly impressive album.

However, my heart tells me I have to go with Hot in the Shade, simply because it doesn't get enough recognition when it is a truly great album of monumental proportions. Think about it: you've got songs like Betrayed, King of Hearts, Rise To It, and my two personal favorites, You Love Me to Hate You and Silver Spoon. This album deserves to be at least in one of the top three spots. It's about time this album gets recognized.

After 'Alive,' this is their best live album. You won't be disappointed.