KISS Released ‘Destroyer’ on March 15, 1976
The album marked the first time the band worked with producer Bob Ezrin.
March 15 marks the anniversary of “Destroyer,” the fourth studio album by KISS and the follow-up to their breakthrough record, “KISS Alive!”
KISS, as most people know, has a hard time getting respect. Maybe it’s the make-up. Maybe it’s their crass commercialism. Maybe it’s the fact that, musically, they’ve always been fairly simplistic. But for every critic who has dismissed the band, there are a thousand members of the KISS Army swearing to stand by the legacy created by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss.
“Destroyer” marked the first time the band worked with producer Bob Ezrin, who had made his name working with artists including Alice Cooper and Lou Reed. Not only would Ezrin help KISS create their best-sounding, most layered album to date, but he would have a hand in co-writing eight of the album’s 10 songs — among them certifiable KISS classics like “Detroit Rock City” and “Shout It Out Loud.” Ezrin would also co-write the album’s top-10 single “Beth,” sung by drummer Peter Criss.
You can hear KISS on SiriusXM channels like Ozzy’s Boneyard, Hair Nation, Classic Rewind, and 70s on 7.
