By: Michael Drukarsh
With turmoil raging behind the scene, Kiss tried one more time to show the fans a united front when they put out Creatures of the Night in October 1982.
Vinnie Vincent, who would later become an official member of the band, took over for Ace Frehley on guitar, (Frehley is featured on the cover and credited on the album) and other artists contributed to both song writing and playing. One of those, Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Adams, has just released his version of "War Machine", a track he is credited with co-writing along with Gene Simmons and Jim Vallance.
On Creatures, "War Machine" is the heaviest track, with a slow sludge guitar intro that is soon joined by heavy drums before Gene's demonic vocals kick in. Not something you'd expect the singer of "Everything I Do, I Do it for You" to be able to handle. Surprisingly though, he does.
With an intro that is a little less sludge and a slightly faster tempo, Adams' version does not have that heavy pulsing drive that the original possesses but that's to be expected. And, while the original Demon's drawn out "Yeah" between verses is missing, Adams definitely delivers a version that carriers the spirit of the first. His raspy voice, while not quite as demonic, suits the material well.
The accompanying video released with the song also does a fantastic job of supporting Adams' version. The senses of war and the tyrannical leader calling the shots is far more demonic than any Kiss video. Not bad for a guy who sings "Straight From the Heart".
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