Why 'Destroyer' Isn't Kiss' Greatest Album

Destroyer is often considered one of Kiss’ greatest efforts.  The year before its release Kiss was catapulted into rock and roll stratosphere as a result of their first live album which brought together all of the greatness of their existing catalog and their live show (overdubs included!).  With Destroyer, Kiss sought to solidify their place among the greatest bands of the time.  And, they nearly pulled it off.  Instead, they created an album that is as polarizing musically as anything in their catalog.
 
Destroyer starts off with the heavy metal thunder that you would expect from Kiss.  It also ends in a strong fashion.  But sandwiched in the middle are three tracks that are just plain awful.  Nearly all albums have filler songs and up to this point Kiss certainly had their fair share of weaker songs scattered throughout their first three studio LPs.  But my goodness!  With Great Expectations, Flaming Youth, and Sweet Pain you have three songs that are as bad as anything they’ve ever done.
 
Side 1 ends with ‘Great Expectations’ – a horribly written yet oddly amusing song that sounds like a pre-pubescent teenager wrote it.  Side 2 starts with ‘Flaming Youth’, which teases you musically at the beginning making you believe it to be a respectable Kiss song until Paul Stanley starts to sing those lame lyrics.  That is followed up with Sweet Pain, which in my opinion is the better of the three songs but still not worthy of letting my dog crap on it. 
 
When Kiss is on, they are great.  Songs like God of Thunder and Shout It Out Loud rank as some of my favorites by the band.  But when they are bad, they are really, really bad.  It just so happens they’ve put three of their worst songs right in the middle of an otherwise excellent album.  

​- Jerry