KISS has been rocking stages and stereos since 1973, and every album they released kicked off with a song meant to grab your attention. Some of those opening tracks became legendary, while others left fans scratching their heads.
Ranking these openers is a fun way to look back at the band’s wild career, from face-painted glory days to experimental detours. Get ready for a journey through the best and weakest first impressions KISS ever put on wax.
1. Detroit Rock City – Destroyer (1976)
Few songs in rock history announce themselves quite like this one. That opening radio-and-crash sequence leads into one of the most explosive riffs ever recorded, and from the first chord, you know something massive is coming.
Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley created a track that still gives listeners chills decades later.
It has opened more KISS concerts than any other song, which says everything. As an album opener for Destroyer, it set a standard nearly impossible to beat.
2. Strutter – Kiss (1974)
Right out of the gate on their very first album, KISS came in swinging with a track that felt like a declaration of war on boring rock music. Strutter has a raw, primal energy that no amount of studio polish could ever replicate.
It introduced the world to a band that meant serious business.
The riff is simple but absolutely relentless. For a debut album opener, it remains one of the most confident first statements any band has ever made on record.
3. I Stole Your Love – Love Gun (1977)
Some songs hit you like a freight train from the first second, and this is absolutely one of them. That big, propulsive guitar riff from Ace Frehley grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go.
Paul Stanley’s vocal delivery is sharp and full of attitude, matching the track’s relentless pace perfectly.
Critics and fans alike have called it one of the greatest album openers in the band’s catalog. It was tailor-made for the stage and sounds just as powerful today.
4. Creatures of the Night – Creatures of the Night (1982)
After a rough commercial stretch, KISS came back swinging with one of the heaviest tracks of their career. Creatures of the Night opens its album like a sledgehammer, packed with crunching guitars and a thunderous rhythm section that signals the band was done playing it safe.
It felt like a genuine reset.
Fans who had worried KISS was fading away were immediately reassured. The track remains a live favorite and a reminder that the band still had plenty of fire left.
5. Exciter – Lick It Up (1983)
Lick It Up was a massive moment for KISS because it was their first album without the iconic makeup, and Exciter had the unenviable job of kicking things off. Thankfully, it delivered.
The track is fast, aggressive, and full of the kind of hard rock energy that reminded fans the band was still a force.
The album went gold, and Exciter deserves some of the credit. It proved that KISS could shed the face paint and still open an album with authority and punch.
6. Unholy – Revenge (1992)
By 1992, plenty of people had written KISS off as a relic of the past. Then Revenge arrived, and Unholy shut everyone up in a hurry.
Opening with a dark, grinding riff and an almost menacing attitude, the track made clear this was not the party-friendly KISS of the late 1970s.
Revenge was widely praised as a surprising return to form, and Unholy set that tone immediately. It remains one of the most underrated openers in their entire discography, full of grit and purpose.
7. Modern Day Delilah – Sonic Boom (2009)
Nobody expected much from a KISS album in 2009, which made Sonic Boom’s arrival all the more satisfying. Modern Day Delilah opens the record with a crunchy, classic-sounding riff that could have fit comfortably on any of their 1970s albums.
It felt like a genuine love letter to their own legacy.
Critics noted it was one of the strongest songs KISS had written in decades. As an opener, it did exactly what it needed to: prove the band still had creative life in them.
8. Hell or Hallelujah – Monster (2012)
Monster was KISS doubling down on the classic sound they had rediscovered with Sonic Boom, and Hell or Hallelujah made a solid case for that approach right from the start. The track goes straight for the jugular with a crunchy riff and a chorus built for arenas.
It also served as the album’s lead single.
While it is not quite as memorable as their all-time great openers, it is a confident and energetic choice. Fans who wanted classic KISS got exactly what they came for.
9. Got to Choose – Hotter Than Hell (1974)
Hotter Than Hell had a tough act to follow after the debut, and Got to Choose was not quite up to the task of matching Strutter’s ferocious energy. It is a decent enough hard rock track, but it feels a little flat compared to what the band was capable of delivering as an opener.
Some fans rank it near the bottom of KISS openers for exactly that reason. It is perfectly fine rock and roll, but fine is not what you want from a band known for going all out.
10. Room Service – Dressed to Kill (1975)
Dressed to Kill was famously recorded on a rushed schedule, and Room Service carries a little of that hurried energy with it. The song is fun and breezy, with a playful tone that fits the album’s more casual vibe.
But as an opener, it lacks the punch you hope to feel when a new KISS record begins.
The band had not quite recharged their creative batteries between albums, and it shows here. Room Service is likable, but it does not exactly set the world on fire.
11. Crazy, Crazy Nights – Crazy Nights (1987)
The late 1980s were a tricky time for KISS, and Crazy Nights captures both the good and the bad of that era in one tidy package. The song is catchy and radio-friendly, but it also sounds like the band chasing trends rather than setting them.
Keyboards dominate the mix in a way that divided longtime fans sharply.
The album it opens has been criticized for leaning too hard into hair metal territory. As a first impression, Crazy Nights feels more like a costume than a statement.
12. Is That You? – Unmasked (1980)
Unmasked was KISS moving in a noticeably softer, more pop-oriented direction, and Is That You? reflects that shift right from the first note. It is a pleasant enough song, melodic and well-produced, but it does not sound much like the fire-breathing rock band that made Detroit Rock City famous just four years earlier.
One reviewer famously called it a good song, just not a KISS song. As an album opener, it set a tone that many hardcore fans found difficult to accept or embrace.
13. The Oath – Music from The Elder (1981)
Music from The Elder stands as one of the strangest chapters in KISS history, a concept album so far removed from their roots that it baffled nearly everyone who heard it. The Oath opens this unusual record with an orchestral, theatrical feel that is genuinely interesting but wildly out of place for a KISS album.
The Elder was a commercial disaster in the United States, and The Oath set the tone for why. Ambition alone cannot save an opener that leaves fans completely disoriented.
14. Hate – Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997)
Recorded during the grunge era and shelved for years before finally seeing release, Carnival of Souls is one of the most unusual records in the KISS catalog. Hate opens the album with a slow, heavy, almost sleepy atmosphere that feels more like a band searching for an identity than one confidently leading the charge.
The attempt to align with alternative rock trends resulted in something that never quite clicked. As an opener, Hate is more of a curiosity than a statement, and it lands firmly at the bottom of this list.