Album · 50 years old this year
Destroyer
Destroyer is the fourth studio album by the American hard rock band KISS, released on 15 March 1976 by Casablanca Records. It followed KISS, Hotter Than Hell and Dressed to Kill, and it marked a clear step away from the raw sound of those first three records. For a band that had built its name on that rougher approach, it was a notable change of direction.
The move paid off. Destroyer became the band's third successive album to reach the US top 40 and the first to chart in Germany and New Zealand. It was certified gold by the RIAA in April 1976 and platinum that November, making it KISS's first platinum album. If you only know the band through the later records, it is a good place to hear them stretching beyond their early template.
Destroyer: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 34:06Tracklist
- 1Detroit Rock CityBob Ezrin and Paul Stanley5:20
- 2King of the Night Time WorldEzrin, Fowley, Stanley3:14
- 3God of ThunderPaul Stanley4:15
- 4Great ExpectationsBob Ezrin and Gene Simmons4:22
- 5Flaming YouthEzrin, Frehley, Simmons, Stanley3:00
- 6Sweet PainGene Simmons3:21
- 7Shout It Out LoudEzrin, Simmons, Stanley2:50
- 8BethCriss, Ezrin, Penridge2:47
- 9Do You Love MeEzrin, Ezrin, Fowley, Fowley, Stanley4:57
- Produced by
- Bob Ezrin
- Recorded at
- The Record Plant, Electric Lady and Record Plant, New York City, Electric Lady Studios
- Recorded
- 3–6 September 1975; 4 January – 5 February 1976
- Mixed at
- The Record Plant
- Engineered by
- Jay Messina, Corky Stasiak
- Labels
- Casablanca Records, Casablanca
- Length
- 34:06
Line-up
- Bob Ezrin · spoken vocals, calliope, grand piano
- Paul Stanley · lead vocals, guitar
- David Ezrin · other vocals · guest
- Joshua Ezrin · other vocals · guest
- Gene Simmons · lead vocals, electric bass guitar, background vocals
- The Boys Choir of Harlem · choir vocals · guest
- Dick Wagner · guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Carl Hall · background vocals · guest
- Tasha Thomas · background vocals · guest
- Peter Criss · drums (drum set), background vocals, lead vocals · guest
- Ace Frehley · electric guitar, background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Shout It Out Loud” · 1 March 1976
- “Flaming Youth” · 30 April 1976
- “Detroit Rock City” · 28 July 1976
- “Beth” · August 1976
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1976 | 11 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1976 | 22 |
| US Tastemaker · 2021 | 3 |
| Swedish Albums · 1976 | 4 |
| US Catalog Albums · 2021 | 4 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1976 | 6 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1976 | 6 |
| German Albums · 2021 | 16 |
| German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100) · 2026 | 16 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1976 | 16 |
All 17 charts
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1976 | 17 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1976 | 25 |
| Scottish Albums · 2021 | 36 |
| Swiss Albums · 2021 | 55 |
| Dutch Albums · 2021 | 68 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2021 | 108 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2021 | 119 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1976 | Gold |
| Brazil · 2024 | Gold |
| United States | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
85.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
6.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
244k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
14k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 15 March
Every year →
More from KISS
Full discography →
KISS
1974
Hotter Than Hell
1974
Dressed to Kill
1975
Alive!
1975
Special KISS Tour Album
1976
Rock and Roll Over
1976
Love Gun
1977
Alive II
1977
Double Platinum
1978
2000 Man
1979
Dynasty
1979
Unmasked
1980
Music From “The Elder”
1981
Killers
1982
Creatures of the Night
1982
Lick It Up
1983
Animalize
1984
Asylum
1985
Crazy Nights
1987
Crazy Crazy Nights
1988
Let’s Put the X in Sex
1988
Tears Are Falling
1988
Turn On the Night
1988
Chikara
1988
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits
1988
Hot in the Shade
1989
Revenge
1992
Alive III
1993
MTV Unplugged
1996
You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!
