Kiss It Goodbye

This posthumous release by hardcore/noise/metal greats Kiss it Goodbye was originally slated for a seven-inch release on Sub Pop; it never happened, so Revelation added some extra tracks and presto, a fitting end to a band born of turmoil and shrouded in notoriety. Five songs comprise Kiss It Goodbye’s death knell, and while their She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not album was a relentless, yet brooding, metallic assault, Choke is more vicious and complex and easily their best material to date (and barring a reformation, ever). Featuring a new guitarist (Demian Johnston) on the Choke material, and, as a bonus including the Target Practice seven-inch, the songs are equally heavy, complex, adventurous and riddled with the tortured vocals of Tim Singer. Comparisons to Fixation on a Co-worker-era Deadguy are unavoidable, considering Tim and former guitarist Keith Huckins were members, but Kiss It Goodbye were starting to add more of their own identity, fuelled by some Lifetime, Hard Volume-era Rollins fury and a healthy dose of technical ability, were poised to escape their past legacy and continue the creation of a new one. Sadly, with Choke as their final offering, many will be left wondering just how good Kiss It Goodbye could have been, considering the quality of She Loves Me… and Choke, the answer is simply awe-inspiring.