DESTROYER (1976)

"We're off to see the wizard... "

This album...

When I first became a fan of Kiss, THIS was the album everyone raved about. They still do. The cover art. The album title. The song titles. It all screams 'Ultimate Kiss Album'. It opens with 'Detroit Rock City', for crying out loud. So, I got the album and cranked it up loud... and...

... was thoroughly disappointed. It isn't that it is bad. It just isn't the non-stop amazingness that Kiss fans talk it up as.

The two opening tracks are amazing and set the album up well. And I do mean amazing. But then almost everything after is just... I don't know... they are good songs, they just never really quite hit their mark. Then to make up for it, they get covered in strings and pianos and choirs. 'Flaming Youth' is one of those songs that sounds like it has so much promise, but the chorus just kind of lacks any kind of hook that grabs you and makes you want to throw your fist in the air.

And that goes for everything in the middle of the album. 'God of Thunder' has never really done much for me, 'Great Expectations' is kind of humorous, 'Flaming Youth' and 'Sweet Pain' both rock hard in places, before the album goes back to classic awesomeness with 'Shout It Out Loud' and 'Do You Love Me?'.

Then there is 'Beth' - Kiss' first actual hit. For all the grief Gene and Paul and fans give Peter Criss, without him and this song Kiss would never have even broken through to the mainstream audience the way they did. For that alone, he deserves eternal high-fives from all of us.

This album is also seen by some (meaning me, LOGMAN) as the beginning of the end of Kiss as we knew it; it was the first album other people played on songs (rumour has it Ace wouldn't leave his card game to record a solo or acoustic guitar or something) and really shows the control/influence Gene and Paul were looking to take. It would be the only time it didn't fail, which we will get to later.

Awesome album. A little overrated, sure - but still awesome.

Highlights:
Detroit Rock City, King of the Night Time World, Shout it Out Loud, Do You Love Me?

Lowlights:
Nothing

Verdict = 4 Smoking Les Pauls and a thumbs up