Destroyer, KISS’ 1976 album that marked a turning point for the glam rockers, celebrates its 50th anniversary. In honor of the milestone, Destroyer is getting a purple liquid-filled vinyl, and a metallic gold and purple fire vinyl pressing. The latter comes in an embossed jacket with gold ink details and includes a poster.
Originally released on March 15, 1976, Destroyer built off the success of the band’s preceding live album, Alive!, and saw KISS mature from their raw sound to something more refined. Featuring hits like “Shout It Out Loud,” “Detroit Rock City,” and “Beth,” Destroyer incorporated instruments like piano and orchestral strings into KISS’ previously exclusively hard rock sound. The band worked with producer Bob Ezrin, and while the recording process was tense at first, the band eventually came to view it as one of their strongest works and their first album to sell one million copies.
“Destroyer was pivotal for us, a real a raise-the-bar moment,” lead singer Paul Stanley reflected later in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock. “And interestingly, it wasn’t initially met and embraced in the way we had hoped because, let’s face it, it didn’t sound like Kiss Alive! But over time it became a part of who we are and who we’re perceived to be, and the songs just transcend, perhaps, the initial resistance to the sonics or the instrumentation.” He continued, “We had never used pianos, and I don’t mean as frills on a song, but we actually fortified guitars with pianos to make the chords bigger. And I think some people were thrown by all of that. But ultimately more songs from Destroyer over the years have been in our shows and in the set than any others.”
Even if it wasn’t initially the band’s most well-received album, it’s since become beloved by both fans and critics. KISS has revisited the album over the years. In 2012, it was remixed and remastered as Destroyer: Resurrected. Celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2021, KISS also shared a super deluxe edition of Destroyer.
