That’s right everybody, I’m devoting this Summer to the most 80s of all metal genres. I’ve been thinking about covering this classic style of music for a while, but for whatever reason I could never think of the right time. Nearly 5 years since I started this blog, I figured the time was right to get some glitz, glamor, and badassery on here. Though Hair Metal has long been out of style, there are many who still remember it fondly, and then there are those like me who discovered it years past when it was popular. So to honor Hair Metal & the 1980s, I’m starting off this festival by taking a look at band’s that helped create the style. There are definitely a bunch of groups that gave their assistance, but these 3 bands were the one’s that came to my mind the most. Today we’re entering the realm.....of Kiss!
With their outlandish costumes, stage shows, & rebellious/sexually flavored music, it’s easy to see why they would be eventually labeled as Hair Metal (Or at the very least a band than can play that style). If there was an album of their’s that planted the seeds of what would blossom into a genre titan, I could only think of their 4th release, Destroyer......so let’s begin!
Background
Taken from Wikipedia:
“After attaining modest commercial success with their first three studio albums, Kiss achieved a commercial breakthrough with the 1975 concert album Alive!. It was the first album by the band to be certified gold. The success of Alive!, which spent 110 weeks on the charts, benefited not only the struggling band but also their cash-strapped label Casablanca Records. Kiss signed a new contract with Casablanca in late 1975, partly because the label had been very supportive from the start of the band's career. The contract was for two albums, an indication that Casablanca was unsure if the group could duplicate the accomplishments of Alive!.
Bob Ezrin, who had previously worked with Alice Cooper, was brought in to produce the album. Ezrin introduced to Kiss sound effects, strings, screaming children, reversed drums (on "God of Thunder") and a children's choir. The song "Great Expectations" uses the first phrase of the main theme from the second movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 (known as Sonata Pathétique), but songwriting is credited to Simmons and Ezrin.
Destroyer is the first Kiss album to prominently feature outside musicians, such as members of the New York Philharmonic. One musician not credited was Dick Wagner, from Alice Cooper's band, replacing Ace Frehley on the track "Sweet Pain". Wagner also played the acoustic guitar found on the song "Beth". The success of Alive! and Destroyer enabled the band to embark on their first tour of Europe.
Rehearsals for Destroyer began in August 1975, while the group was embarked on their supporting tour for Alive!. The band felt that Bob Ezrin was the right person to help them take their sound to the next level and to maintain the commercial success they had achieved with Alive!
The first recording sessions for the album took place in September 3–6, 1975 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, during a brief break between the Dressed to Kill and Alive! tours. The basic album tracks were recorded during this time. The majority of the recording sessions for Destroyer took place in January 1976, after the conclusion of the Alive! tour.
The first demo recorded during the Destroyer sessions was "Ain't None of Your Business" featuring Peter Criss on vocals. The plodding, heavy song, written by country songwriters Becky Hobbs and Lew Anderson, was rejected by the band and later appeared on the 1977 debut album by Michael Des Barres' band Detective. Although this song was rejected, other outside songs and suggestions were accepted by the band. In particular, Kim Fowley and Mark Anthony became important contributors during the songwriting process., bringing in the title and basic structure of the song "King of the Night Time World" from their previous band Hollywood Stars' then-unreleased 1974 album Shine Like a Radio (which also featured the original version of the Alice Cooper song "Escape" from Welcome to My Nightmare).
During the recording sessions, Ezrin resorted to numerous tactics designed to increase the quality of music Kiss recorded. Because none of the group were trained musicians, Ezrin halted the sessions at one point to provide lessons in basic music theory. In an effort to instill a sense of discipline, he wore a whistle around his neck and exhorted the band with sayings such as, "Campers, we're going to work!". When Simmons stopped playing during the recording of an outro, Ezrin yelled at him, saying, "Don't you ever stop a take unless I tell you!"
Paul Stanley later compared the experience of working with Ezrin as "musical boot camp" but said that the group "came out a lot smarter for it." Simmons echoed the sentiment by stating, "It was exactly what we needed at the time."”
Destroyer sold pretty well upon it’s release. In just a few weeks after it’s March 15th release, it would be certified gold on April the 22nd. Although the exact sales aren’t known, Paul Stanley stated that the album initially sold 850,000 copies in the US, well in excess of any of Kiss' first three studio albums. The record would be the third successive Kiss album to reach the top 40 in the US, as well as the first to chart in Germany and New Zealand. By November the 11th of 76, Destroyer would go platinum, and it would be Kiss’s first release to do so. Though it’s future reception would be negative, no one can deny the weight this album carried back then & now.
Basic Description
70s cheese....in all the good ways!
Let’s get 1 thing perfectly straight: Kiss could have only come from the 70s. Sure, if they appeared in the early 80s they might not seem so out of place, but with how outlandish they were, I think the 70s suited them better. Not only that, but Destroyer came out right around the time that metal came out of the musical womb, and definitely has a lot of metallic might behind it right alongside the Hard Rock that only Kiss can provide. Destroyer is one of those albums that both Metalheads & Rockers can like, and even if you aren’t a fan of both, it can still provide some entertainment.
Best Track
Detroit Rock City will always be a song that’s essential Kiss. It does take a little bit before the engine revs up, but once it’s rip roaring hot, it’s damn good! The guitar work shreds like a motorcycle down the highway, drumwork that evokes the city & it’s seductive appeal, and with vocals from pretty much everybody, the track has woven it’s way into the musical subconscious of this country & anybody from around the world that hears it. If you’re not smiling & rocking when this is playing....something’s not right with you!
Detroit Rock City
Worst Track
Beth is the only thing I didn’t like on Destroyer. It’s not a bad song per se, as it’s a great piano piece, and Peter Criss has a nice set of pipes when it comes to singing. The problem is that it doesn’t stick with me when compared to everything else. I don’t think it’s a skippable song, as it can be pretty enjoyable. I just don’t see as memorable as all the other songs on here.
Beth
Apart from that, Destroyer’s only other problem is it’s running time. At 34 minutes & 11seconds, this will be an album that will require at least 2 playthroughs to stay in your memory. I won’t talk about this aspect of the record further, as this will be an issue with another album later on this month. Suffice it to say, it might be a nitpick, but for whatever reason I somehow notice these things.....and it also doesn’t help that they’re on Wikipedia as well.
Other
If you’re curious about this album, then click on the link below to give it a listen to:
Destroyer
Overall Impression & Rating
Destroyer, not only was it an important component in Hair Metal’s birth, but it also helped create Heavy Metal as well. Sure, Kiss has always had a commercial aspect to them to their records, and this one is no exception. However, commercial releases aren’t always a bad thing.....especially when a lot of love & care goes into them like Destroyer did. Even if you aren’t a Kiss fan, this is definitely something to seek out & listen to at least once. You’ll be glad that you did!
Destroyer gets a 9 out of 10.
This was just the beginning of Hair Metal Hysteria everybody! There were plenty of other bands (Metal & Rock) that helped bring this style of metal to life, so see you all in a few weeks for when I look at a band that really amped up the sex appeal of Hair Metal. See you then, and in the meantime.....don’t go breaking things, will ya?
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