Inferno Inc. by Kiss of Death the album was released in 2004.
Band members
Max Serafino – vocals and rhythm guitar;
Marcello Zappatore – lead guitar;
Luigi Greco – bass guitar;
Dario Congedo – drums;
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Read reviews from newspapers and websites below.
REVIEWS – METALITALIA.COM Web’zine FEBRUARY 2005 – Italy – Kiss Of Death is back with ‘Inferno Inc.’ after four years with ‘Stronger Than Before’. The new album shows the band’s intentions to change the Italian metal scene.
Their biography says the band is great and that they make power thrash metal.
The term ‘power thrash metal’ is a broad one and can mean different things to different people. When I think of this genre, bands like Helstar, Armored Saint, and Iced Earth come to mind – all of which are quite different from Kiss Of Death.
The definition is right if you think of the band’s powerful sound (many riffs fit this definition), mixed with metalcore, melodic death, and the singer’s screaming.
The album is only good, but with these skills, Kiss Of Death will do even better in the future – that’s the level of the album. It starts well, but then it gets lost. The best track on “Inferno Inc.” is a bit lost in the following tracks, which are sometimes rhythmically predictable, even though tracks like “Bestower Of Death” and the title track are excellent.
Kudos to Kiss of Death! They could make the ultimate bang in the future. Extreme metal fans and prospective buyers: don’t miss this disc!
HARDSOUNDS.IT Web’zine FEBRUARY 2005 – Italy – Kiss Of Death is a band from Lecce that plays Power Thrash made in Italy for eight years. They have influences ranging from Swedish Death to Metal Core.
These four guys have played all over Italy, including at competitions and as openers for big bands like Sepultura, Saxon, Shelter, Raw Power, and Linea 77.
Undertakers, Node, Death SS, Necrodeath, White Skull, Sadist, Opera XI, Stormlord, and Natron: few can match this impressive CV, which includes participation in various competitions and a Rock TV program.
“Inferno Inc.” is a 9-piece full-length with 41 minutes of enjoyable music. It brings back memories of bands like Death and In Flames. It has sharp vocals, tight but clean rhythms, powerful guitars, and bass, and never excessive.
The band’s harmony and technical preparation are highlighted in their mature songwriting. Zappatore is one of the best guitarists in the country, having won the fourth edition of the ‘Emergenza Chitarre’ competition. He has been recognized as a good guitar player by Ron Thal and Steve Vai.
The production of ‘Inferno Inc.’ is above average for bands who have to fend for themselves. Kiss Of Death should be under contract.
KRONIC.IT Web’zine JANUARY 2005 – Italy – Kiss Of Death has come a long way. They’ve been active since 1994 and have played with big bands like Sepultura, Saxon, Linea 77, Extrema, Necrodeath, Death SS, etc. They’re still self-producing their records. ‘Inferno Inc.’ is their second full-length album, released four years after ‘Stronger Than Before’.
The new album is in the thrash/death genre. It has fast rhythms and melodic openings. Max Serafino’s voice is intense and melodic. The riffs are sharp and the solos are excellent. The drums and bass are good. This band is good, but they lack originality. If they try something new, they could succeed.
Web’zine FEBRUARY 2005 – Italy – Kiss Of Death are from Lecce and have released their second album, produced by Inferno Inc. The 2004 album mixes thrash and death metal with Scandinavian sounds. Kiss Of Death’s unique features are Max Serafino’s black metal vocals and Marcello Zappatore’s lead guitar. Zappatore is a skilled guitarist who shows off his talent in this album. His riffs range from heavy to fast, and he even brings in some Iron Maiden-style riffs.
The solo moments deny one of their main features, melody, and plunge into dissonances, unlikely harmonic jumps and notes intentionally out of tune, creating a feeling of dislocation. The record is heavy, alternating between extremely tight moments and pachydermic, suffocating cadences. It is certainly a good test that will bring Kiss Of Death offers of contracts, or at least we hope it will. A fine promise, which, if fulfilled, will become even better to be fulfilled.
SILENTSCREAMZINE.COM Web’zine JANUARY 2005-Italy-Better the traditional thrash, the eighties and “made in the Bay Area” thrash, or the more modern and aggressive Scandinavian death thrash? To the rescue of all those undecided, Kiss Of Death from Lecce return with the powerful mix of “Inferno Inc.”, a sonic cauldron capable of perfectly blending the characteristic elements of both schools of thought.
