Destroyer | 
| Artist: Kiss
Label: Island / Mercury
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy Used: $3.54
as of 2/9/2010 20:38 EST details
You Save: $8.44 (70%)
New (39) Used (30) from $3.54
Seller: NELSTANGO
Rating:  152 reviews
Sales Rank: 5061
Format: Original recording remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 532378
UPC: 731453237827
EAN: 0731453237827
ASIN: B000001EL3
Release Date: August 12, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Detroit Rock City | | • | King of the Night Time World | | • | God of Thunder | | • | Great Expectations | | • | Flaming Youth | | • | Sweet Pain | | • | Shout It out Loud | | • | Beth | | • | Do You Love Me |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential recording
With their 1976 album Destroyer, the band's fifth release in two years, Kiss began to expand their fan base by shedding a bit of their edge, taking on a more melodic sound and a less menacing image. The Peter Criss ballad "Beth," written for his wife, is the most sentimental love ballad the group ever recorded, and songs like "Detroit Rock City" and "Shout It Out Loud" had the kind of arena-rock punch that kept subscriptions to the Kiss Army at an all-time high. Despite, or because of, the blatantly commercial direction the band seemed to be heading in, 1976 was the most creatively rewarding period in its lengthy career. In addition to releasing Destroyer, the band pumped out the equally touted album Rock and Roll Over, which included the pounding "Take Me" and the groovin' "Calling Dr. Love." The only finer year was 1978, when the band starred in the classic B-grade flick Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. --Jon Wiederhorn
Album Description
Digitally remastered Japanese reissue of the band's top 201976 album in a miniaturized LP sleeve limited to theinitial pressing only. Nine tracks, including the top 10smash 'Beth', plus the classics 'Do You Love Me', 'Shout ItOut Loud' and 'Detroit Rock C
Album Details
Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 152
 Be Destroyed by KISS February 4, 2010
Captain Nemo (VA)
If you had not heard of KISS after Alive! was released, then you absolutely knew who they were after Destroyer came out. There is no denying that this is THE album that made KISS a household name. I remember radio stations playing the songs Shout It Out Loud and King of The Night Time World. The latter song was played on television on the Paul Lynde halloween special, and this appearance broadened KISS' exposure to new heights. Oddly, I do not remember hearing Beth on the radio at all.
This album is a must have in anyone's rock music collection.
Shout It Out Loud January 6, 2010
Steven Swan (Illinois)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was probably one of the first hard rock records I ever bought, I was a few years younger than the rest of my neighborhood friends and they all had all the early KISS records and always talked about them whether it be playing wiffleball in the street or shooting baskets it was all about how great the band KISS was. Somehow I got to purchase this one, and it quickly became my introduction to hard rock.
I have so many favorites here from start to finish, not much to complain about other than perhaps the out of place "Beth" and perhaps "Great Expectations" which along with "God Of Thunder" to me are also perhaps there to balance out the record.
"Detroit Rock City", and "King Of The Nightime World" are a great one-two punch to start off the Disc. Very upbeat hard rock with plenty of guitars and bombast to rock out to for sure. And the energy keeps coming with other favs in "Flaming Youth", "Sweet Pain", and my personal fav song on here and maybe of all time by Kiss in "Shout It Out Loud".
Just a great moment for the band, this is the only studio album I have of them...all the rest I have are the Live sets I II and III, and sometimes, many times I think that's all I need.
 KISS becomes the SuperFriends January 5, 2010
Mark (Peru IL)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I played the record grooves out of my copy of "ALIVE!" so I was hotly anticipating a rocking follow up. Then I saw the initial print ads for the album with simply the word "Destroyer" printed across the front. Looked real badass. I had read in the trades about Ezrin producing; and being a Cooper fan, I was pretty stoked about that as well. In short, it all looked like "Destroyer" was going to be a killer album (pun intended).
Then I heard "Shout it Out Loud" on the local AM station and it seemed like a retread of "Rock n Roll All Nite". But at the time I attributed that to marketing strategy and knew that AM singles had a target demographic and put my worries on hold.
Went to the store and got my copy when it was released. I was disappointed in the cover because the band looked like Disney characters. But I got it anyway.
So to the music: "Detroit Rock City" is one of the best KISS songs ever recorded. "God of Thunder" is a surprisingly dark song considering it was written by Paul Stanley. I've already touched on "Shout". "Beth" was the monster hit, although I like the unplugged version of this better.
The rest of the songs just seem to be vehicles for the band members to accentuate their stage personas, sometimes to ridiculous lengths.
