Unmasked (Kiss album)

Unmasked is the eighth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on May 20, 1980, by Casablanca Records. Continuing the band's departure from hard rock, the album has a more pop-friendly sound, but with less disco influence. Drummer and founding member Peter Criss (largely absent from the preceding Dynasty, only performing on the song "Dirty Livin'") is not present on any tracks. Despite having no involvement in its production, Criss features in the album's artwork, the video for "Shandi" and receives credit.

Unmasked is often considered a "flop" or at least a commercial disappointment compared to the band's earlier success, with the dubious distinction of being the first non-platinum Kiss album since Dressed to Kill (1975), only reaching No. 35 on the Billboard 200, the worst position for the band since Hotter Than Hell (1974), and only one of the singles, "Shandi", charting in the U.S. Still, it was certified gold by the RIAA on July 30, 1980, reached the top five in several countries, and was one of the band's most successful albums in Oceania.

Critical reception of Unmasked was equally poor, with even bassist Gene Simmons opining "it's a shitty album," and vocalist and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley calling it "wimpy" and a "pretty crappy album" but defended "Tomorrow" as "really a great song." In recent years, the album has garnered some positive reappraisal, with Ultimate Classic Rock considering it a "highly underrated power-pop gem," but is still unpopular with Kiss fans, and blamed for the band's early 1980s slump, due to alienating their loyal hard rock audience.