10 Underrated Hard Rock Albums Of The 1980s
3. Kiss - Hot In The Shade
Another band that was arguably past its peak, the Kiss of the late 80s had a very different feel to their early days. Gone was the black and white make-up along with two of the band's classic line-up, and there had previously been an attempt for the band to move to a more radio-friendly, pop metal sound.
'Hot In The Shade', the band's 15th studio album, was an attempt at bringing Kiss back towards it's rawer, hard rock roots and it's one of the longest Kiss albums to date, with 15 songs in total. It's a real rollercoaster of an album - 'Rise To It' has some great ensemble vocals as a crowd-opener, 'Hide Your Heart' feels like a Kiss classic rock song with a great melody, and 'You Love Me To Hate You' features Paul Stanley hitting the highs of his vocal range.
That's all contrasted mid-way through with the power ballad 'Forever', which heavily uses acoustic guitars.
While not considered a classic Kiss album, it's a key part of the band's discography.