10 Most Underrated Albums From Legendary Hard Rock Bands
8. Unmasked - KISS
Contrary to popular belief, there used to be a time where KISS was actually menacing. For as much as they may look like something straight out of the circus now, albums like Love Gun and Hotter Than Hell have held their own as both genuinely shocking pieces of rock and roll and the progenitors of what would become metal later down the line. So naturally the next place to go from there is...disco and power pop.
Drunk on their own ego and chasing the trends of the day, Dynasty was the moment where the KISS army lost the faith, which got kicked into overdrive when Unmasked came along. Since Peter Criss was already halfway out the door, what could have been KISS' most uninspired album has held up pretty well. Going for more of a chart friendly sound, songs like Shandi and Two Sides of the Coin have some serious hooks on them, even taking a few cues from contemporaries like Cheap Trick.
It also helps that Ace Frehley really stepped up to the plate here, bringing 3 new songs that give the entire record the real edge in needs for rock and roll. Even though KISS were about to hit a solid brick wall with Music from the Elder, this was enough to show that things were looking up...right?