Unholy
by Kiss

Album: Revenge (1992)
Charted: 26
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Gene Simmons sings lead on this track, where he takes the voice of evil incarnate, explaining that he was created by man.

    Kiss has long been rumored to be demonic (the band name stands for "Knights In Satan's Service," right?), but that's mostly a marketing ploy. Simmons does have some strong views on religion, which he touches on here, but he's no Satanist.
  • Simmons wrote this song with Vinnie Vincent, who replaced Ace Frehley in Kiss in 1982 but left two years later. Vincent co-wrote three songs on the Revenge album, which were his last contributions to the band.
  • This was the first single from the Revenge album, the last one before Kiss put their makeup back on, and their last produced by Bob Ezrin. "God Gave Rock And Roll To You II" was included on the album and released as a single a year earlier, but that song first appeared on the Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack.
  • Paul Rachman, known for his work on Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike" and Alice in Chains' "Man In The Box," directed the video, which shows a sepia-toned, sneering Simmons and some scary children. "That first track was hard rock, and it was Gene's song," Rachman told Songfacts. "He was confident in the idea."

    Rachman also directed the next two videos from the Revenge album: "I Just Wanna" and "Domino."

Comments: 1

  • Micheal Merkley from San Dieago California...F--k religion it’s bulls--t gene is right ..My thoughts exactly ....Heavy metal forever forever heavy metal ...heavy metal is god...
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Jonathan Cain of Journey

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.