The Making of the KISS Album Artwork with Dennis Woloch - Chapter 2: Destroyer

Hey KISS Army!
Here's the second chapter of The Making of the KISS Album Artwork.
With Dennis Woloch, Art Director for KISS from 1974 to 1987
Hosted by Claudio Bergamin.
Follow me on Instagram: / claudiobergamin.art
For more information or commission work from Dennis, please visit: www.WolochDesi...
Some pictures by Lydia Criss. You can get her book here (it's awesome):
lydiacriss.com/...

[@sanderberkvens6270]

Oh mannnn, all this awesome information!!! HOW ABOUT A BOOK?!!! The Kiss designs by Dennis Woloch...

[@michaelcampbellart]

Loved hearing this series of interviews. Well done, Claudio.

[@awesomewelles9174]

Iconic, timeless and beautiful.

[@MrMichaelbsmith6420]

I remember seeing that album cover for the very first time, I had just bought the Dressed To Kill album and was telling everyone of my friends at school I had all albums by KISS and the very next day my brothers friend came by the house, he knew I was a fan, takes one look at me and says "you're going to hate me after I show you this" it was still in the store bag, pulls it out and the feeling I got from seeing it for the first time I have never experienced that feeling since.

[@MrAdamJoel]

This series is wonderful.

[@Rock4UNow]

One of the best interviews.Thank you

[@TroyCorreia]

I enjoyed this one just as I did Chapter 1. I look forward to watching the others you have done too...

[@Steambull1]

The viking ship painting they mentioned was something Kelly did for a various artists album called "Gods of Thunder: A Norwegian Tribute to Kiss" (2005)

[@digi_edits]

Holly shit, they almost went with Boris Vallejo, my compatriot, so cool. Destroyer is my all time favourite album.

[@RichieFranks]

Omg I can't believe that original painting for Destroyer was lost. Something like that should have been preserved for prosperity. 😢

[@christrudell7966]

Love the design and music on it

[@stephencraig7130]

Great interview. I'm 62 yrs old and a KISS fan from the beginning....1974. Gene and Paul take credit for everything! Let's not forget Sean Delaney. He was so instrumental in every aspect of KISS. KISS threw him under the bus after he and Bill broke up. Yes! KISS had a Gay Manager (Bill Aucoin) and his partner was Sean Delaney. Sean even wrote and produced many songs and several albums for KISS. Read the credits! Gene and Paul have never given him the recognition he deserved.

[@deathmetalrob5563]

I believe Paul is gay also.

[@glennbennett1358]

Thank you so much for doing this!

[@kend4718]

Fantastic!! Well done!

[@anthonymarocco955]

Great Video! This Is Perfect Discussion!

[@3hooks781]

So many interruptions, but definitely some great information.

[@jimilove7773]

Thanks! Iconic art and music!

[@ADayInTheLifeofASimone]

I appreciate the time that you and your guest have put into this series...My interest in album covers started years ago with The Beatles and how they changed how album covers are perscieved..Especially Sgt.Pepper,but REVOLVER is my favorite... I remember as a 4-5yr old child my brother, not only had one of those big velvet blue light poster of the KISS DESTROYER album cover...and I was facinated by it... They where larger then life back in thier "hey days"...but as a little kid everything looks bigger.. I was facinated by ACE,scared of Gene,not quite sure what to make of Paul and Peter was like a little kitty cat ....lol.

[@user-ye9ph5iq5z]

Great series, I’m going to watch all of them. So interesting to hear the stories behind the album covers.

[@jcollins1305]

So interesting to hear the stories of these covers by the talented Dennis Woloch. Thanks for sharing

[@federicomazzoncini3542]

Thanks a lot, Claudio (and Dennis, of course) for a very good and interesting series. Two bits I'd like to point out: I don't think the "Destroyer Brown" cover you showed is the real thing. I think that was done a few years before "Destroyer Resurrected" (2012), recreating the first version he did back in 1976. The signature is very different and he had the original in a picture on his site, looked way different and more sketched (he has since taken it down). Gene even showed the original Sketch in the Kiss My ass home video. (More info Here: www.ruemorguerecords.com/kiss-destroyer-44-years-old/) Second, the "Viking Ship" painting you mention at the end was commissioned by Kiss Army Sweden for the sleeve of a Tribute Album. Also, Kelly painted a cover for the Kiss Nation magazine by Marvel Comics mimicking the cover to Fantastic Four #1. Keep up these clips! They're amazing!

[@ClaudioBergamin]

I know it's not the original. But since no one seems to have the original one, I had to show something.

[@AdamSmith-wg1bn]

Thank you Claudio for these awesome interviews with Dennis! I enjoy the little details of how he designed back in the day, being a Graphic Designer myself, I love learning things about art. Dennis is my design hero and the reason I became a graphic artist myself, from the love of KISS and the packaging they did on everything. I enjoyed this episode but I wish you would have dove into the inside sleeve artwork with the KISS Army logo and how that background story went between Dennis, the band and Bill Starkey.. thanks again and great work you guys!!

