9. Kiss
OK, marketing your own condoms, vacation packages and even coffins isn't terribly metal, but consider this: Without Kiss, glam metal wouldn't have had the same flash, strut or exuberance; shock-rockers might never have spat blood, blown fire or detonated things onstage; and black-metal musicians might never have donned kabuki makeup and prowled around like demons.
Kiss did it all right from the start of their career, which began with a bang as loud as their onstage pyro. Mixing the glam stylings of the New York Dolls with hard-rock riffing, Kiss crafted a calculated blend of fist-in-air anthems and emotive ballads that set the sky alight. And while it was their stage shows that made them legendary, they were also prolific songwriters.
Between their excellent self-titled debut in 1974 and their 1985 disc Asylum, Kiss released a total of 18 albums (including the members four 1978 solo efforts). And during this time, Kiss commanded a legion of frenzied followers who doled out their allowances to become members of the Kiss Army. While it was probably another of Gene Simmons' shrewd business moves (along with releasing comics, board games, pinball machines and the awful movie "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park"), the Army gave Kiss fans a community and a sense of empowerment. Regardless of what kind of trauma was going on at home, as soon as Kiss soldiers put the needle on the record, they were part of a worldwide cultural phenomenon — something much bigger than themselves.
Although many consider Kiss to be a straight-ahead rock band — musically, anyway — they were vital to the evolution of metal. The structures of songs like "Detroit Rock City," "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "God of Thunder" have been imitated by countless metal bands, and loyal Kiss Army troopers included Rob Zombie, Pantera's Vinnie Paul and the late "Dimebag" Darrell (who actually was buried in a Kiss Kasket).
In 2000, Kiss launched a farewell tour — which still hasn't ended despite the comings and goings of guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss. Kiss, Inc. just keeps on rollin' ...