Sharp or pachyderm riffs, searing accelerations, and a soloism that is always over the top have always been the hallmarks of the way of understanding extreme music that Kiss Of Death has fully embraced, adding the acid voice of Max Serafino, almost of Black Matrix, to increase the already considerable rate of nastiness present in each track. On a technical level, the band never lets up, and even the sounds, raw and dry, are best suited to unleashing an irrepressible pogo and causing intense pain in the cervical vertebrae.
Even the songwriting, although still in need of improvement, already shows excellent maturity and a discrete variety of solutions, with a certain tendency to combine urgent rhythms and solos that tend to dissonance. A further (even greater!) dynamic impact, perhaps thanks to more insistent accelerations, and a more multifaceted vocal approach are further refinements that Kiss Of Death will probably be able to bring to their sound in the future. For now, we can only take the blow of ‘Inferno Inc.’ and smile. Toothless, but happy.
METALSCREAM.ITWeb’zine JANUARY 2005-Italy- Sweet and catchy is the intro that opens the way to the first song before giving way to Kiss Of Death’s music.
A very hammering power thrash metal, even if not extreme, with many jumps and stops that sound very modern; thrash above all as far as the musical characteristics are concerned, I feel like giving a Death touch (in my opinion) to the vocal line that always appears screaming and quite loud, to make comparisons with local bands, they remind me a lot of Arkenemy or Node from Lombardy, but let’s get back to us.
The tracks follow each other, all more or less pounding, pleasant to listen to, I especially like the eighth track ‘Declaration Of War’, which, hearing such a declaration, if I were in the enemy I would run away, a violent and angry machine-gun attack, almost ‘blackening’ to listen to… very good all the musicians, especially the drummer’s work… the only fault is the guitar solos, which, although very technical and pleasant to listen to, seem a bit similar to each other…
The only weakness, if I can put it that way, are the guitar solos, which, although quite technical and pleasant to listen to, are a bit too similar and sometimes seem to slow down the tempo of the song, I think an extra hit of “Slayerism” might not be bad, considering the range of the song! However, there is nothing to say about the sound and the recording, both of which are at a good level. Above all, there is nothing to say to the band, except that the name they have created for themselves in the Italian metal scene is well deserved!
SHAPELESS.IT Webzine JANUARY 2005 – Italy – Kiss Of Death are Max Serafino (vocals and rhythm guitar), Marcello Zappatore (lead guitar), Fernando Conte (bass) and Dario Congedo (drums).
At the time of their formation in Lecce in 1994, the line-up was different. Max, the founder of the band, wanted to play quality Death Metal. He was open to different influences. The band’s first work is from 1997: a demo called ‘Lies’.
A good feedback from both the public and the critics prompted Kiss Of Death to present itself once again a year later with ‘Undisputed Reality’. The full-length debut was released in 2000. An endless series of concerts started with “Stronger Than Before”. Always looking to get signed, despite their undoubted artistic merits, Kiss Of Death tried again in 2002 with ‘Promo 2K2’.
In the meantime, the band has been touring almost all over Italy, taking part in the most prestigious festivals and opening up for famous bands such as Sepultura, Saxon, Linea77, Death SS, Necrodeath, and many more. The year 2004 was a great start for the band. Emergenza Chitarre competition, sponsored by the magazine ‘Chitarre’, was won by Marcello Zappatore.
This musician has long been considered one of the best Italian guitarists. He even counts Steve Vai and Ron Thal among his admirers. That same month, Kiss Of Death recorded “Inferno Inc.”, their second full-length, at the Fear Studio in Alfonsine (RA), which I am about to review. “Three Times Six” starts with a long introduction that shows the quality of the arrangement.
The quartet’s sound is powerful, aggressive, and melodic enough. Max Serafino’s voice is a high-pitched, devastating screech. Overall, ‘Three Times Six’ is a good opening song, easy to grasp despite the various compositional subtleties that can be picked up on closer listening. The following ‘Violent Attitude’ is a bit harder. The rhythm is not very fast, but its pull is irresistible. This is thanks to the excellent work of Fernando and Dario. For their part, the two guitars weave a web of simple but effective riffs.
