Destroyer

( 9 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Greg Prato
The pressure was on Kiss for their fifth release, and the band knew it. Their breakthrough, Alive!, was going to be hard to top, so instead of trying to recreate a concert setting in the studio, they went the opposite route. Destroyer is one of Kiss' most experimental studio albums, but also one of their strongest and most interesting. Alice Cooper/Pink Floyd producer Bob Ezrin was on hand, and he strongly encouraged the band to experiment -- there's extensive use of sound effects the album's untitled closing track, the appearance of a boy's choir "Great Expectations", and an orchestra-laden, heartfelt ballad "Beth". But there's plenty of Kiss' heavy thunder rock to go ...
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More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Greg Prato
The pressure was on Kiss for their fifth release, and the band knew it. Their breakthrough, Alive!, was going to be hard to top, so instead of trying to recreate a concert setting in the studio, they went the opposite route. Destroyer is one of Kiss' most experimental studio albums, but also one of their strongest and most interesting. Alice Cooper/Pink Floyd producer Bob Ezrin was on hand, and he strongly encouraged the band to experiment -- there's extensive use of sound effects the album's untitled closing track, the appearance of a boy's choir "Great Expectations", and an orchestra-laden, heartfelt ballad "Beth". But there's plenty of Kiss' heavy thunder rock to go around, such as the demonic "God of Thunder" and the sing-along anthems "Flaming Youth," "Shout It Out Loud," "King of the Night Time World," and "Detroit Rock City" the latter a tale of a doomed concert-goer, complete with violent car-crash sound effects. But it was the aforementioned Peter Criss ballad, "Beth," that made Destroyer such a success; the song was a surprise Top Ten hit it was originally released as a B-side to "Detroit Rock City". Also included is a song that Nirvana would later cover "Do You Love Me?", as well as an ode to the pleasures of S&M, "Sweet Pain." Destroyer also marked the first time that a comic-book illustration of the band appeared on the cover, confirming that the band was transforming from hard rockers to superheroes.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 8/12/1997
  • Label: Island / Mercury
  • UPC: 731453237827
  • Catalog Number: 532378
  • Sales rank: 8,422

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Detroit Rock City (5:17)
  2. 2 King of the Night Time World (3:21)
  3. 3 God of Thunder (4:17)
  4. 4 Great Expectations (4:24)
  5. 5 Flaming Youth (3:00)
  6. 6 Sweet Pain (3:21)
  7. 7 Shout It out Loud (2:50)
  8. 8 Beth (2:49)
  9. 9 Do You Love Me (3:40)
  10. 10 [Untitled] (1:25)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Kiss Primary Artist
Peter Criss Drums, Group Member
Ace Frehley Guitar, Group Member
Gene Simmons Bass
Paul Stanley Guitar, Group Member
H.A. Macmillan Performing Ensemble
Technical Credits
Bob Ezrin Producer, Orchestration
Jay Messina Engineer
Joseph M. Palmaccio Remastering
Corky Stasiak Engineer
Mitchell Kanner Redesign
Robert V. Conte Liner Notes
Ken Kelly Illustrations, Paintings
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 9 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(7)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 22, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Revenge
    Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
    Psycho Circus
    Love Gun
    Rock and Roll Over

    amazing album by kiss great production as well

    awesome album by kiss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    What's the concept?

    This is, quite simply, the greatest album of all time.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Keeping the flame burning

    With Destroyer, KISS proved that the success of Alive! was no fluke. Further, the band proved that they could record a consistently good studio album. Bob Ezrin, Alice Cooper's longtime producer was brought in to helm this project and his experience as a producer and engineer really helps to bring out the best in KISS. Special note to the reviewer who gave this album only one star: do not make blanket statements like "no one really likes these songs." The fact is, dear sir or madame, you are in a minority because many people do love these songs and that is why Destroyer ranks high among KISS's best albums. It is true that not every song is a winner. "Flaming Youth," for example, is a dud with or without the caliope break in the middle eight. But, overall many KISS concert staples are included here: "Detroit Rock City" & "God of Thunder" became instant classics. The latter has become so identified with Gene Simmons that one can forget that the song was written by Paul Stanley. A demo featuring Stanley singing lead vocals can be heard on the 2001 KISS Box Set. "Do You Love Me?" may contain juvenile lyrics, but are they anymore juvenile than "Hotter Than Hell," "Firehouse" or "C'mon & Love Me?" Any band other than KISS could not credibly record such songs, but KISS make the lyrics believable to a point. Whatever one may think of "Beth," it is a sweet, tender love song that perfectly captures the frustrations of a rock star juggling his career and a relationship. "Shout it Out Loud" almost eclipses "Rock n Roll All Nite" as an anthem and the former may indeed have become KISS' signature song had the latter not been recorded first. Arguably, this may not have been KISS's best album, but it did prove that they were indeed a force to be reckoned with in rock music.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Destroyer is a Destroyer

    One of the best KISS albums ever.Better than Alive and Dressed to kill.I'd recomend this album any day.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    The Best KISS album!

    The KISS album "Destroyer" is the best KISS album.By far.Why?Because this was the album where KISS took there songwriting style up to a higher level.I don't know who came up with the title,but they were right:IT IS A DESTORYER OF AN ALBUM!The standout track is "Detroit Rock City".Why?Because there is a great guitar riff from Ace Frehley at the beginning of the song,and it is a great song with a great story.The only weak track is the Gene Simmons love song "Great Expectations"because it is not a good love song,and if we're going to get a Gene Simmons love song,that's make it a good one.Little Unknown Fact:Paul Stanley wrote "Detroit Rock City"after finding out a KISS fan in South Carolina was going to see a KISS concert and died in a car crash.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    You Want the Best...and You Get the Best

    For mine, this is (the original line-up of) Kiss' best studio album and one of the best rock albums of the 1970s.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Terrible

    I can never understand why this album gets so much attention. It is almost as weak as "Unmasked". "God of Thunder" and "Detroit Rock City" are great songs but other than that its filler. "Flaming Youth" is aweful and so is "King of the Nighttime World" Lets be honest, nobody really likes those songs. How about "Do You Love Me" or Great Expectations"? What stupid lyrics!! Horrible!! If you want to hear Kiss at their finest, listen to "Hotter than Hell", "Creatures of the Night" "Rock N Roll Over" or "Kiss". Leave "Destroyer" and Bob Ezrin in the bargain bin.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Kiss Klassic!

    This album got alot of hard knocks upon its release, but it sure didn't deserve them! I can think of 2 words to describe this album: ON FIRE! From the opening riff of ''Detroit Rock City'', to the closing wounds of ''Do you love me?'', this album is on fire, super hot. ''Flaming Youth'' is one of my favorites, &, of course, the klassic ''God of thunder'' speaks for itself. Heck, I even enjoyed ''Great expectations''! If you don't have this one, your collection is incomplete!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 28, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews