KA: Bruce, you must be very relieved that “Carnival of Souls” is finally being released after well over a year of being in limbo. Perhaps you could run down the tracks on the album and give fans your thoughts on each song.
“Hate” – A very aggressive track form Gene that is very heavy and mean, classic Gene in the “Unholy” vibe.
“Rain” – A dark and slippery track that Paul wails on in the chorus. Nasty guitar work that I love. Trippy time signature too.
“Master & Slave” – A great, catchy riff from Paul that was a tough one to arrange, but it really shines with a dark bridge and great ending.
“Childhood’s End” – Gene’s opus to a friend, not sure if the friend is real. Great classic hooks and lots of production, kids and all, in an Ezrin fashion. Recording debut of my signature ESP in the solo, with double harmony guitar there.
“I Will Be There” – Great acoustic stuff here with Paul on 12 string and me on a 6 string acoustic with a classical guitar solo on nylon strings, which was a KISS first. Written for Evan, Paul’s kid.
“Jungle” – A nasty bass line with a wild, repeating guitar riff that sets up a jungle rhythm. Very much fun to play and reminds me of one of my favorite bands, CREAM.
“In My Head” – Dark, ugly and relentless guitars and vocals from Gene. Love the solo.
“It Never Goes Away” – Very moody song from Paul that has a 12 string Rickenbacker solo. Gene got me the Rickenbacker for my B-day!
“I Confess” – Very moody again from Gene. We used a string section on this that I played along with on my signature ESP. Cool, trippy Les Paul solo in the middle and at the end…. sounds like I was drunk!
“Seduction of the Innocent” – Gene’s trip to the middle east with tablas and all. Cool slide guitar from me with lots of delay for the dreamy effect.
“In the Mirror” – Some Hendrixy stuff from me there.
“I Walk Alone” – My epic song that was very hard, but that I am very proud of. It was fun to sing, but to recreate the demo with all the backward stuff was a challenge. I am very proud of how it came out and it was a prophetic title for me.
