(Credits: Far Out / Apple Music)
Sun 30 November 2025 22:00, UK
Paul Stanley might be one of the most underrated guitarists in rock, but he has brought this on himself.
When you think of Kiss, regardless of whether you like their music or not, your mind immediately goes towards the flamboyancy of the band rather than their actual music. You’re only human, you hear hooves, you think horses, not Zebras. Similarly, you see a band dressed as monsters from another planet, surrounded by flames and fireworks, the image captures your eye before the sound does your ear.
The band’s decision to be so eccentric came from a pretty interesting place. It wasn’t necessarily a marketing idea, rather, they just wanted to be recognisable as the same band. Paul Stanley believed that when you looked at bands from the ‘60s, such as The Who, Rolling Stones and The Beatles, you could easily tell who was in which group; however, that wasn’t the case in the ‘70s. With some exceptions, he might have had a point.
By painting their faces and becoming a band that thrived on eccentricity, they separated themselves from the majority of the herd. They had independence, but that independence came at a price, as they were prioritised as a visual band rather than a musical one. It helped put them on the map, but also means while a lot of people might be familiar with Kiss, they don’t necessarily know their music.
It’s a shame, as when you strip back Kiss and just appreciate them as a band making music, they’re a lot of fun to listen to. You’re not going to hear the most complex music you’ve ever come across, but it’s perfect stadium rock and is great to engage with. Their stadium rock certainly does the job, as it’s the perfect kind of music to fill a large room with and for people to enjoy, with choruses to sing along to, solos you can air guitar with and drum beats that bounce off walls so heavily the building shakes.
Stanley’s eccentric guitar style certainly contributes towards this sound, and that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given he drew inspiration from some of the greatest musicians to ever pick up a six-string. While he might not be the same quality as some of his heroes, he was constantly striving to reach that level, which means throughout Kiss’s discography, if you brush aside the fireworks and the make-up, you’ll stumble upon plenty of versatile and catchy riffs.
One of the guitarists that Stanley was always looking up to was Jimmy Page. You might not hear much of a comparison between Led Zeppelin and Kiss, but Stanley wasn’t trying to imitate them, he merely used them as a musical benchmark.
He was always very excited talking about Jimmy Page and told the guitarist to his face how much he admired him. Not only did Stanley call him a great instrumentalist, but he also compared him to a classical musician who injected emotion into everything he did.
“Back to Zeppelin, Jimmy is Beethoven. Jimmy uses textures and layers, different kinds of guitars, and builds parts and elaborates on themes,” said Stanley, “I’ve said to him, ‘The first time I saw Zeppelin, I was 17, and it raised the bar for me to a level that I felt I can’t achieve. But it’s important to know that that level exists’.”
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