Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Creatures Of The Night from 1982 is a seminal album in the KISS catalog. It crushed fans’ expectations with a huge, back-to-rock sound and has become a fan favorite and cult classic. On November 18, 2022, UMe will release Creatures Of The Night 40 as a 5-CD + Blu-ray Audio Super Deluxe Edition, 3-LP Deluxe, 2-CD Deluxe, 1-LP Half-Speed Master 180gm, 1-CD Remaster, as well as a 5-CD Super Deluxe Edition Digital Download + Streaming and 2-CD Digital Download-only version plus a color Vinyl exclusive. Read on for my review of KISS Creatures of the Night 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition, now available to buy on Amazon.

Having rechanneled their efforts into consciously making a return to the hard rock that they were known for, KISS – Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Eric Carr – unleashed Creatures Of The Night in October of 1982. In addition to a harder sound, the album is also noted for its heavier, darker mood. The single “I Love It Loud” has been performed on nearly every subsequent KISS tour, while “War Machine,” the ballad “I Still Love You,” and the title song also featured heavily in their live sets for a number of years. Also of note is “Killer,” which featured the group’s first songwriting collaboration with their soon-to-be-guitarist Vinnie Vincent. Creatures Of The Night received accolades in magazines such as Kerrang! and Guitar Player – which both placed the album in their top five end of year chart for 1982 – and has attained Gold Album status (sales of 500,000+).

The ‘Creatures Of The Night 40’ Super Deluxe boasts 103 total tracks with 75 tracks being unreleased. Newly remastered on CD 1, the original album has never sounded better. CDs 2 & 3 feature 34 demos, rarities & outtakes including unreleased gems such as “Deadly Weapon (Penny Lane Demo),” “Not For The Innocent (Demo)” and “Betrayed (Outtake).” CDs 4 & 5 highlight 26 incredible, soundboard live recordings from the Creatures ‘82/’83 Tour and seven super rare tour sound effects, all recorded and archived by the Creatures Tour sound engineer Harry Witz. The Blu-ray Audio disc showcases a first-ever Atmos and 5.1 surround mix from the original album multi-tracks plus the high-resolution newly remastered 1982 stereo mix of the original album.

Additionally, the Super Deluxe box features an extensive array of bonus kollectible KISS memorabilia and ephemera, including:

• 80-page Hardcover Book with Extensive Liner Notes by Ken Sharp and a treasure trove of unreleased photos and imagery

• Creatures Of The Night 1982 Press Kit featuring:
  • Creatures Band Press Bio Sheet
  • Creatures Tour Band New Poster 11”x17”
  • 2 Stage Drawings
  • The Loudest Band In The World Poster 16”x24”
  • Japanese Promo Poster 16”x22.5”
  • Band Black & White Promo 8”x10”
  • Gene, Paul, Eric & Vinnie Color Photos 8”x10”
  • Creatures 40th T-shirt Iron-on Transfer Sheet
  • “I Love It Loud” Bumper Sticker
  • Australian Creatures Sticker
  • Marcanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro 6/18/83 Replica Ticket
  • Creatures Tour “Detroit” VIP Cloth Sticky Backstage Pass
  • 4 Killers-era Trading Cards

• Creatures 1982 Replica Tour Program
• Gene, Paul, Eric & Vinnie – Chris Hoffman Illustrations 9”x12”
• Gotham Rock City News Volume 2 Newspaper – Track-By-Track Interviews with Gene, Paul, Eric, Vinnie, Michael James Jackson, Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance, Adam Mitchell and Mikel Japp
• 4 Glow-In-The-Dark Guitar Picks
• Iron-on Patch
• 4 Buttons

DISC ONE: CREATURES OF THE NIGHT

Original Album Remastered

1. Creatures Of The Night
2. Saint And Sinner
3. Keep Me Comin’
4. Rock And Roll Hell
5. Danger
6. I Love It Loud
7. I Still Love You
8. Killer
9. War Machine

Creatures of the Night has always sounded great. This remastered version sounds just as good to me as any other version I’ve previously heard. It’s crisp, powerful, and full of songs KISS fans know and love. I have no complaints when it comes to the first disc. However, nothing remarkable or unexpected stands out to me either.

DISC TWO: DEMOS, RARITIES & OUTTAKES

1. I’m A Legend Tonight
2. Down On Your Knees
3. Nowhere To Run
4. Partners In Crime
5. Deadly Weapon (Penny Lane Demo)*
6. Feel Like Heaven (Penny Lane Demo)*
7. Nowhere To Run (Penny Lane Demo)*
8. Deadly Weapon (Original Demo)*
9. Feel Like Heaven (Original Demo)*
10. Nowhere To Run (Take 11 –Instrumental)*
11. Tell It To A Fool (Take 4 –Drums & Bass Instrumental)*
12. Chrome Goes Into Motion (Take 2 –Drums & Bass Instrumental)*
13. I’m A Legend Tonight (Mix 4 –Instrumental & Background Vocals)*
14. Don’t Leave Me Lonely (Take 8 –Drums & Guitar Instrumental)*
15. Something Seems To Happen At Night (Gene Simmons Demo)
16. It’s Gonna Be Alright (Gene Simmons Demo)

This is where things start to get good. I have always loved the Killers tracks, so it is nice to see them included here. And the demos are wonderful. My favorite is “Deadly Weapon” with an epic Paul Stanley vocal and classic KISS arrangement. This is the version of the song that should have been ultimately released, not the horrendous sped-up version Gene sang on Asylum. Thankfully, this box set gives us the opportunity to listen to it here. The other demos are wonderful to listen to as well. They make you feel like a fly on the wall in the recording studio. I love instrumental tracks, so those are also enjoyable to hear. The sound quality of the demos is excellent. There is a lot to love on this disc.

