Bruce Kulick Reflects on 30 Years of Kiss’ ‘Revenge’
Former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick looks back at Revenge, his penultimate studio album with the band, in a new video commemorating the LP's 30th anniversary.
Released on May 19, 1992, Revenge marked a return to the gritty, hard-rock sound of Kiss' heyday after several unsuccessful dalliances with pop metal in the '80s. It saw the return of Destroyer (and Music From "The Elder") producer Bob Ezrin and marked the debut of drummer Eric Singer, following Eric Carr's death from heart cancer in November 1991.
Although Kulick only boasts one songwriting credit on Revenge (the slinky sleaze-metal romp "Tough Love"), he leaves his imprint on the album with a wellspring of thundering riffs and blistering solos. "[Ezrin] was constantly pushing me to play my best," Kulick says in the video. "He challenged me to play from my balls, without any preplanned, fancy stuff. I was quoted saying back in 1992, 'I found a suitably nasty tone for each solo and then went straight for the throat.'"
Kulick also notes the newfound hunger and revitalized chemistry of bandleaders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. "Gene was back, front and center, fully committed to the band," he says. "Paul showed a fiercer side of him, contributing songs with passion and conviction. He would proudly state, 'This is absolutely a band,' and that all the members were important with their contributions."
Those contributions include the work of Singer, who had previously played with Black Sabbath, Jake E. Lee's Badlands and Gary Moore. "He worked great with Ezrin, perfecting his drum parts on the album," Kulick enthuses. "Paul stated in '92, 'He came in at a very difficult time and brought something very special: a tremendous amount of energy and chemistry, and it's all over the album.'"
Kulick fans can catch the guitarist at Nashville's Creatures Fest at the end of the month, where he's slated to perform alongside original Kiss alumni Ace Frehley and Peter Criss as well as former guitarist Vinnie Vincent. In the meantime, you can hear more of his memories of recording Revenge in the video below.