28 years ago on this day in KISStory (September 18th), a bewildering moment arrived for rock and metal fans that for many seemed to have come out of nowhere. KISS had announced they were unmasking, dropping the make-up, costumes, and personae they had previously “worn” for ten years, and moving forward as an “unmasked” band.
The band officially unmasked on MTV (see video below), and the announcement sent shockwaves through the metalhead communities at the time, which was the beginning that this decision was a good move by the band. Up until this stage, KISS enjoyed the height of their career in the 1970s, and as they journeyed into the earlier 1980s, things were beginning to look somewhat dire for the band.
In the space of two years, from 1980 to 1982, KISS lost two of their original members, ACE FREHLEY and PETER CRISS, who stepped down from KISS or were fired depending upon whose side of the story you wish to believe. Drummer Eric Carr was a solid addition to their line-up, and consolidated the hard rock foundation of the band right up until his passing in 1991.
On the other hand, Vinnie Vincent stepped in to replace Ace Frehley with prodigious guitar talent of his own, but with an ego problem that would cause mayhem for KISS and spawn a sliding turnstile of guitarists and changing line-ups for years to come.
Read more at Geeks Of Doom.
