Ranking Every KISS Studio Album, from Worst to Best (My Personal List)
- L7
- Jan 9
- 8 min read
Today it’s all about KISS, and I’m doing a full ranking, starting with the album I like the least and ending with my absolute favorite.
Quick note before anyone grabs the torches, this is 100% personal taste and based on my own history with these records. Also important: I’m leaving out the four solo albums for the main ranking. I’ll talk about them in the bonus section, but the ranking itself is only the 20 studio albums recorded as a full band era.
Want to listen along? We made a Spotify playlist combining the 3 recommended songs from every album in this ranking.
Let’s go.
20) Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
This one never worked for me. It’s KISS trying to do that darker, grunge-era vibe, and everything about the timing feels off. It landed in a weird moment, late in the no-makeup era, barely promoted, and it always felt like an album that didn’t really belong to any strong “KISS identity” for me.
Key tracks: Jungle, I Walk Alone, Seduction of the Innocent
19) Music from “The Elder”
Honestly, I think almost nobody loves this album. It’s a bold experiment, but for me it just doesn’t hit. I’ll admit, nowadays I can appreciate it slightly more than I did years ago, but it’s still not something I put on for fun.
The one song I always mention is “A World Without Heroes”, mainly because it sounded surprisingly good in the Unplugged setting.
Key tracks: A World Without Heroes, The Oath, I
18) Unmasked
As a kid, I loved the cover. The album itself? Not so much.
It’s just too pop-heavy for me. “Shandi” is the big exception, that song still works and I still play it sometimes. The rest never really clicked, even though the artwork is iconic.
Key tracks: Shandi, Talk to Me, Is That You?
17) Monster
I don’t think it’s a terrible album, it just feels very standard to me. When it came out, I was already at a point where I didn’t really need another “new KISS album” in my life.
“Hell or Hallelujah” is the most notable track for me, not bad at all, just not something I replay a lot.
Key tracks: Hell or Hallelujah, Back to the Stone Age, Shout Mercy
16) Sonic Boom
This one is actually fun, it has some good songs and a nice “back to basics” feeling for that era. Modern Day Delilah is the obvious highlight, and overall it’s a solid album.
Personal side note: my edition includes Live in Buenos Aires, and that show is special for me because it was my first time seeing KISS live, front row. That DVD is a killer bonus.
Key tracks: Modern Day Delilah, Say Yeah, Never Enough
15) Animalize
From here on, these are not “bad albums” for me anymore, this is where the list starts getting painful because I genuinely like what’s left.
Animalize has real hits. “Heaven’s on Fire” is one of the most classic KISS songs ever, and the album has that perfect mix of glam and harder edge.
Key tracks: Heaven’s on Fire, Under the Gun, Thrills in the Night
14) Lick It Up
Very good album, and it could easily be higher, but my personal issue is simple: “Lick It Up” is the one track that lives permanently in my playlists. The rest? I enjoy it when I play the full album once in a while, but I don’t reach for the deep cuts that often.
Key tracks: Lick It Up, All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose, A Million to One
13) Dynasty
The “disco” criticism is real, it’s not my favorite overall KISS vibe, but… this album has songs that are too big to ignore.
“I Was Made for Lovin’ You”, “Sure Know Something”, “2,000 Man”, these are monsters. Even if the album is not my favorite style, those tracks push it up.
Key tracks: I Was Made for Lovin’ You, Sure Know Something, 2,000 Man
12) Asylum
This is the biggest glow-up album for me.
If you asked me 20 years ago, I might’ve put it at the bottom. I think the cover turned me off back then, I still don’t love it today. But now? I hear the riffs, the energy, the glam meets hard rock balance, and I honestly think it’s a really strong record.
“Tears Are Falling” is a total hit.
Key tracks: Tears Are Falling, Uh! All Night, Who Wants to Be Lonely
11) Hot in the Shade
This one is long for a KISS album, but it’s a good kind of long, it’s fun.
“Forever” is one of their most important ballads, and the album also has real bangers like “Hide Your Heart” and “Rise to It.” For me, this is one of those records that feels like the end of an era.
Key tracks: Forever, Hide Your Heart, Rise to It
10) Crazy Nights
This album was important for me.
“Crazy Crazy Nights” was one of my favorites for a long time, and when I saw it show up live, it hit even harder. “Reason to Live” is also a fantastic ballad, and the whole record has that glossy 80s KISS energy that I still enjoy.
Key tracks: Crazy Crazy Nights, Reason to Live, Turn on the Night
9) Rock and Roll Over
This is a great album, it just has the misfortune of coming after Destroyer.
