Music / Destroyer (Album)

The original cover.

Destroyer is the fourth studio album by KISS. That and their following album Rock and Roll Over were both released in 1976. It's best remembered for their hit song "Detroit Rock City".

Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Detroit Rock City" (5:20)
2. "King of the Night Time World" (3:13)
3. "God of Thunder" (4:13)
4. "Great Expectations" (4:21)

Side Two

1. "Flaming Youth" (2:55)
2. "Sweet Pain" (3:20)
3. "Shout It Out Loud" (2:50)
4. "Beth" (2:45)
5. "Do You Love Me" (3:33)
6. "Rock and Roll Party"^note This song was previously unlisted on all versions of the album prior to Destroyer: Resurrected. (1:25)

Resurrected Extra Tracks

1. "Sweet Pain" (with Ace Frehley's solo) (3:20)

Principal Members:

• Peter Criss - drums, percussion, backing and lead vocals
• Ace Frehley - guitar, vocals
• Gene Simmons - lead vocals, bass
• Paul Stanley - lead vocals, guitar

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Trope it out loud:

• Album Cover Designer: Ken Kelly, who also did the cover of Love Gun.
• Broken Record: "Rock And Roll Party", which is a loop of Paul Stanley shouting something at a concert combined with the choir sample from "Great Expectations".
• Call-Back: To Alive!, as the live version of "Rock And Roll All Nite" plays in the intro to "Detroit Rock City".
  • The original intended cover design, which was used for Destroyer: Resurrected, has the band members in their Alive-period costumes.
• Dancin' in the Ruins: The cover design is basically the band members doing this during a nuclear explosion.
• Downer Ending: The character in "Detroit Rock City" dies in a car crash.
  • Reality Subtext: The song is a tribute to a KISS fan who died in the manner as in the song while driving to a concert.
• Echoing Acoustics: "Detroit Rock City." Khazad-dûm, meet Motown.
• Gold Digger: The subject of "Do You Love Me", with Paul Stanley asking the person if she's interested in him only for the fame and celebrity of being a rock star.
• Gospel Choirs Are Just Better: In "Great Expectations".
• Heavy Meta: "Detroit Rock City".
  I feel so good, I'm so alive
  I hear my song playin' on the radio
• Heavy Mithril: "God Of Thunder".
  Daughter of Aphrodite
  Hear my words and take heed
  I was born on Olympus
  To my father a son
• Intercourse with You: "King Of The Night Time World" and "Sweet Pain".
  My leathers fit tight around me
  My whip is always beside me
  You want the same thing every day
  I'll teach you love a different way
  You'll learn to love me and my sweet pain
  My love will drive you insane
  Sweet pain, my love will drive you insane
• Kneel Before Zod: "God of Thunder"
  I am the lord of the wastelands
  A modern-day man of steel
  I gather darkness to please me
  And I command you to kneel before the...
  God of Thunder, and rock n' roll!
• Last Note Nightmare: The album version of "Detroit Rock City" ends with a car skidding, crashing and exploding. Then the record segues into "King of the Night Time World".
• List Song: "Do You Love Me", with Paul listing off the things that the person he's singing about likes of him, while asking the title question.
• Mood Whiplash: The surprisingly gentle ballad "Beth" pops up between two hard-rocking songs.
• Obligatory Bondage Song: "Sweet Pain".
  My leathers fit tight around me
  My whip is always beside me
  You want the same thing every day
• One-Woman Song: "Beth".
• One-Word Title: "Destroyer" and the track "Beth".
• Power Ballad: "Beth".
• Rebellious Spirit: "Flaming Youth".
  How flaming youth will set the world on fire
  Flaming youth, our flag is flying higher and higher and higher
• Record Producer: Bob Ezrin.
• Spoken Word in Music: "Detroit Rock City" starts with a radio anchor reporting the car crash that occurs at the end of the song.
• Studio Chatter: "God Of Thunder" has Bob Ezrin's children talking to each other over walkie-talkies mixed into the music.
• Updated Re-release: Destroyer: Resurrected, which was released in 2012, remixes all the album's songs and features a version of "Sweet Pain" with Ace's guitar solo in it instead of Dick Wagner's.
• Vocal Tag Team: Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons on "Shout It Out Loud".

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