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KISSING JUDAS
False Saint
Independent Release

I don't normally specifically cover or review local bands from the Houston area where I live but on occasion there are times when it's called for, especially when the release is good and I think it will crack my Top Ten release for the given year. In that vein I have reviewed release by local favorites TAME FURY and LOVE AND WAR because those albums were exceptional. Enter the debut release from another local band, KISSING JUDAS, that being False Saint, because it absolutely warrants such a distinction.

The brainchild of local musician/guitarist Dave Sullivan, KISSING JUDAS formed from the ashes of a previous band he was involved with an with the addition of his son Corey on drums, Chris Salinas on bass, Dave's wife Morgan on backup vocals, the band is a solid picture of what a good band should be, but it's the addition of vocalist Bret Gyrich that really completes the picture and sets the band apart. It should also be noted that this release, the recording of it, the physical products (vinyl and CD) and everything else associated with the project were all self-funded by Dave himself, much to the chagrin of his wife at times I'm sure (change my mind Morgan LOL).

I've been indirectly involved with this release almost from the start as Dave would call me every so often to pick my brain, get advice, or just to get my opinion of something, which was all an honor in itself. One thing that always stood out in our discussions was the fact that Dave, like most of us Pure Rockers, grew up in the 80s heyday with dreams of becoming a rock star and making it big, looking up to such rock idols as Stephen Pearcy, Rudy Sarzo and Billy Sheehan, to name but a few. And if you're wondering why I chose to mention those names, well you'll just have to read further to find out why ;). One thing Dave told me when approaching this release was that now that he's older and finally has the opportunity to release an album, if it's the only album he ever releases then he wanted to do it up right. Mission accomplished!

As I mentioned, I've been somewhat involved with this album since the get-go and so in full disclosure of this review, I have heard the songs on this album in some fashion for at least the past year or more, everything from riffs to rough mixes, unmastered versions and finally the finished product. I've even been fortunate enough to have heard most of them performed live so when I give my opinion of it I really know what I'm talking about.

The album starts off solidly with the track "Not Today" which could be described as an anti-suicide number with the chorus line of "Everything's always gonna be alright but it's not gonna be today...". Keep your head because things will be alright, maybe just not today though. Bret Gyrich on this song, and every song on this album, puts his heart, soul and emotion into it and it absolutely shows as you listen to track after track. I've tried to find the comparison vocalist that I could say he reminded me of but he really has a distinct style that is all his own. The closest comparison I could come to is on the songs "Tastes Like Blue" and "Neon Avenue" where he exudes the soul and style of the late, great Janis Joplin with his grittiness and raw emotion.

Remember those rock stars I referenced above? Well, if you're believing all along that this might be the only album you release then what better way to make a splash than to have legends guesting on it, something I cannot think of another local band doing for any of their releases. The third track on the album, "Save Me", features none other than the big cheese (see what I did there?) of RATT himself, Stephen Pearcy. The song starts out with a nice, raw riff from Dave before Pearcy kicks in with his unique vocals that are unlike any other. But wait, there's more! The bass for this number has been provided by Mr. Rudy Sarzo who not only provides the low end but he gets something I have never heard on any recording that features him: a bass solo. That's right, in the breakdown just prior to the guitar solo Sarzo lays down a nice little ditty, a la Billy Sheehan before Dave rips into an excellent solo, something that was made even more impressive to me after hearing from him the health issues he was dealing with at the time AND the fact that the solo was done in ONE TAKE! In fact, Dave's guitar work on this record is just one more thing to love about it.

Elsewhere on the disc is a track called "Cheshire" and once again Dave enlisted a guest appearance, this time by the bass-wonder himself, Billy Sheehan. Now you see exactly why I name-dropped these guys earlier. If you knew nothing about this album and heard it for the first time and had to guess which song Sheehan played on I guarantee you 90% of the people at least would say "Cheshire", the bass lines just ooze that Sheehan vibe. This song is actually a carryover from the previous band I spoke of at the beginning, with the irony being that it was written about their former singer, who actually had no idea that when he was singing it in live performances, he was talking about himself, especially that chorus where it says "If you really knew me you'd fuckin' run"!. Classic subtlety from Dave. The one thing that speaks volumes about the guest appearances on False Saint is that the songs had to be strong for such legends to even consider adding their stamps to them, which just adds to the appeal and the curiosity of the listener who has never heard of KISSING JUDAS.

Other notable tracks on the album include "Rise", "Cabaret" and the aforementioned "Tastes Like Blue". The production of the album is impeccable, with the mixing handled by another name that Pure Rockers should be somewhat familiar with, Matt Thorne whose resume includes stints with RATT and ROUGH CUTT. The mix on the CD is also as perfect as you can get, but what else would you expect from a man who wanted to do this release correctly?

As far as the packaging goes, well here again Sullivan hits it out of the park. Remember the days when a new album would come out and we would rush to the record store to buy the album or cassette (remember those?), immediately open it and unfold the booklet that was included so we could check out the lyrics, photos and credits? Nowadays a lot of bands are putting out CDs in a simple cardboard sleeve and that's it, or make you pay extra for the 'digi-pak' versions to get the goodies we all used to get for free. The CD version of False Saint includes a nice 16-page booklet that includes various photos of the band interspersed with the lyrics and credits. A nice touch indeed! As for the vinyl product, this is where Dave went all out. You get a gatefold album jacket to start things off with photos of the band and the credits and thank you's, 180gm vinyl which only the bigger name bands seem to be doing, a sleeve containing the actual record that has the KISSING JUDAS logo on one side and the phrase 'Better to be an open sinner than a false saint'. And to top things off, you get an additional insert in with the album's sleeve that is front and back of the song lyrics.

If False Saint really does turn out to be the only record Dave releases with KISSING JUDAS then he will go out on top and can be nothing but proud of his accomplishment. This album checks all the desirable boxes when it comes to song content, production, and the physical aspects. You can check out a couple of tracks on YouTube for "Cheshire" and "Rise". And for you fans of the guest artists on this album you're gonna want a copy of this simply because this is the only place you will hear them performing on these tracks. False Saint will not be available on any streaming service so if you want it you gotta get the physical variants or the digital download.

A brand new website launches on August 11th so head to KissingJudas.com to purchase the album digitally or physically as well as cool KISSING JUDAS merch! Rock on!

5.0 Out Of 5.0