I had hoped for more out of Ezrin. In 1970 he had taken a scruffy bunch of Arizona drunks and coached them into the Alice Cooper juggernaut. When I was expecting a "Killer" or "Love it to Death", what I got was a more lush and over-produced version of "Billion Dollar Babies". And why does he insist on putting little kids on every damn album he produces? "God of Thunder" was a first-rate head-banger, but Ezrin had to put some brat jabbering in the background which dulls any edge the song had.
While the album sold well and there are fan favorites on here, KISS realized it was a slight misstep and spent the next several albums trying to get back that edge from the previous albums. They jettisoned Ezrin and returned Eddie Kramer from "ALIVE!" to better results.
Reading the reviews here, I've seen the word "masterpiece" get thrown around so much I'm wondering if Gene Simmons isn't ghost-writing some of these. "Masterpiece" isn't a word that should be associated with these guys. That's like calling a Big Mac gourmet fare. KISS was never The London Symphony Orchestra and should never try to be. They were at their best when pounding out chest-thumping, fist-hoisting rockers. Go to YouTube and check out any of their pre-1976 concert footage. You'll see a lean, hungry group of guys out to just the the crowd on their feet and it works.
 Probably Kiss's most popular studio album of all time. November 10, 2009
Daniel Walimaa (Detroit Rock City, Michigan)
There is no denying that KISS Destroyer is one of the most famous Rock N' Roll albums of all time. KISS was starting to become a household name by the time they released Destroyer, and the album only did more to add to their rising fame.
Featuring quite possibly the best album opener of all time, Detroit Rock City, upon listening, you knew that you were in for a wild ride with this album. Detroit Rock City is everything that made KISS one of the greatest bands ever, with it's amazing power chords, Gene Simmons' bouncy bass lines, and Paul Stanley's incredible vocals, it was a KISS fan's dream come true.
The next song, King of the Night Time World, was another winner, with it's great rolling drums, and powerful guitar licks, and Paul Stanley singing, "I'm The King!", well, this is arena rock material of the highest order for sure. Next up, Gene unleashes his inner Demon on the wicked song, God of Thunder, a track so unworldly, only Gene Simmons could pull it off. And he does, splendidly.
But just when things are really starting to heat up, what does KISS do? They put a cheesy slow melodic song featuring Gene schmoozing it up to the female audience, titled Great Expectations. Sure, it's an okay song, I guess, but...oh, well, let's move on.
Paul Stanley steps things up a notch with the song Flaming Youth, which is not one of KISS's best songs ever, but after the last track, at least it picks up the pace a little more. Then there is, Sweet Pain, Gene Simmons' ode to S&M, I'm guessing. I'm not into S&M, but, this is a pretty cool song that I find myself humming to every time that I listen to it.
Next up is, Shout It Out Loud, which is another well-known KISS anthem, and, it rocks loud and proud with it's, "You've got to have a Party!" attitude. Up next is a touching ballad to Peter Criss' wife, titled Beth. It's a beautiful song sung by Criss as well, which ironically became KISS's first Top Ten hit, and it literally helped sell thousands more copies of this album to females who swooned at it's mushy lyrics.
The last song on the album is Do You Love Me, and it is another song sung this time by Paul Stanley schmoozing it up once again to the ladies, and it is, I'll admit, a guilty pleasure of mine. Then the album comes to an abrupt end with a track that is nothing but distorted concert gibberish with Paul Stanley talking to the audience. What The? That's it? Yep, unfortunately.
Still, the album delivers the Rock N' Roll goods, and that's all that really matters. And while it's not what I would consider KISS's best album, it is still no doubt an epic work of music for sure, and a definite crowd pleaser.
This brings back memories... October 29, 2009
J. Prosper (Hormigueros, PR United States)
When I was in High School I borrowed this from a friend, I couldn't wait to get home and listen to what I heard was a classic 70's rock album. I listened to it and, What is this?? This album sucks. Detroit Rock City and Shout It Out Loud are are the only OK songs, the rest of the songs are laughable and just embarrassing to hear. I even listened to the song samples here at Amazon before writing this review and I have to admit they still sound terrible. Many people say this is their best album, but I actually think KISS Love Gun is a little better, because the previous albums were awful.
I respect all the KISS fans, but I think they are one of the most overrated bands in history. Other 70's bands were years ahead of KISS and had much better albums than Destroyer. I'm talking about Boston's debut album and Don't Look Back, Bon Scott Era AC/DC's Let There Be Rock, UFO's Phenomenon, other material by Deep Purple, Rush...
Overrated Band, Overrated Album.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 152
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