[@ClaudioBergaminArt]

these shows are meant for people like you. The story behind the KISS Army logo is simple: it was designed by Dennis´ old buddy, Vinnie. I think he mentioned it on a subsequent episode.

[@mikecurry2903]

This is a really great series, Claudio. Thank you!

[@xyz8655]

37:00 I agree. Shots of the new costumes must have been seen before painting that image.

[@angelic_slayer]

I’m Sub : 460. This is a great series.. really enjoying it.

[@lucianoribeiro9527]

great job!

[@scaramcnamara689]

37:00 "maybe they looked at the painting & made some adjustments to the costumes" i think that is an excellent theory. get the talented artist (ken kelly) to visualize the look & then translate those designs for the costume department. brilliant!

[@menippean1]

That was great! Thanks for this!

[@PaulWildstar]

Excellent work! Thank you

[@BryanDavidSnuffer]

I met Ken at show once and we talked for a while. Great guy! He had a Dark Horse painting of Boba Fett he was selling. He was not asking much for it.

[@studio-flash]

Ken Kelly was a superb artist. He painted Destroyer and Love Gun Albums. Did you know he was the nephew of Frank Frazzettas wife?

[@pier67]

The Ken Kelly "viking" painting was commissioned for the tribute CD "Gods Of Thunder - A Norwegian Tribute to KISS" in 2005, by the KISS Army Norway club.

[@charlescrow601]

this is great stuff. i would love to have seen a frazzetta kiss album cover. i wonder how much he made from the molly hatchet album covers.

[@johnworthington8996]

Destroyer cover made me into a Kiss fan.

[@iainholmes2735]

Such an interesting interview. The final blue version is much better. The Destroyer album works because all elements are timeless: songs, production, artwork etc. Cheers from London!

[@DF-ee8vt]

If you look at the hands of Paul, Peter, and Ace, they are gesturing "We fight for you". A friend noticed it and mentioned it to me back in the day.

[@digi_edits]

What do you mean, like a secret deaf language thing?

[@DF-ee8vt]

No secret, just their hand gestures: Paul “We”, Peter “fight” Ace “4”(right hand), “you”(left hand pointing at you). The trial painting also showed the same.

[@twikirobot6897]

Always noticed the "4 You".....but the rest is a stretch.

[@DF-ee8vt]

@@twikirobot6897 It's not life-changing or anything, just a trivial thing my friend noticed, and we had fun with it. We were kids. I never thought Kiss could do anything for me, so there was no point in them fighting for me. The artist would probably remember if there was a message.

[@martin90adrian]

Greaaat!

[@maximocossetti2767]

Cool. I follow you since you did Rata Blanca's album

[@jimh7345]

I just stumbled upon this. Very interesting! Thank you for creating and sharing. I just subscribed (Sub #346)

[@reubensane5539]

I think someone bought the original love gun painting at the butter field gene Simmons auction.

[@cecilmusick8629]

Eleven years after Destroyer Ken Kelly recycled the Destroyer artwork when he did Manowar's 1987 album Fighting The World.

[@chaosband]

Was Claudio the inspiration for Ace's "Anomaly", or the other way around in reverse?

[@ClaudioBergaminArt]

Funnily enough. I was always Gene when my friends and I would wear KISS make up

[@TuskoFan]

Enjoying this series and I have a question about the Destroyer cover, which I didn't hear you discuss, so I'm guessing the rumor I heard isn't true: On Halloween in 1977, I was at a girl's house and she pulled out Destroyer and pointed out the 'hidden message' - Paul's lips say, "KISS", then if you look at Ace's hands, the rest of the message is, "for you!" Any validity?

[@BlueprintsandStrategies]

Great interview. I never knew what Frank’s asking price was. I always thought it was in the millions. I remember in his documentary Painting with Fire he turned down a million dollars for the cat woman painting.

[@Gebbryrainman]

If I ever found the original Destroyer album cover art, I'd demand a finder's fee of $6 million.

[@davidlindsay9564]

Gene has the Destroyer or Love Gun, I forget which, the other is lost.

[@denniswoloch5757]

Destroyer is lost.

[@studio-flash]

The painting went for sale for $5 million .

[@sid7088]

Aucoin sold it for nose candy no doubt.

[@philipc1013]

6:16

[@ata5855]

My gripe with music school was the opposite: absolutely NOT concept driven, and focused on techniques from centuries before the current one.

[@connorshaw2618]

When do we get Dynasty Unmasked and Elder?

[@janvare]

inflation of 50 k USD for 2023 is 274 k USD, so that was a bit off...

[@duane8829]

Was 15k not 50k