By 1985, Kiss had been through three guitarists in three years. Founding member Ace Frehley quit in ’82, giving way to Vinnie Vincent, who was fired in ’84, leading to Mark St. John, who, due to a rare form of reactive arthritis in his hands, gave way to Bruce Kulick, also in ’84. In Kulick, Kiss had found their man.
He had style and chops and wasn’t afraid. He’d played in place of St. John on two songs from 1984’s Animalize – Lonely Is the Hunter and Murder in High-Heels – and toured in support of Animalize after St. John’s arthritis flared up. But Kiss’s next release, 1985’s Asylum, was his first proper Kiss album.