1996
Greatest KISS
1997
Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
1997
Psycho Circus
1998
Box Set
2001
The Very Best of KISS
2002
KISS Symphony: Alive IV
2003
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS
2003
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS, Volume 2
2004
KISS Gold
2004
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of KISS, Volume 3
2006
KISS Alive! 1975–2000
2006
地獄烈伝〜ニュー・レコーディング・ベスト〜
2008
Ikons
2008
Sonic Boom
2009
Monster
2012
KISS 40 Years: Decades of Decibels
2014
KISS Rocks Vegas
2016
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A Day at the Races
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Rising
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More on Casablanca Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 15 March 1976 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 15 March 1976 | |
| Wikidata | 15 March 1976 | |
| US release | 15 March 1976 | earliest US date |
55 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DE | Casablanca Records | 042282414922 | other |
| — | CA | Columbia House | 042282414922 | other |
| 1976 | SE | Casablanca Records | other | |
| 1976 | JP | Casablanca Records | other | |
| 15 March 1976 | US | Casablanca Records | original | |
| 15 March 1976 | US | Casablanca Records | original | |
| 15 March 1976 | US | Casablanca Records | original | |
| 1977 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | other | |
| 1980 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | other | |
| 25 April 1986 | JP | Casablanca Record and FilmWorks | 4988023000114 | other |
| 1987 | CA | Casablanca Records | 042282414922 | other |
| 1987 | DE | Casablanca Records | 042283241428 | other |
| 1988 | US | Casablanca Records | 042282414922 | other |
| 1997 | CA | Mercury Records | 731453237827 | remaster |
| 1997 | XE | Mercury Records | 731453237827 | remaster |
| 1997 | US | Casablanca Records | other | |
| 15 January 1997 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011351839 | other |
| 9 April 1997 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011352331 | other |
| 12 August 1997 | US | Mercury Records | 731453237827 | other |
| 7 March 2001 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011359996 | other |
| 21 August 2002 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005311177 | other |
| 12 July 2006 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005435569 | other |
| 16 February 2007 | XW | Casablanca Records | 731453237827 | other |
| 7 March 2007 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005452542 | other |
| 24 September 2008 | — | Mercury Records | 4988005525680 | other |
| 23 April 2010 | DE | Mercury Records | other | |
| 25 August 2010 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005623409 | other |
| 12 October 2011 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005677648 | other |
| 2012 | DE | Island Def Jam | 00602537138432 | other |
| 2012 | AU | Casablanca Records | 602527912042 | other |
| 2012 | XE | Casablanca Records | 602527912042 | other |
| 31 July 2012 | XW | Island Def Jam | 00602537114474 | other |
| 21 August 2012 | US | Island Def Jam | 00602537132782 | other |
| 21 August 2012 | XW | Island Def Jam | 00602527946542 | other |
| 21 August 2012 | US | Casablanca Records | 602527912042 | other |
| 21 August 2012 | US | Casablanca Records | 602537105502 | other |
| 10 October 2012 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005732538 | other |
| 2014 | US | Mercury Records | 602547062062 | other |
| 2014 | DE | Casablanca Records | 0602537770939 | other |
| 2014 | DE | Mercury Records | 602537885169 | other |
| 31 March 2014 | XE | Casablanca Records | 602537658268 | other |
| 1 April 2014 | US | Casablanca Records | 602537658268 | other |
| 3 June 2014 | XW | Casablanca Records | 00602537854448 | other |
| 26 November 2014 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005857910 | other |
| 20 October 2015 | FR | Mercury Records | 00602547062055 | other |
| 20 January 2016 | US | Casablanca Records | 602508158612 | other |
| 29 March 2018 | US | Casablanca Records | 602567401483 | other |
| 19 November 2021 | US | UMe | 602438184088 | deluxe |
| 19 November 2021 | XE | Casablanca Records | 602435988238 | deluxe |
| 19 November 2021 | DE | UMe | 00602445359264 | deluxe |
| 19 November 2021 | US | UMe | 602438184149 | deluxe |
| 19 November 2021 | XW | UMe | 00602438922949 | deluxe |
| 19 November 2021 | — | UMe | 00602438995196 | remaster |
| 19 November 2021 | XW | UMe | 00602438827503 | deluxe |
| 19 November 2021 | XE | UMe | 0600753953525 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |