March 15, 1976: KISS Release ‘Destroyer’
KISS finally achieved mainstream success in 1975 with Alive!, but their next studio album had to be big, and just six months later, the band answered back with Destroyer.
Considered one of the strongest albums in the band’s catalog, it wasn’t well-received by critics out the gate, and while initial sales of the album were strong, sales dropped significantly, that is, until the single release of “Beth.”
Originally the B-side of “Detroit Rock City,” “Beth” became the band’s first Billboard top ten single and helped reignite sales of Destroyer to make it the first KISS album to be certified platinum. And for better or for worse, it helped pave the way for countless power ballads for years to come.
While “Beth” might be the most commercially successful song from this album, the rest of the track listing contains a bunch of staples of KISS’s live show to this very day. From “Shout It Out Loud” to “God of Thunder,” to “King of the Night Time World” and “Do You Love Me?,” it’s safe to say that if you wanted the best, reach for Destroyer, and you’ll get the best.
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger who once did a presentation in a college public speaking course about why The Rolling Stones were better than The Beatles. (She received an A.)