Marcello’s solo is particularly interesting. It is original both in its execution and in its choice of sounds. It sounds like an out-of-tune saxophone, hehe! My World” is another very positive proof that it is precisely in these moments that a musician shows his talent: in his independence from any model and personal ideas. The sound is typical of Kiss Of Death: “Inferno Inc.” shows a remarkable sonic coherence, a symptom of maturity. Insisting on certain notes makes this track eerie and dark. The groove is extraordinary. The solo in ‘My World’ also deserves mention. It is a mixture of delicate melody and controlled virtuosity. House Of Pain’ has a distinct melody from the very first bars. The song that comes closest to the Swedish melodic death models from the very beginning of the CD.
It is well structured but rather slow. It does not show the more personal side of Kiss Of Death’s songwriting. Nevertheless, it could satisfy a good number of listeners. It had already appeared on ‘Promo 2K2’. I find it a little cheesy. New Blood is a much more interesting track by far. It starts as usual with a short instrumental section. Then the track develops into an attack, which is not fast, but aggressive. Melodic space is cut to the bone and only becomes relevant during the solo.
The essence of the riffing makes this song hover between death and deathcore. Beautiful and determined, “Bestower Of Death” is an exciting journey into melodic and technical death. The track has been composed with the usual skill and expertise of the instrumentalists. The influence of Death, a constant of the Lecce Quartet, is always there. Marcello Zappatore embellishes the first few bars of ‘Sunk Into Hate Complete’ with his characteristic guitar passages. Brutality and melody go hand in hand; the rhythm section is relentless. There is a dark feeling to this song, to which the veiled dissonances scattered throughout the track contribute. The attack on ‘The Declaration Of War’ is overwhelming.
Band’s sound is heavy! The excellent production emphasizes Dario’s drums, a detail that is essential to make this white-knuckle attack truly devastating. This is the fastest, most destructive song on Inferno Inc. Vocals, guitars, bass, and drums declare war on the listener. They attack with a veritable sonic earthquake.
The coda is more cadenced and brings the Declaration Of War to a close. The closing track is the title track. It is a good song, Slayerian in its riffing, very direct. It is enjoyable from the first to the last note and it shows that Kiss Of Death knows how to captivate their fans without losing the quality and character of their music. The final acceleration makes you want to headbang! This second full-length is the proof. The band confirms itself as one of the best realities of Tricolour Death Metal. I hope that one of the labels will be wise enough to sign them up!
The CD can be purchased directly from the band’s website which, by the way, is very well done and full of information.
METALLOITALIANO.IT Web’zine JANUARY 2005 -Italy – The monicker Kiss Of Death, by now well known among Italian underground users, has carved out a discreet resonance over time, especially with countless good live performances. The end of ’04 presents us again with the combo at work, engaged in promoting their latest album ‘Inferno Inc.’, a record of nine tracks of aggressive and dynamic power thrash metal.
The product enjoys a good production that brings out its peculiarities and all the positive characteristics that can be found in it. First of all, Kiss Of Death’s choral evidence is of absolute depth, confirming that ten years of militancy in the scene (including changes) can only be beneficial at a compositional and instrumental level.
Very good tracks like ‘Violent Attitude’ or ‘House Of Pain’, are extraordinary, and fully confirm what was said before. They mark a clear step forward compared to the compositions of the previous full-length ‘Stronger Than Before’. Fortunately, Kiss Of Death sticks to these quality coordinates throughout “Inferno Inc.”, alternating fast and melodic tracks with slow, groovy pieces.
The result is forty minutes of healthy and honest power thrash metal that is never predictable but always focused on the concept of song form: avoiding the simple verse/chorus/rhythm formula, Kiss Of Death manages to write music that is rigid in its structure but can still be enjoyed with full attention. Inferno Inc.’ was not conceived with the intention of shocking anyone. Its role is to convey and generate good feelings in its listeners, and, in our opinion, it succeeds very well.
METALSHOCK Magazine DECEMBER 2004 -Italy- After many years of a long apprenticeship in the underground, Kiss of Death has managed to gain a fair share of fans and most importantly the respect of everyone.
Unfortunately, fate, or rather the record labels, never saw it that way. Truth be told, even today Kiss of Death must continue on the arduous path of self-production.