The hits are insane, “Calling Dr. Love”, “Hard Luck Woman”, “I Want You.” For me it’s one of those records where I mostly replay the highlights, and the highlights are so strong that it still lands high.
Key tracks: Calling Dr. Love, Hard Luck Woman, I Want You
8) Dressed to Kill
One of my favorite KISS covers, easily top 3.
The songs are classic, but here’s my “problem”: I often enjoy many of these tracks even more in live versions. Studio is still great, especially “She”, but live they become unstoppable.
Key tracks: Rock and Roll All Nite, C’mon and Love Me, She
7) Hotter Than Hell
This is where KISS got heavier fast, and I love that.
The cover used to be my least favorite, now I think it’s iconic in a weird, classic way. Songwise, it’s stacked, “Parasite” is a monster, and this era has that raw early KISS bite.
Key tracks: Hotter Than Hell, Parasite, Got to Choose
6) KISS
The debut is legendary, and it was also a real “chase album” for me back then. Getting it felt special.
The tracklist is basically a greatest hits collection by itself. “Strutter”, “Deuce”, “Black Diamond”, “Cold Gin.” That’s ridiculous.
Just like with the early albums in general, I often play these songs more in live versions, but that doesn’t change how important and strong the debut is.
Key tracks: Strutter, Deuce, Black Diamond
5) Revenge
Here comes my “controversial” pick.
As a teenager I played Revenge from start to finish every day, no joke. I found it exactly when I needed something heavier, darker, and this album delivered that mood, not just in sound but also in image.
“Unholy” is one of the darkest KISS songs ever, and the album stays strong all the way through. For me, this could even be #1 or #2 on the right day.
Key tracks: Unholy, Domino, God Gave Rock ’n’ Roll to You II
4) Creatures of the Night
This album cover is unreal, and musically it’s the moment where KISS really leans harder into that heavier hard rock sound.
“I Love It Loud” is pure power, and the whole record feels muscular and aggressive. This is KISS sounding dangerous.
Key tracks: I Love It Loud, Creatures of the Night, War Machine
3) Psycho Circus
Yes, I know the history. Yes, I know the controversy.
But this was my first KISS album, and that matters. I bought it as a cassette and I loved it. The title track is an anthem, and the album has so many songs I still genuinely enjoy.
Also, as a kid, the whole 3D and hologram style presentation was mind-blowing, it made the album feel like an event.
The only song I never cared much about was Peter’s ballad, but everything else? Huge for me.
Key tracks: Psycho Circus, Raise Your Glasses, You Wanted the Best
2) Destroyer
If someone asks me “What is KISS?”, Destroyer is one of the first answers.
The cover is iconic, the production is huge, and the songs are basically a blueprint of what KISS means to the world. It’s the album that belongs in every conversation about the band.
Key tracks: Detroit Rock City, Beth, Shout It Out Loud
1) Love Gun
If I try to be purely objective, Destroyer might be the “better” album.
But Love Gun is my favorite because it gives me that slightly harder edge I always loved from KISS, and the title track was my favorite KISS song for a long time.
Also, the Ace tracks matter a lot to me, and this album delivers.
And yes, I’m also biased because Love Gun has some of the coolest collectible editions and packaging ever, it’s part of the whole KISS magic.
Key tracks: Love Gun, Shock Me, I Stole Your Love
Bonus Section
The 4 solo albums
I left them out of the main ranking on purpose.
Musically, none of the solo albums are essential for me. Even Ace’s, which is clearly the best one, is not something I actively play a lot. But visually? The artwork is insane. Tattoo level, poster level, T-shirt level, perfect KISS aesthetics.
If I had to rank them:
Ace, 2) Paul, 3) Gene, 4) Peter
Why the live albums matter so much
I’ve said it a few times above, many early KISS songs hit even harder live, and KISS live albums are legendary for a reason.
For me, Alive! is one of the best live albums ever made, not just in the KISS world. It captured the feeling of a concert in a way that was basically magic when you grew up without internet, without easy access, and without seeing big bands live all the time.
My personal order:
Alive! at the top, then Alive III (I love the heavier era sound), then Alive II, then Alive IV.
And KISS Unplugged is also a fantastic idea and a great watch, especially that moment when Ace and Peter come out.
Compilations
As a kid, compilations were super important, because you couldn’t always buy every album you wanted. And with KISS, compilations were actually fun and sometimes even had unique tracks.
I still think the earlier ones are the best, later they went a bit crazy with too many releases, but classics like Killers, Smashes, Thrashes & Hits (with “Let’s Put the X in Sex”), and especially Double Platinum are part of the full KISS experience.
That’s my ranking. Now I’m curious, what’s your #1 KISS studio album, and which one do you think I ranked way too low?
