Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to top the success of "Alive!"...... but KISS found a way, August 11, 2000
THE BAND: Gene Simmons (Gene Klein), Paul Stanley (Stanley Eisen), Ace Frehley (Paul Frehley), Peter Criss (Peter Crisscoula).
THE DISC: Released 3/15/76. Recorded at The Record Plant, NYC. 9 songs clocking in at approximately 34 minutes. A classic album cover painted by Ken Kelly. Originally released on Casablanca Records in 1975; this remastered edition was released in 1997 on Mercury's label. Much improved sound in my book (deeper bass guitars and crisper highs). Liner notes are slim - a 3 page fold out with song titles, writing credits, song times, lyrics to one song ("Detroit Rock City"), and a KISS Army logo. Underneath the disc on the inside cover, there's an informative 5 paragraph history of what the band was going through at the time.
COMMENTS: A classic studio album from KISS, and easily one of their best efforts. Decades later, it still rocks like no other KISS album. How to keep the momentum going...? New songs, new costumes, new feel, new producer... enter Bob Ezrin. A KISS album with a choir, orchestra and lots of sound effects. This was Ezrin's doing. Along with Paul and Gene each co-writing 4 songs, and Peter with 1, Ezrin helped co-write 7 with the band. Ezrin gave the album depth and a very theatrical and polished feel. I truly believe 7 of the 9 songs here are some of the best the band has ever written... the exceptions being "Great Expectations" and "God Of Thunder" (always a better song in concert). Not many KISS albums (outside of "Alive!) can claim that. "Flaming Youth", "Sweet Pain", "Detroit Rock City", "King of the Night Time World" and "Do You Love Me" are all hard rock classics. The unexpected ballad "Beth" is Peter's best song (earning KISS a People's Choice Award in 1977). "Shout it out loud" was a tune created in the same vein as "Rock & Roll All Nite".... one of those anthems written for the youth. "Destroyer" is filled with great songs - a KISS studio classic.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST KISS ALBUM IN THE STUDIO?, March 29, 2006
From the get go the big difference is the production. Thanks to the added magic of a proper producer in Bob Ezrin KISS finally evolved into a mythical beast rather than the raw beast they were up to this point. Money in the pocket I guess frees up artistic licence. Despite the foray into uncharted waters they swam back to shore quickly after this (despite the success) and cranked up again for subsequent releases. Shame really cause they really do have more to say musically than often they end up saying (apart from a few rare exceptions). Other than the orchestrations and effects, the major change is the lyrical content, being more around the trappings of fame and their kabuki characters being explored rather than sexual gratification. The evolution of KISS can really be heard in the cinematic "Detroit Rock City" and co headliner "King of The Night time World", "God of Thunder" in its eeriness and backwards masking and the gloriously vain "Do You Love Me" complete with chiming tubular bells and trash can drums. Nine tracks in all. All classics in KISS terms.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the must owns of this band, and something everyone else should hear!!!!!!!!!!!!!, March 7, 2006
Alright, I have recently gotten back involved and reclaimed my posistion in the kiss army after four years of absence. I have been a kiss fan my whole life but after the fairwell tour I lost my interest in the " Hottest band in the world", I am 19 to some that is young, but after a breakup with the women I loved for two years I had to find myself, it was a time for self exporation if you will!
I went searching for things in my life that had made me happy before I met her, and kiss among other things had popped up in my head, I had sold all of my albums and the only things i had left of kiss was all the posters magizines and movies that i had boxed away, I broke all of that stuff out and started really getting into it again, and I remember why they were my favorite band.
Ok, now that story has relevance i promise because once I was suited up to join the battle once again for the Kiss army, I went out and Destroyer was the first album I purchased again.
so how does this album rate, I gave it five stars becuase there are so many classics here, Beth, shout it out Loud, God of Thunder, Detroit Rock City, Flaming Youth, and King of the nighttime world, there are a few songs on here that I dont really like as much as others but they are still good, Do you love me, great expectations, sweet pain, these songs are good but they dont have the power that flaming youth or shout it out loud or god of thunder have,
so I will rate each song from 1-10
1.detroit rock city- kiss classic 10
2.King of the Night TIme world- nice song pretty hard 8
3.God Of Thunder- this song is probably one of the best songs kiss ever made, its hard pounding gene does a good job vocally and the solo is decent 10
4.Great Expectations- 5 this is where the album starts to go a little soft.
5.Flaming youth- 8 this is a great hard song, ace helped write this one and it kicks ass,
6.Sweet Pain- 6 soft but melodic I like it better then Great expectations.
7.Shout it out Loud- must I really say anything this is probably the third most known kiss song out there, its a rally song and it rocks and Ace destroys the competition with this solo.
8.Beth- Ok, so I have been bashing the soft songs it seems like but this is the exception this song is the most powerful kiss song, rankin with the likes of God gave rockn roll to you 2, and Rock n roll all night, it gets a 10 and its the only song peter sung on the whole album.
9. Do you love me- 8 a nice finish to the album soft but not bad its pretty slow but its ok, its a good song,
10. the bonus is pretty stupid I think bob ezrin just wanted to who knows what he was thinking, anyways, pick this up it your new to kiss or if you dont have it, its one of the best, most say its the best but thats false its one of the best, there is a special gun out there that is better then this one haha,
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by Kiss 
