Hard To Believe A KISS Covers Compilation (2LP)

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A SECOND HAND ITEM. GRADED AS MEDIA – MINT, COVER – MINT

There’s a strange little thrill that comes with hearing a band like KISS filtered through the minds of other musicians. It’s like watching someone repaint a childhood memory in their own colours. Hard To Believe is one of those underground gems that slipped through the cracks of the early 90s, a punk-leaning tribute album where raw energy beats polish every time. Released in 1992, it came out at a time when KISS themselves were in a strange transitional period, but the bands on this compilation didn’t care about the changing tides. They just blasted the songs they grew up wearing out on vinyl.

This compilation became a cult favourite because it isn’t some glossy, label-approved, star-studded tribute. It’s scrappy. It’s loud. It’s full of bands taking KISS songs and tearing them down to the studs, rebuilding them in the spirit of basement shows, cigarette smoke, and half-broken amps. Where KISS wrapped their songs in bombast and flash, these bands lunge at them with distortion, attitude, and that early 90s DIY punch.

Part of the album’s charm is how unfiltered it feels. Some songs stay true to the originals, keeping the skeleton intact. Others twist them completely sideways, turning KISS anthems into snarling punk bangers.

Nirvana’s cover gets talked about the most, but the real treasure here is how each band approaches KISS completely on their own terms. Nothing feels forced. Nothing feels like a band trying to score points with nostalgia. They’re just having fun with songs they’ve lived with for years.

The production is rough in the best possible way. It gives the whole record that photocopied-zine authenticity. You can almost feel the grit on your fingers when you play it. Fans of KISS hear familiar riffs coming at them like they’ve been dragged through the punk underground. Fans of 90s alt-rock get a time capsule from before the genre exploded.

It’s the kind of release that only could have happened at that precise moment in time — half tribute, half love letter, half middle finger, all heart.

BY RUE MORGUE RECORDS