Album: Destroyer
Artist: Kiss
Release Date: March 15, 1976
Genre: Hard Rock
Length: 0:34:28
Label: Casablanca Records
Producer: Bob Ezrin
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2012): #489
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2020): N/A
1,001 Album Book: Yes
I guess Gene Simmons' tongue is too large to sing well...
March 15, 1976, hard rock kings, Kiss, released their fourth album in their illustrious careers and third album in a row to top the charts, peaking at #11 on the U.S Billboard 200. Destroyer received gold certification and was the first album by the group to achieve platinum status as well.
The opening song "Detroit Rock City" starts with what sounds like someone cleaning dishes while listening to the news about someone dying in a car crash. It then moves on to feature the unknown character getting into their car, naturally tuning in to a Kiss song on the radio. It cuts in and out to indicate a change of characters, one listening to "Rock and Roll All Nite" and the other not listening to anything. The cinematic effects are then slowly overtaken by the slight but intense build-up of a guitar to lead into the song. The lyrics, written by Paul Stanley and producer Bob Ezrin, have an underlying theme of driving too fast so that they can get to a Kiss concert in time. At the very end of the song, you'll hear a car collision, implying that the two characters crashed into each other. Inspired by real events in which a Kiss super-fan unfortunately passed away in a car crash headed to a Kiss concert. "Detroit Rock City" is a wonderful tribute to a die-hard fan, especially considering it appearing on Kiss' most successful album up to that point.
Fading cleanly into the next rock power anthem, Destroyer features a multitude of impressive production techniques, which helps set this album apart from the previous catalog Kiss had at the time. The third track for instance "God of Thunder" has the sound of children screaming throughout as an added touch. Something that is shockingly not annoying, but adds a little extra "oomph" along with the power hits of the toms. To completely contrast the epic metal jam "God of Thunder", "Great Expectations" completely switches the feel and sound to a more ballad feel. With a choir that sings in the background of the chorus lines, the song features a more musical side of Kiss, rather than just being the dark, glam rock characters you think of when visioning their stage shows.
Even though the album features some production marvels, there are points the overwhelming amount of distortion start to overpower what would be an otherwise production masterpiece for 1976. The song "Sweet Pain" showcases how overpowering some bits of the guitar are compared to the rest of the mix.
Destroyer continues to surprise the listener all the way up until the smash hit "Beth". The song has lyrics talking about what it's like to miss your spouse while on tour, something the common man will surely sympathize with (insert sarcasm here). The song has maintained its status as one of the most popular rock ballads of all time, inspiring an entire generation of 80s hair metal ballads. A completely laid back, beautiful song featuring a piano solo, an orchestra and no electronic instruments, the song takes everything you knew about Kiss, flips it upside down, and shakes it all out of you.
The sheer differences among the album make Destroyer an extremely entertaining album as you never know what you'll get after a song ends and the next one begins. With hard rock songs, ballads, metal anthems, and pop hits, the album has something for everyone with one stipulation ... you still have to enjoy the patented "Kiss" sound. Even though all of the songs sound different from the last, each song is definitively Kiss. I'm sure during the release these songs were new and refreshing, but listening now makes it hard to enjoy some of the more boring songs like "Sweet Pain". The entire album features the full band (Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss) on vocals and not surprising to me, the songs I liked the least for the vocal performance were the ones Simmons was the lead vocalist ("God of Thunder", "Great Expectations" and "Sweet Pain"). Overall the album has some great songs, some mediocre songs, and some songs that I would rather not hear again. I would recommend listening to any of the songs performed by Paul Stanley and "Beth" which was performed by Criss. I would especially recommend listening to the first song with headphones on and your eyes closed as the beginning is sure to draw you in with the beautiful cinematic sounds.
Favorite Songs: "Beth", "Detroit Rock City", "Do You Love Me"
Least Favorite Song: "Sweet Pain"
Production Quality:
Mix = 8/10 (cool cinematic effects, but the overwhelming distortion lowers the final rating here)
Innovation = 8/10
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 10/10
Lyricism = 6/10 (while the lyrics aren't horrible, they are almost laughable at some points)
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 7/10 (three songs with Gene Simmons, three points down)
Instrumental Timbre = 8/10 (distortion on guitars overwhelms sometimes)
Group Chemistry = 10/10
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 6/10
Overall Rating: 7.7/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!