The Kiss of Death "s/t" CD
[Tribunal]
Ehhh... this band has some former members of Turmoil in its ranks, but it doesn't sound like that at all. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, except that this isn't all that hot either. It's basically midpaced sludgy action somewhat along the lines of Crowbar meets Eyehategod or something, with lightly distorted vocal screams. It's not bad, but it's not that interesting. Damn right they drop some vicious slow rhythms that have that token southern ring going on, and tracks like "Novocain" that mix up the tempos and throw in some melody definitely jump out at you, so it has its moments... I don't know, it's just not hitting me. The clean break at the start of "Commence Reprogramming" is actually fucking awesome, but it's so completely derivative that I feel like I've heard it by 100 different bands at this point... the chord progression is just one of the most used in this particular niche it seems. I don't mind the recording. There's room for improvement, but I really like the thick texture of the guitar tone. The distortion on the vocals can be a little distracting, and the rhythm section lacks density in a sense, but for the most part everything is pieced together nicely. Thicker drums and more bass character would probably be their best bet, leaving the guitars and vocals pretty much alone. I'm not sure how I feel about the layout. All of the artwork is done in a stylized sort of comic book illustration feel, so it looks consistent and they keep it simple (no lyrics or anything), but it's still a little goofy. It's more the content and some of the specifics about the style that bother me, it's not that I totally disagree with trying to go for that sort of look. This is okay, if you're really into this whole style you should more than likely dig this. A few songs I'm totally into, but as a whole I get a little bored. I'll keep an eye on their future efforts, but I'm not overwhelmed here. (6/10)
Running time - 24:31, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Novocain, Chasing Demons]
Tribunal Records - http://www.tribunalrecords.net

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