Paul Stanley: guitar
Ace Frehley: guitar
Gene Simmons: bass
Eric Carr: drums

Produced by Michael James Jackson, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. 

Recorded by Dave Wittman at The Record Plant, Los Angeles.  Drums recorded by Nikos Bolas at Record One, Los Angeles.  Mixed by Bob Clearmountain at The Power Station, New York.

According to the website www.kiss.ch/cover-versions, "War Machine" has been recorded by the following bands (on CD, LP, 7-inch vinyl, or radio/television appearance):  Instigators, Sack Trick, Acheron, Crucifix, Cyclone Tracy, Garden Of Worm, Hermansen/Bielfeld, Ken Rex, Kissuco, Loungelizardboots, Satin, Six Feet Under, Smash, Transport League, and White Zombie.

The following is quoted from the KISS "Box Set" (2002).

Gene Simmons: "War Machine started off, strangely enough, on a cheap miniature synthesizer. I had been recording demos at home on a small four-track recording facility and wanted to do some different kinds of things. I had bought the synthesizer just to add a layer of sound in the back of something, in back of a guitar. But while fiddling with it, I fell on the 'War Machine' riff."

Gene continues ...

"The original 'War Machine' was a song almost purely based around the riff. The riff never stopped and the vocals continued over the guitar figure. Michael James Jackson suggested bringing in a co-writer who would help with the lyrics. He suggested a brand new writer, who was an up-and-coming recording artist himself, named Bryan Adams, and his co-writing partner, Jim Vallance. Vallance, Adams and I would co-write 'War Machine' and 'Rock and Roll Hell', both of which appeared on Creatures Of The Night. Adams and Vallance added some chordal passages and the basic lyrical content, including the title, 'War Machine'."

Jim Vallance: On a number of occassions over the years I've been asked about my contribtuion to "War Machine" ... for example Sakis Nikas, editor of Rock Hard Magazine in Athens, Greece. The song was written nearly 40 years ago, so it's difficult to remember all the details. I've read the interviews and "liner notes" where Gene says he sent us a riff, but I don't remember it happening that way. Plus, I keep everything, and I can't find a copy of Gene's "riff tape" anywhere in my collection. I'm not saying I'm right and Gene's wrong. I'm just saying, that's how I remember it.

But here's an interesting clue. Checking my files, I see that Gene only claimed a small share of "Rock 'N Roll Hell", but on "War Machine" we split the song three ways ... one-third each. That tells me Gene believed -- and Bryan and I believed -- that Gene's contribution to "War Machine" was more significant than I recall.

In any case, all these years later, listening to the demo Adams and I recorded in my home studio in April '82, it's obvious that we contributed significantly more than some chordal passages and the basic lyrical content.

KISS performed War Machine during their 1994 "Monsters Of Rock" world tour, including concerts in Chicago (April 2), Santiago, (September 1), and Buenos Aires (September 3 and 14). 

War Machine also appeared on the KISS set-list during their 2004 "Rock The Nation" tour.