But why has this band never been able to find a deal, when so many other acts of lesser quality have succeeded in this difficult task? There could be many answers. One reason could be the lack of trendiness in their sound, which unfortunately emerged when their beloved thrash was pretty much dead. A second problem could be the very personal facets, such as their character, their needs, and so on. Or, sadly, they were never ready for prime time. Anyway, preamble aside, we must review the second full-length from these guys.
What can I say, even though the wall of sound is much fuller than in the past, the genre on offer is the usual thrash metal, very sharp and well produced, with a certain personality without a doubt, but lacking that extra pound that makes the difference.
Also, and this is a pity, the leader and founder, Max Serafino, would do better to concentrate on composing and leave the microphone to someone else who is less skilled but more persuasive. In conclusion, however, we are in the presence of a good record, another step along a difficult path that seems to have no exit or way out. But it is not up to us to solve certain riddles.
ENTRATEPARALLELE.IT Web’zineGENNAIO 2005 – Italy – The second album in the career of Kiss of Death from Lecce.
And it is a maturing of style, technique, and enthusiasm of these guys who are on their way in the domestic thrash scene. The album opens with “Three Times Six”, with excellent lyrics and titles that make up an album that is immediately interesting for the individual choices that make up the record. The recording is perfect (the album was recorded at the famous Fear Studios ed.), ensuring that the instrumental lines overlap without losing attitude and sound. Even the vocals do not overpower the instruments and give the right tone to the songs.
Perhaps the choice of a very ‘screaming’ voice for this type of music is confusing, but once you get used to the timbre, I would say it fits the genre well. The performance of “Violent Attitude” is also very good, maybe with a bit of an overbearing solo, but all in all a good song. “My World” is just the right piece with a strange and impressive side. “House Of Pain” is one of the album’s best tracks, already featured on the previous 2k2 promo, fast, with a scratchy riff and well-crafted melodies. “New Blood” and “Bestower of Death” could have been a bit more edgy, losing a little in their quest for technique and song cadences. Also in “Bestower” I have to say: The solo is not the best one. I mean, both the sound and the speed could be improved, but overall they don’t spoil it.
With ‘Sunk into hate complete’ things get going again.
The bass work is excellent on all tracks (sound and attitude) and accompanies the drums perfectly. Even ‘Declaration of War’ has the same attitude as the other tracks, it is better to leave out the solos and melodies under the vocals. The album closes with the title track, perhaps the most boring track on the CD, but not to be dismissed. However, it’s a good piece of work with good sounds and better and better ideas for a band that grows and matures with time. I want to reiterate to improve the solos’ sounding and technique. Acknowledging one’s limitations with a conscious mind is honesty toward the listener.
EUTK.NET Web’zineDECEMBER 2004 – Italy- Amazing. Even a title like ‘Inferno Inc. leaves little room for doubt, then it is the spirit of Kiss Of Death that pushes the reality in your face: here we are.
Compared to the past, Max Serafino’s vocals have become much meaner, often on screaming tones, as you can hear right from the opener ‘Three Time Six’. The following ‘Violent Attitude’ is a massive song, with something of Kreator about it, which surprises on a solo level, with the guitar of the good Marcello Zappatore bringing out very acid sounds. The pounding continues with the Slayer-esque ‘My World’ and the following ‘House of Pain’, the latter with a more Scandinavian edge. A sound that is always frenetic, capable of encompassing and absorbing different aspects of metal: Thrash, Death, Black, and even Core or Crossover. Above all, the personality and conviction that Kiss Of Death has acquired over the years.
The more ‘modern’ sounds can be approached with ‘New Blood’, which with its addictive groove, broken rhythms, and some effects on the vocals, softens a run that seemed unstoppable until now. Don’t worry, it’s back to running and pounding with the thrashy ‘Bestower of Death’.
The instrumental part at the beginning of “Sunk into Hate Complete” is really remarkable (and here I can hear Kreator again), with Zappatore’s guitar still present, well supported by the rhythm section composed by Fernando Conte and Dario Congedo, who also push like hell on “Declaration of War” and the final title track.
The only criticism that can be leveled at Kiss Of Death is a certain imprecision in the interpretation of the vocals, which, in my opinion, is due to a sometimes excessive enthusiasm (see “Declaration Of War”) and the need for further refinement of the various sound solutions that they propose. These flaws could easily be remedied, perhaps with the help of an experienced and astute producer.
