Released just six months after their landmark live album, Alive!, Kiss’s Destroyer made a thunderous arrival on March 15, 1976. By November, it hit certified sales of a million copies, driven by a fusillade of classic tracks that would barely leave the band’s setlist throughout their storied career.
The four singles were “Shout It Out Loud,” “Flaming Youth,” “Detroit Rock City,” and “Beth.” Drummer Peter Criss penned “Beth” with producer Bob Ezrin and Stan Penridge, and also sang lead. It would be Kiss’s biggest single in the U.S., hitting #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It went gold on its own and won the 1977 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Song.
In addition to that quartet of tunes, the album contained what might be the official Gene Simmons statement, “God of Thunder.” Written by singer/guitarist Paul Stanley and sung by bassist Simmons, “Thunder” became a beloved staple of the group’s live shows, featuring Simmons doing his blood-spitting routine. While it’s regarded as a top Kiss song in its own right, it’s a legend of theatrical stagework.
So if you’re in the mood for some retro rock power, put on Kiss’s Destroyer. It’s a highlight of the original “make-up” era, and a definite good-time record.
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Comments
My Favorite KISS album! Which is a difficult call for me to make.
Thanks for this new look at ‘Destroyer’. To be honest with you though, it’ll really be a first time listen. Kiss fell into a musical no man’s land for me; liking them to a certain extent, but that’s all. In those days there was so much great music coming out to concentrate on, they got overlooked. So now would be the perfect time to listen to this album!