The album opens with the explosive "Exciter". KISS are in full 1980s mode here, very loud and punchy, mainly due to the influence of guitarist/madman Vinny Vincent. Very sexually-charged, it reflects the sound that Paul Stanley would purse for the remainder of the 1980s, a variation of the "glam metal" that was dominating rock music at the time, pop music covered in a metallic shell. The highlight of the song is Vincent's solo, proving that outside of Ace Frehley, he is easily the best lead player that KISS has ever had. A good song, my favorite on the album. "Not For the Innocent" is a pretty heavy tune, very reminiscent of Creatures of the Night, especially "War Machine" off that album. Gene sounds great, and I believe that he only grew as a vocalist during the 1980s and 1990s. I love the gory and sexual lyrics, a perfect combination for the very heavy music. Eric Carr sounds great, and despite the fact that I love Peter Criss, Carr remains my pick for best KISS drummer to date. A fantastic track, great to see KISS rocking hard after the wussy early 1980s pre-Creatures albums.
The title track has never been one of my favorite tracks, but is always stuck in my head, and is easily the catchiest KISS song to date. Very repetitive and shallow, I really do not like the song too much, but can't stop singing it around the house, on the bus, pretty much anywhere. So, I have to respect the song for that fact alone, and I can see why it has endured and helped make the album the relative success it was. Going tit for tat with Paul, Gene comes in with "Young and Wasted". Another heavy tune, it makes Paul's songs look pretty tame in comparison. I love the combination of Vinnie Vincent and Gene, they shared a very special chemistry together and crafted some great rock tunes. This one is not exception. Vinnie's solo is great, like an over-driven version of Ace, but much more technical. The late Eric Carr is a beast on the kit, very loud here, a great complement to Vincent's extremely driven guitars. Gene sounds great, and the lyrics are pretty deep, seemingly about addiction, from what I get, drug addiction.
On "Gimme More" Stanley takes it up a notch as well. Vocally, Paul sounds great as well. I think he did his best vocals in the early to mid 1980s. I'm not crazy about the chorus of the song however, a little ridiculous with its very processed vocal effects. The true highlight of the song is Vinnie's solo, and indeed the main verse riff, the guitar work being the highlight of the track for me. Not bad at all, just not a classic for me. "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" features Paul Stanley rapping. The rap section has never been for me, almost as ridiculous as Debbie Harry from Blondie rapping. But I do like the chorus, classic 80s KISS, very "stadium-friendly", a great crowd-pleaser. "A Million to One" is a power ballad from Paul, a style which would dominate the majority of the rest of KISS' 1980s albums. A classic Paul ballad, I really like the longing Paul evokes on the song. The solo is one of Vinnie's best, and I really like the brief moments of "finger tapping", very 80s.
"Fit's Like a Glove" is a pretty average song. The beginning of a long decline for the quality of Gene songs, I think the song suffers from lack of assistance of Vincent, who helped both Paul and Gene write the majority of the album. Gene sounds almost too aggressive, screaming at the top of his lungs, a disturbing sound. The solo smokes, but an average song to say the least. "Dance All Over Your Face" is another mediocre Gene song. It sounds like "Juke Box Hero" by Foreigner, and I wonder if Gene had outside help with the song, it doesn't real sound like his songwriting style. Whoever wrote it, I find the lyrics pretty misogynistic, a trend that would continue with Gene songs through the 1980s. The song also suffers from the worst production on the album, very tinny sounding. Not a great track. Last up is "And On The 8th Day". Another Gene song, I find it pretty cheesy and lame. Catering to a very adolescent fan base, the song feels tacky for Gene, an attempt to match the "rock free" zeitgeist of the 1980s. Not horrible, but lame.
"Lick It Up" is certainly not horrible, but contains quite a few stinkers. I have never liked the album as much as Creatures, and consider the album the start of a long artistic decline that would consume the band for the majority of the 1980s.
Rating-6.5/10
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