Nevertheless, it’s a shame to see that a band with a decade-long history of excellence is once again resorting to self-produced material to release its second album (the first being “Stronger Than Before” in 2000).
And I see no rational answer…
NOIZEITALIA.COM Web’zineNOVEMBER 2004 -Italy- How do you say it? Hit from the blue? No, like getting slapped! That’s how you can sum up in a single sentence “Inferno Inc.” by Kiss of Death from Lecce, an absurd nine-piece band, each one more furious than the last, which by force deserves the title of Band of the Month for this December 2004. Thrash Metal from the good old days (the furious “rides” and the tempo changes), violent Death Metal with a Scandinavian matrix (but don’t think of the excellent melodic school, no In Flames or similar here!), and a sprinkling of Metal Core, which nowadays even risks making KOD trendy (what an ugly word!).
And there’s also Max Serafino’s clear black vocals, which give the work an aura of evil (and what screaming guys, but what did you do to your throat for the recording!?!?).
The members’ technique is excellent, especially Marcello Zappatore’s guitar, which colors the pieces with tones, and the rhythm section, which is an understatement to call it a caterpillar… a tank? A crusher? Well, you get the idea. Cracking tracks like ‘Three Times Six’ and ‘House of Pain’ don’t leave much room for reasoning, headbanging comes naturally, at home you shake your head and feet, in the car it’s better not to put it on, and I imagine there’s a lot of movement at one of their concerts.
When they speed up and change the tempo, it gets quite intriguing. And as soon as the killer screams come into play, the enjoyment far exceeds the warning level. The perfect evil record to brighten up your Christmas celebrations, which are already getting a bit sad today, December 1st… a good dose of “Inferno Inc.” is the right antidote, but if Santa Claus doesn’t bring you presents because you’ve been naughty, don’t come to Noize (or KOD, otherwise they’ll curse us!).
METALLIZED.IT Web’zineNOVEMBER 2004 -Italy- A powerful and vicious sound.
Guitars with a hint of melodic death, but always mobile and varied throughout the album, touching in many passages different genres, from thrash power to pure death. The album opens in a rather unconvincing way. A screeching guitar riff is not the most pleasant thing to hear. Luckily, the first track quickly regains its footing, unleashing a hard and direct sound backed up by crushing drums.
The presence of a pure black screaming voice is surprising, apart from the band’s death/thrash orientation. Anyway, this track breaks bones without mincing words, and used as an opener it certainly works, even on stage where the band seems to be very comfortable, and the gig in Rome with Necrodeath was proof of it. The band crossed the threshold of ten years of activity in 2004, even though their fame has only grown exponentially in the last few years, and they did it very well. Even the second track is well worth listening to throughout its duration, not least because of a more extreme sound and a wonderfully acidic and intricate solo. The album offers new points of interest from one song to the next, and it never gets boring.
After the opening tirade, a sonic massacre committed during the first four tracks, the mood changes with the fifth track, and this new blood bring with it direct crossover influences. Surely, in this position, this track has found the best way to stand out on the album, managing to break up what had been a frenetic rhythm up to that point.
The break lasts no longer than three minutes and fifty-one seconds, and Bestower of Death brings us back down to earth by presenting us with the most melodic death-oriented track, reminiscent in its etchings of episodes from bands like The Crown. With ‘Sunk into Hate Complete’ the call of power thrash continues. A song that says ‘headbanging’ from the first note to the last. A song that moves people’s lives like a few others, this one is lively and energetic. More destructive rage in the finale, with the beautiful Declaration Of War. Fast, melodic, and catchy, one of the album’s most interesting tracks. The solo does justice to a well-crafted song, backed up by some massive drum work throughout.
This song ends a little too hastily with a fade out that leaves it hanging a little without a clear resolution, as if it were incomplete; but this pleasant journey could not fail to lead us to the gates of hell that open wide before our ears with the last song on this record, the title track: Inferno Inc. This is probably the best way to end this disc, as it keeps you interested throughout, also due to the clever arrangement of the tracks along an itinerary of many interesting passages and little uncertainty. Nevertheless, this band’s path is marked and their mixture of all elements, of a right compromise between technique and brutality of sound, make this record and this band a real highlight of Italian Metal!
