'Lick it Up' got Kiss back in the ring commercially, but they weren't done climbing back towards their place in the rock hierarchy yet. Enter 'Animalize,' and more specifically, the song 'Heaven's on Fire.'
With one dramatically extended (and inadvertently recorded) vocal warm-up exercise, Paul Stanley introduced the band's most galvanizing single in years.
Combined with a video that demonstrated a proper understanding of the uses of MTV -- the band's 'Lick it Up' videos are hysterically corny -- the endlessly replayable track brought Kiss back to the top.
With Gene Simmons admittedly distracted by his acting career, and another new guitarist (Mark St. John) finding his place within the band, much of the heavy lifting on 'Animalize' fell to Paul Stanley, who produced a sleek if once again overly pop-metal leaning set of songs.
Highlights include the Eric Carr drum showcase 'Under the Gun,' the rousing "you can do it" message of 'Get All You Can Take' and the churning album closer 'Murder in High Heels.' We're going to be shocked if 'Fire' doesn't take this vote, but by all means feel free to surprise us!