It wasn't that long ago that I was greeted with the news that hardcore act Turmoil had decided to call it quits. After a tumultuous grieving period, I was finally able to take The Process Of... out of my CD player and reluctantly move on. Then one day out of the blew I heard a rumor of band featuring members of the now defunct Turmoil. Needless to say my interest was peaked. But unlike their previous endeavors, the members of The Kiss of Death aimed away from the hardcore world, taking aim at making a name for themselves playing metal.
For some of you this is going to be difficult, for others unnecessary. I want you to forget what you know about Turmoil. It isn't relevant that vocalist Jon Gula and guitarist Jeff Hydro were both members of the popular hardcore band. The reason is The Kiss of Death plays slow-grinding and sludgy metal, the bastard child of Pantera and Black Sabbath. The bands self-titled EP opens with the witty titled "Buck Rogers Made Me Do It." The track features a combination of up-tempo song-driving speed and slow-paced heavily down-tuned sludge, much in the vein of stoner-metal bands Mastodon and High on Fire. In addition to Hydro, also contributing to the groove is guitarist John Gardner, whom played most recently in metalcore outfit Sever the Fallen. The Kiss of Death pull a rabbit out of the hat on "Commence Programming!!!," which opens with a spaced-out jazz interlude. As the interlude fades, the "metal mayhem" continues and the six-minute opus closes with a pleasantly pieced together guitar solo. Drummer Chris Frey showcases his abundant talents on "Chasing Demons," using every last piece of his drum kit. While his role in Turmoil was to be a front-man, here Gula takes the role of contributing writer, accenting the music with his coarse screams. "Purveyors of Bullshit" closes out just as the EP began, with a heavy dose of sludgy guitar riffs, rocking until the last drum hit. Unfortunately, things can get a bit monotonous at times for The Kiss of Death. But as the members continue to play together and explore their songwriting skills, they will only get better.
While part of me wanted to hear Turmoil v 2.0, the rest of me is glad to know the band members could leave the past in the past. With a solid debut, The Kiss of Death have set the framework for a bright future, especially as the style of metal they are pursuing is gaining more and more attention day by day.