COOLCLUB. IT Web’zineNOVEMBER 2004-Italy- I like the latest Kiss Of Death by Lecce’s metal mastermind Max Serafino, for three reasons: first of all, it is the classic band and they’ve paid their dues”, and this allowed them to incorporate a personalize whole series of styles that I recognize while listening, specifically Bay Area Thrash, Swedish Crushing and the speed metal suggestions of bands like Exciter, the compactness of Pantherian and Machine Headian riff from the days when metal was modern, the NWOBHM of Maidenian rides, and with the addition of Marcello Zappatore (the band has had several line-up changes over 10 years), a whole handmade, let it be said as a compliment, background of the most intelligent guitar heroism (read: people who sweated their guts out on instruments).
I come straight to the second point. They are also appreciated because these people know how to play (the rhythm section of Fernando Conte and Dario Congedo, bass and drums respectively, are among those who don’t mince their words, always torn apart by the sharp voice and fast grinder riff of Mr. Serafino), but that’s not the point: the truth is that they know how to construct pieces with an eye to the song format, which is no small thing given the myriad of ultra-technical bands that only know how to play. Finally, they have an attitude that, as I said, shakes the best hard music of the last thirty years without shame.
Songs like ‘New Blood’ and ‘House of Pain’ will therefore not struggle to conquer the most heterogeneous audience possible, the so called elegance. So much so that at the end of listening to an album like theirs, you feel as if you have once again come to terms with the only form of ‘heavy metal’ classicism possible today.
ROCK HARD MagazineNOVEMBER 2004-Italy- After years of hard work and tons of live shows, that would be the ideal way to sum up Kiss of Death’s career. The influences of Machine Head and Burial that characterized the first part of the discography are flanked and partly replaced by a more modern riffing, close to that of The Haunted, revealing a never-too-obvious admiration for nu-metal.
Surprising is the change of vocalist Max Serafino from the powerful growl of the early days to an almost black metal scream that sometimes clashes with the overly American groove of tracks like ‘New Blood’. On the other hand, the refined guitar work of Marcello Zappatore, an axe man capable of chiseling out exquisite solos even in this context that is not exactly suited to a virtuoso, is convincing. Inferno Inc. is a must for lovers of the above-mentioned sounds, whose strength lies in the skill with which they mix typically European melodies with the pure power of the Stars and Stripes.
METAL-EMPIRE.IT Web’zine NOVEMBER 2004-Italy- How long I waited for this and now it is here in my hi-fi! Finally “Inferno Inc.”, the new chapter of the Lecce-based thrash gods Kiss Of Death, by the increasingly in-form Max Serafino, has been released.
As we all know, the release of this album was delayed for quite some time, but in the end, it was worth the wait. “InfernoInc. is certainly the best production of the Apulian combo, pride of the national thrash scene, as can already be understood from the opener ‘Three Times Six’, in which KoD describes the state of grace they find themselves. Then it’s up to “Violent Attitude”, a title that leaves little room for fantasy. The CD’s 41 minutes pass like a blur on the (shredding) notes of tracks like ‘My World’, ‘Bestower Of Death’, ‘Sunk Into Hate Complete’ and the spectacular, final title track.
The gestation period was long, but the delivery was exceptional: Especially when you consider that what came to life is an unhealthy and violent creature that answers to the name “Inferno Inc. KoD are back to make people talk about them, and they do it in the best way possible: With an over-the-top record that, personally, will hardly leave your CD player. Hats off to Max and company: they are on a roll, and this album proves it.
Highest marks and chapeaux.
WILDEZINE.IT Web’zine NOVEMBER 2004 -Italy- I Kiss Of Death can now look back on a decade of experience, given their formation in 1994, including demo CDs, a debut album, but above all a good series of live shows, some alongside relevant names such as Sepultura to name but one. The band from Lecce has certainly reached a certain level of maturity over the years that would suggest a more ‘adult’, reflective new album, but instead ‘Inferno Inc.’, from its title and cover, is a declaration of war.
KOD’s new full-length strikes hard and is even more extreme than its predecessor, even though it is more solid and technically advanced.
The first thing that catches my ear is the voice of leader/founder Max Serafino, which is on the verge of a furious black metal scream, and it is precisely in the vocal parts where ‘Infernal Inc.’ is at its best. “Infernal Inc.” becomes more direct and impulsive in the vocal parts, but the style of our band remains unmistakably thrash metal.
