Destroyer

by Kiss

Overview

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. ~ Greg Prato

Product Details

Release Date:	08/12/1997
Label:	Mercury
UPC:	0731453237827
Rank:	502

Tracks

1. Detroit Rock City
2. King of the Night Time World
3. God of Thunder
4. Great Expectations
5. Flaming Youth
6. Sweet Pain
7. Shout It out Loud
8. Beth
9. Do You Love Me
10. [Untitled]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kiss   Primary Artist
Gene Simmons   Primary Artist,Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Lead Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Bob Ezrin   Keyboards,Orchestra,Piano
David Ezrin   Vocals
Brooklyn Boys Chorus   Vocals
Citrus Singers   Vocals (Background)
J.R. Smalling   Drums
Josh Ezrin   Vocals
Paul Stanley   Lead Vocals,Guitar (Bass),Guitar
Dick Wagner   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
New York Philharmonic   Orchestra
Richard Gerstein   Piano
Peter Criss   Drums,Lead Vocals
Ace Frehley   Guitar,Vocals
Helen Reddy   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Bob Ezrin   Producer,Audio Production,Composer
Kim Fowley   Composer
Ivan Kral   Composer
Eddie Kramer   Producer
Ken Kelly   Cover Painting
Stan Penridge   Composer
Mark Anthony   Composer,Composer,Composer,Composer
Dennis Woloch   Design
C. Mark Anthony   Composer
Stanley Penridge   Composer
Paul Stanley   Producer,Composer
Corky Stasiak   Engineer
Jay Messina   Engineer
Iggy Pop   Composer
Gene Simmons   Composer,Producer
Sean Delaney   Producer
Peter Criss   Composer
Ace Frehley   Composer