Kiss of Death – A Sikk Tribute to Kiss – Review

Kiss of Death

A Sikk Tribute to Kiss (Dwell)
by Scott Hefflon

Oh God… As if Kiss weren’t enough of a parody of their former selves, here’s the Dwell Records treatment of Kiss classics, as performed by mediocre death’n’growl bands you’ve never heard of. While I commend a few of the bands for choosing less obvious songs, I’d like to group slap them all for deathing-up classic songs, many of which are greatly over-rated to begin with. The best failures are the bands who keep some kind of authentic sound to the song (meaning it sounds thin and old), and the worst failures are the growling monkeys who simply play the songs in their own, totally generic death style. Dim highlights are From the Depths‘ take on “Rocket Ride,” Tchort‘s struggling with “I Love it Loud” (guilty pleasure, that), Debauchery‘s “Detroit Rock City” (I think it’s the tripilty-trip kick drum and authentically sparse guitarwork), and Scary German Guy‘s laugh-as-you-roar-a-long take on “Shout it Out Loud.” Then again, I’m predisposed to liking those songs anyway.

If you’ve always loved the way Pantera (among many other guilty parties) destroyed Kiss songs, well, here’s the wreckage of even more of ’em. Bands I hope to never meet: Hostile Intent, Blood Coven, Shallows of the Mundane, Hate Theory, Acheron, Equinox, Crematorium, and Vile.
(PO Box 39439 Los Angeles, CA 90039)