Destroyer (Gorgoroth album)

Destroyer – or About How to Philosophize with the Hammer
Studio album by
Released18 May 1998 (1998-05-18)
Recorded1994–1998
StudioGrieghallen Studio, Bergen, Norway
GenreBlack metal
Length37:09
LanguageEnglish, Norwegian
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerInfernus
Gorgoroth chronology
Under the Sign of Hell
(1997)
Destroyer – or About How to Philosophize with the Hammer
(1998)
Incipit Satan
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarHalf star[1]
Chronicles of Chaos9/10[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal8/10[3]
Rock Hard6.5/10[4]

Destroyer (subtitled as: Or About How to Philosophize with the Hammer) is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. It was their first release on Nuclear Blast. It contains eight tracks performed by several different lineups, with band founder Infernus being the only member to be featured on all tracks. Four different vocalists were featured on the album, including Infernus on two tracks, Pest on four tracks, and T-Reaper and new vocalist Gaahl each on one track.[5]

Destroyer was the first album to feature Gaahl and guitarist Tormentor, the only one for T-Reaper and drummer Vrolok, the last to feature Pest until his return in 2008, and the last for drummer Frost until his return in 2004.

The album was re-released in 2006 by Back on Black Records as a gatefold vinyl LP. The subtitle of the album, Or About How to Philosophize with the Hammer, was also the subtitle of Friedrich Nietzsche's book Twilight of the Idols (itself a future Gorgoroth album title).

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Destroyer"InfernusTormentor3:49
2."Open the Gates"PestInfernus5:29
3."The Devil, the Sinner and His Journey"InfernusInfernus3:26
4."Om kristen og jodisk tru" ("About Christian and Jewish Faith")PestInfernus4:47
5."Pa slagmark langt mot nord" ("On Battlefields Far North")PestInfernus5:08
6."Blodoffer" (Blood Offering)Infernus, TormentorInfernus, Tormentor3:19
7."The Virginborn"PestInfernus8:15
8."Slottet i det fjerne" ("Castle in the Distance", Darkthrone cover)FenrizFenriz3:41
Total length:37:09

Personnel

Gorgoroth
  • Infernus – guitars (tracks 2–7), bass (tracks 1, 3, 5 and 6), vocals (tracks 6 and 8), drums (tracks 5 and 6), drum programming (track 1), mixing (February 1998 at Abyss Studio), producer
Additional musicians
  • Tormentor – guitar (1, 2, 4–8), bass and drums (track 8)
  • Pest – vocals (tracks 2, 4, 5 and 7)
  • Gaahl – vocals (track 1), mixing
  • Ares – bass (tracks 2, 4 and 7)
  • Daimonion – synthesizer (track 3)
  • Frost – drums (track 3)
  • T-Reaper – vocals (track 3)
  • Vrolok – drums (tracks 2, 4 and 7)
Production

References

  1. ^ "Destroyer". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  2. ^ McKay, Aaron (1 September 1998). "Gorgoroth - Destroyer (Or About How to Philosophize With a Hammer)". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  3. ^ Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  4. ^ Mühlmann, Wolf-Rüdiger (26 May 1998). "Review Album: Gorgoroth - Destroyer". Rock Hard (in German). No. 133. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Biography". Gorgoroth.info. Archived from the original on 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2012-02-13.