DISC THREE: DEMOS, RARITIES & OUTTAKES

1. Legends Never Die (Gene Simmons Demo)
2. It’s My Life (Gene Simmons Demo)
3. Not For The Innocent (Demo)*
4. I Still Love You (Take 1)*
5. I Still Love You (Take 2)*
6. Saint And Sinner (Take 1)*
7. Saint And Sinner (Take 2 –False Start)*
8. Saint And Sinner (Take 3)*
9. Betrayed (Outtake)*
10. Creatures Of The Night (Alternate Mix 19)*
11. Partners In Crime (Alternate Mix 16B)*
12. I Love It Loud (Alternate Mix 21)*
13. War Machine (Full-Length Version –Mix 11)*
14. Rock And Roll Hell (Take 2–9/10/1982)*
15. Rock And Roll Hell (Take 1 –Incomplete–9/15/1982)*
16. Rock And Roll Hell (Take 2–9/15/1982)*
17. I Love It Loud (Single Edit)
18. Creatures Of The Night (1985 Remix)

The fun times continue on disc three with nearly 20 demos, rarities, and outtakes. It’s interesting seeing demos from the Gene Simmons Vault included on this set. So much for those songs not being available anywhere else. Unlike that box set, the audio quality here is exceptional. The different mixes and takes are interesting to listen to, but they are not nearly as compelling as the demos. So, I don’t expect to listen to them over and over again.

DISC FOUR: CREATURES TOUR LIVE ‘82/’83 –PART ONE

1. Creatures Of The Night (Rockford, Illinois–12/31/1982)*
2. Strutter (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
3. Calling Dr. Love (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
4. Firehouse (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
5. I Love It Loud (Rockford, Illinois–12/31/1982)*
6. Cold Gin (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
7. Keep Me Comin’ (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
8. War Machine (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
9. I Want You (Houston, Texas –3/10/1983)*
10. Rock And Roll Hell (Rockford, Illinois–12/31/1982)*
11. I Still Love You (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
12. Shout It Out Loud (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
13. Gene’s Bass Solo (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
14. God Of Thunder / Eric’s Drum Solo / God Of Thunder (Rockford, Illinois–12/31/1982)*

The live tracks on this box set are a blast. The audio quality is superb, and the energy of the band from this era is infectious. Paul’s raps in between songs, including a litany of curse words, are delightful to hear, as is the band’s top-notch musicianship. There is a great selection of songs, not just the same old, same old that us KISS fans are used to hearing. This is easily one of my favorite discs in the entire set.

DISC FIVE: CREATURES TOUR LIVE ‘82/’83 –PART TWO

1. Paul’s Love Gun Rap (Rockford, Illinois–12/31/1982)*
2. Love Gun (Rockford, Illinois–12/31/1982)*
3. Paul’s Guitar Solo (Rockford, Illinois–12/31/1982)*
4. Black Diamond (Houston, Texas–3/10/1983)*
5. Detroit Rock City (Houston, Texas–3/10/1983)*
6. Rock And Roll All Nite (Houston, Texas–3/10/1983)*

BONUS LIVE PERFORMANCES

7. Rock And Roll Hell (Sioux City, Iowa–12/30/1982)*
8. I Want You (Rockford, Illinois –12/31/1982)*
9. King Of The Night Time World (Pine Bluff, Arkansas–2/11/1983)*
10. Cold Gin (Houston, Texas–3/10/1983)*
11. I Still Love You (Houston, Texas–3/10/1983)*
12. Strutter (Houston, Texas–3/10/1983)*

BONUS CREATURES TOUR SOUND EFFECTS

13. Tank Start Of Show*
14. Turbine*
15. Firehouse Siren*
16. Drum and Ending Tank*
17. Bass Solo Wind and Gargoyles*
18. Bells*
19. Flames*

The additional live material on disc five is just as great as what preceded it, especially the Creatures material, which is masterfully performed. Makes me wish I was young enough to attend KISS concerts in 1982 and 1983. The tour sound effects are not what I expected. Rather than short audio clips, they are about one minute or more each. We’re talking incredibly detailed, high-quality sound effects. It’s something I didn’t know I wanted, but I’m sure glad to have them.

Final Verdict

KISS Creatures of the Night 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition is a must-own release from the “Hottest Band in the World.” The 80-page book included with this box set is just as beautiful as the one that accompanied the Destroyer Super Deluxe Edition, and it is brimming with photos, notes, and insights from those who helped create Creatures, including Gene, Paul, and Michael James Jackson, among others. The five discs that comprise this set contain exceptional material. From the remastered iconic album, to the bevy of demos, outtakes, and rarities, there is much to love here. I can’t wait to receive my physical copy on November 18, so I can experience all the goodies this special release has to offer, including the Blu-ray audio version of the studio album. If you are a KISS fan, this is one release you cannot miss out on. It is exceptionally well done, and it has me even more excited for the next KISS album that receives this royal treatment.

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