KISS is a seminal glam metal band. They rose to the top on the strength of their distinct branding and aesthetic, but stayed there due to smash hits like "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "Beth." KISS peaked in terms of commercial success in the mid 1970s, but the band have continued to tour into the 2020s. Well, sort of.
As with most long running rock bands, members have come and gone, and only a few of the founders remain. KISS was founded by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss in 1973. They remained a close-knit four piece during the 1970s, but Criss has left the band multiple times since. We're here to detail the reasons behind each split, and why Criss is not with the band in the present.
Criss was allegedly fired from KISS in 1980
Peter Criss initially left KISS in 1980. The drummer and occasional vocalist had been getting less and less playing time on the band's albums, despite being featured prominently on the covers. There has been debate about whether Criss quit the band or was fired. He maintains that he quit, but the rest of the band claims they let him go.
Peter Criss spent the rest of the decade releasing solo material and drumming on various albums by bands like The Keep. He also assembled a band names Criss in the early 1990s, but failed to see any major success with them. The drummer eventually returned to KISS in 1996. He played on the album Psycho Circus in 1998, but the reunion was, unfortunately, short-lived.
Criss' messiest tenure with the band came during the early 2000s. The drummer left in 2001 over a contract dispute, and was replaced by Eric Singer. He rejoined KISS a year later, only to leave a third time in 2004. Singer was again tapped to be his replacement.
The drummer briefly returned in 1996 and 2002
Criss told Ultimate Classic Rock that he ultimately grew frustrated of feeling like he was on less stable ground that his fellow KISS co-founders. He felt he should have been given the same job security as, say, Stanley or Simmons.
"You started this thing like GM, and you were a CEO, and now you’re washing floors. It’s that kind of feeling," Criss told the outlet in 2012. "It was tough, being how I am, and doing things my own way. Now, I was sort of having to walk the line. It got really uncomfortable. It wasn’t fun anymore."
Criss was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of KISS in 2014. Four years later, the drummer and vocalist decided to retire from touring.