In a new interview with Metal Hammer magazine, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian singled out KISS‘ first live album, 1975’s Alive!, as the greatest record of all time.
“If I had to choose, the greatest album would probably be KISS‘ Alive! just because of what it means to me and the influence it’s had on my life,” Ian said. For me as a kid, KISS was just the biggest influence on me as far as moving ahead in my life was concerned and knowing what I wanted to do with my life which was play guitar in a band.
“Because of that album, that’s why anyone gives a sh*t about anything that I have to say or do because KISS‘ Alive! put me on that path of wanting to be a guy in a band,” he continued. “It just connected with me in a really strong way back in 1975. I loved the songs, I loved the look and as a kid who was into comic books and horror, it was drugs for me as an 11-year-old.
Ian added: “It was the perfect place, perfect time for me to hear and see something like that and they’re still one of the biggest bands in the world so I guess it worked!
“I’m friends with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley and Peter Criss now, I’ve known Gene for 30 years and he’s well aware of what KISS means to me.”
