ARTIST · HARD ROCK

Kiss

Kabuki bombast—pyro budget as art form, hooks as merchandising Trojan horses.

Hard rock
Glam metal

Updated 27 October 2026

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Biography

Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons channelled Alice Cooper theatrics into FM-friendly anthems.

Destroyer-era production layered orchestras without neutering guitar grind.

Their live show blueprint influenced every subsequent arena spectacle.

High-bitrate remasters keep rhythm-guitar grind, harmony stacks, and snare crack.

KISS were formed in New York by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. Their face paint, fire-breathing, and blood-spitting stage show were as famous as the songs. Alive! (1975) made them stars, and Destroyer (1976) added Beth and Detroit Rock City.

In 1983 the band removed their makeup, then put it back on for a 1996 reunion tour. Frehley and Criss left again, replaced by Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.

Kiss: recent news, 2020–2026

2023 The End of the Road farewell tour finished at Madison Square Garden in New York on 2 December.
2023 The members announced the sale of the band’s brand to the Swedish entertainment company Pophouse and a plan to continue as digital avatars.

Rumors and plans

Pophouse has said it plans an avatar-based KISS show, and the founders have said the music will continue without them on stage. No launch date had been confirmed at the time of writing.

Interesting facts about Kiss

01 American rock band formed in New York City in 1973.
02 Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
03 Known for face paint personas: the Starchild, the Demon, the Spaceman, and the Catman across eras.
04 Alive! (1975) was the band’s breakthrough.
05 The band is known for fire-breathing and blood-spitting stage shows.