In the purely instrumental parts, their power thrash is decidedly elaborate and at times ‘nervous’, especially in the stricter solo parts, which in this new release are influenced by the presence of Marcello Zappatore, a technical guitarist recognized as one of the best in Italy.
The virtuosity of the newcomer has certainly contributed to enriching Kiss Of Death’s offering, which, along with certain new sympathies, perhaps of Black Metal origin, has been given more rational and technical guidelines, certainly dictated by the need for growth and development that a band of Kiss Of Death’s caliber must now necessarily have.
METALWAVE.IT Web’zine OCTOBER 2004 – I reviewed the previous work of Kiss of Death from Lecce last year, just after this Fanzine opened its doors!
At that time I was listening to a rather old album (if I’m right, “Stronger than Ever” was released in 2000), so I reserved the right to make a final judgment on the band fronted by the hyperactive Max Serafino, knowing that there have been several changes in the band’s line-up in the meantime, and being aware that a band’s evolution in four years is quite astonishing.
These days I have the pre-release of their album in my hands (which will be released at the end of October). This allows me to finally verify the good impressions that their previous work has given me. I would say: It is time to listen to the record in question. A very sharp and cutting riff introduces “Three Time Six” which reminds me of modern thrash school riffing.
Then it explodes into a song with a good thrash/death feeling, somewhere between the old American school and the more northern European one. The vocal setting has been slightly changed to a high-pitched scream that sounds like a child of Chuch Schuldiner and Tompa. Some moments of the Ammot brothers’ Arch Enemy can be heard as a truly inspired solo.
Good production (which, however, seems to sacrifice the vocals for a moment), an interesting start. An abrasive half-tempo introduces the following ‘Violent Attitude’. It unfolds on a rather groovy and not too fast riffing. It is a monolithic piece. The pacing is interrupted by a nice solo in the middle! This is followed by “My World”, another track played at half speed with a rather continuous vocal, which is interrupted in the middle by a riff with a Slayer flavor (which never hurts). Marcello expresses himself in a solo of fine workmanship, feeling, and axe skills.
After that comes “House Of Pain”, which has a riff that reminds me of the previously mentioned Arch Enemy (early days), and which is built around an up-tempo that isn’t too fast but is sure to get you, both for the melodic interweaving and the shots themselves: I’m sure this is going to be a great track that will make the mosh pit go wild! At the risk of sounding repetitive, the lead guitar work here is excellent. The fifth track ‘New Blood’ opens with a doomy riff, a riff that soon gives way to a much more groovy, NU metal-sounding ride.
The track has a Machine Head vibe, with dissonant riffs, complex rhythms, and filtered vocals. I’m a purist, but I don’t like certain sounds. I think it’s the least successful track on the album.
We return to the band’s style with “Bestower of Death”, which has Slayer references and a Northern European flavor. Another NU-school introduction for “Sunk into…”, flows into an inspired solo by Marcello.
Then we’re back to fast thrash/death music. Our guys seem to be at ease. In the middle, another fine solo by Marcello. A distorted guitar riff leads to the eighth song on the album, “Declaration of War.” Our song is like a Slayer/Dark Angel song from the 80s. It has an evil riff that fades towards the end.
“Inferno Inc.” is played on a fast start and then slows down in the second half. The track has a good impact, but I expected more power and immediacy from the title track. Kiss of Death is a band that has benefited from a long apprenticeship.
The compositions benefit from the more than discrete individual technique of all the new members. Marcello, the new soloist, stands out for technical competence, imagination, and taste. The production and choice of sounds are good, too. The only criticism I would make of the band is that they lack vocal variety.
I think some of the compositions could have benefited from a little more variety in style compared to classic screaming. However, this last sentence is like trying to find the proverbial nitpicking. In short, I think Kiss of Death deserves more attention from the general public because they’ve been working hard for years.
BRUTALISM.COM Web’zineNOVEMBRE 2004 –” The Netherlands disc of these Italian thrash metal heads. 8 New songs (House Of Pain already appeared on their promo 2002). Still, you hear 9 high quality and power thrash metal with high raw screamy vocals, forcing guitars with nice leads, and stewing drums. There’s a variety of tempos in the songs and plenty of melody. Again this is a strong release of a band I like. I hope they get more recognition. “
