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(More customer reviews)As a tribute to the former KISS guitarist Mark St. John, I'd like to present a review for this very good KISS album. ANIMALIZE is one of the best hard rock albums from the 80's AND one of the best ones KISS released during the period. I kinda see Animalize as part of the KISS HEAVY 80's trilogy(Creatures of the Night, Lick it up and Animalize). With the departure of original guitarist Ace Frehley, KISS strived to put KISS back together with a revolving door for lead guitarist before finally landing Bruce Kulick (who was with the band for 12 years) after the fueding with Vinnie Vincent and the unfortunate sickness developed by Mark St. John forcing him to leave the band prematurely (Mark had an arthritis disease that would sometimes hinder him to play guitar).
Animalize is just a great album. It was produced by Paul Stanley and has some of his heaviest and best work on it. At the time, to me, it was the closest thing to sort of getting a second Paul Stanley solo album. Paul really poured himself into the album. It was also recorded at a time where Gene was becoming MR. Hollywood while starring in a film with Tom Selleck-leaving Paul to oversee the album and the band! It also features some awesome, thunderous drumming by KISS' late, great drummer ERIC CARR (who also died tragicly from cancer in 1991).
The best song on the album and still a very popular KISS Classic is HEAVEN'S ON FIRE. It also contains the second single THRILLS IN THE NIGHT. Other heavy hitters are UNDER THE GUN and I'VE HAD ENOUGH.
The Gene songs are actually pretty good=Particularly my fav LONELY IS THE HUNTER (Which actually had Bruce Kulick on the track)and the cool BURN BITCH BURN.
The album is just very heavy from start to finish and sounds very sleek to this day. The order of songs gives the album a hot bone crushing feel and the mix is awesome=and even more polished since it was remastered in 1998! Though the band was kinda still in turmoil musicly with Ace gone, Mark St. John came into the KISS mix with some great guitar solos that really breathed new life into KISS and transitioned the band great into a powerhouse band that still could steal the thunder away from any rock band out at the time. It's just too bad Mark got sick. Who knows how much more he could have contributed to the band. After Mark was doing better, he did form a band called WHITE TIGER and released a self titled cd. Also, in 1999 he came back on the music scene and did KISS Expos and released the MARK ST. JOHN PROJECT EP and then released a mostly instrumental cd in 2003 called Magic Bullet Theory--showcasing his outstanding, versitale and talented guitar playing.
Sadly, Mark died of a brain hemmorage in April 2007. Though he is gone, his music shall live on. Mark was in KISS for not even a year, but made KISSTORY as being a feature player on one of the best KISS cds not to feature the original band and contributed to the band a new take on the KISS sound and moving the band forward in longevity.
If you want a great hard rock 80's cd, get ANIMALIZE and get to hear the hottest band in the world play with the late great guitar shredder at the time-Mark St. John.
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Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) paper sleeve pressing. Universal. 2008.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.
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