The Creepy Crawlers Peter Criss Single Review

My pals in the Horror Rock/Punk band, The Creepy Crawlers are gearing up to drop their latest single, “Peter Criss,” on Black Friday, and if that title has you scratching your head, buckle up. Peter’s newest album was recently announced, and wouldn’t you know it? It’s called Creepy Crawlers. So, in true Punk fashion, the band fired right back with a track named “Peter Criss.”

Co-lead singer Rev. Chad Wells is a notorious KISS lifer, the kind of diehard who bleeds greasepaint. The man’s got Simmons inked on one hand and Ace Frehley on the other, probably more scattered across his body like sacred relics. Point is, the Rev doesn’t play at being a fan. He is KISS fandom personified. And with Ace recently passing, it feels only right that the band pays tribute to one of the Originals.

But enough fanboy talk, let’s dig into the track.

This thing is a bite-sized Punk rocket, clocking in at 1:47, and it’s gone almost as fast as it hits. What I love most is how clever it is. The lyrics drop little winks, nods, and references to KISS songs, making the whole thing feel like a chaotic scrapbook of fandom. It’s wild, it’s messy in all the right ways, and it’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys on speed.

The chorus is total sugar-rush pop energy. The bridge is a direct lift in spirit from “Christine Sixteen”.

“When I saw that solo album sitting on the store shelf that day. I knew I had to have it – I had to have it!”

Then they crash headlong into a playful spin on Cheap Trick’s “Surrender”

“Paul is alright, Gene is alright” and so on.

They manage to name-drop every KISS member. It’s fucking brilliant.

Honestly, I’m floored. I don’t get this amped over sub-two-minute songs, but my lifelong KISS obsession had me grinning like an idiot. Listening to it feels like I was right there in the room with the band while they hammered this thing out

And I’m calling it now:
We need a Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Ace Frehley track to turn this whole thing into a four-song EP. That would rock my face clean off and send my inner child sprinting out of my ribcage.

“Peter Criss” drops Black Friday on all streaming platforms, with a physical release coming in December on the Shockwaves 3D compilation from Horror Shock Media. I can’t wait to hold this one in my hands.

This isn’t just for the Punk Rockers; it’s for every KISS maniac on the planet. A true love letter to one of Rock’s greatest drummers and most soulful voices.

And while no one asked… my favorite KISS members have always been Peter Criss and Ace fucking Frehley.

~Black Angel