Peter Criss
The red-horned heartbeat who turned a drum kit into a stage of pure, unbridled chaos.
Peter Criss is the founding drummer and one of the four original members of KISS, the rock spectacle that turned stadium concerts into theatrical events. Recruited by Paul Stanley in 1973, he brought a high-energy, showman's approach to the drum kit that became inseparable from the band's identity during its most iconic era. On stage, he embodied the persona of The Demon—a red-faced, horned figure whose wild drumming and physical theatrics made him as much a visual anchor as a musical one.
Beyond the drums, Criss contributed backing vocals and occasional lead vocal duties, adding a raw, percussive energy to the band's recordings. His departure in 1980 and the subsequent arrival of Eric Carr marked a noticeable shift in KISS's rhythmic identity, yet Criss's legacy as the original heartbeat of the group endures in the memories of fans who saw him command the stage in those legendary early tours.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Drummer; Backing & Lead Vocalist
- Persona
- The Demon
- Affiliation
- KISS (founding member)
- First appears
- 1973 (recruited by Paul Stanley)
- Tenure
- 1973–1980, 1996–1997 (reunion)
- Status
- Former member
- Notable trait
- Theatrical drumming style and physical stage antics
Lore & Background
In the mythology of KISS, The Demon was never merely a drummer. He was the primal force behind the curtain of spectacle—the one who could crawl across his own kit like a spider, hurl cymbals into the rafters, and make the audience feel the beat in their chest before a single note of guitar was struck. His red face paint and devil horns made him the visual counterweight to The Stargazer's white geometry and The Spaceman's cosmic blue. Together, the four painted faces formed a totemic quartet, and the Demon's wild, almost feral energy kept the whole tableau from tipping into pure artifice.
Fans who attended KISS shows in the mid-to-late 1970s often recall the drums as the thing that made the room shake. Criss's style was less about technical precision and more about physical commitment—full-body sways, dramatic cymbal crashes, and a relentless groove that locked in with Gene Simmons's bass like a piston engine. In the studio, that same energy translated into a punchy, driving backbeat that gave KISS's early recordings their propulsive momentum.
His departure in 1980 left a void that no amount of technical skill could fully fill, because what Criss offered was not just rhythm but ritual. When Eric Carr took over, the drums became cleaner, more intricate, and undeniably more polished—but a certain raw, almost feral showmanship that had defined the band's live identity for five years was gone. The Demon's legacy, however, is etched into the very DNA of what KISS meant to its earliest and most devoted fans.
Reader's Guide
Peter Criss (born July 26, 1944, in the Bronx, New York) served as KISS's drummer from the band's formation in 1973 through 1980, and returned for the 1996–1997 reunion tour. He embodied the persona of The Demon, recognizable by his red face paint and devil horns.
As the band's founding drummer—recruited by Paul Stanley before Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley joined—Criss set the rhythmic and theatrical template for KISS's live shows. His drumming was deliberately physical and show-driven: full-body sways, the famous "spider" crawl across the kit, and cymbal throws that turned the drum set into a stage prop. In the studio, his punchy, driving backbeat anchored the band's early recordings, and he contributed backing vocals and select lead vocal duties across the group's catalog.
His departure in 1980 and replacement by Eric Carr shifted KISS's sound toward a more technically precise, less overtly theatrical drum style. The 1996 reunion briefly restored the original lineup's chemistry, though the band's sound by then had evolved considerably. Criss's legacy remains that of the original heartbeat—the drummer who made KISS's early era feel less like a concert and more like a ritual.
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