Granmax ~ USA ~ Kansas City, Missouri

Kiss Heaven Goodbye (1978)

---11/7/07

For 1978, Kiss Heaven Goodbye rocks hard and has some riffing that you may have only found on a Judas Priest album (think Stained Class) at this early date. Pretty much nonstop heavy rock, and no pub and boogie rockers to drag it down as is typical for albums such as this.

---9/16/24

It was a long time in the making, but finally Granmax's heralded second album has been reissued. Long a sought after item by hard rock collectors, prices soared to unattainable heights.

There have been a few more late 70s private hard rockers I've discovered since, but Kansas City's Granmax belongs in that top tier discussion. Heavy rock was more and more prominent in the late 70s Midwest landscape, and American males everywhere were looking for an outlet to burn their pent-up energy. Borrowing from Judas Priest, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Budgie, Grand Funk, Kiss, Black Sabbath, and every other A-lister heavy band of the era, Kiss Heaven Goodbye was the answer to a lot of young dude's wishes. In the same way the first Van Halen was. Not every track is a winner, but even among the more mediocre tunes resides a creative riffing sequence. Granmax were ahead of their time and well positioned to go to the next step. They were auditioning for Polydor and then they disappeared without a trace. The liner notes mention it as an abrupt occurrence but do not give us details. It's easy to see how Granmax could have been peers of a group like Manilla Road, eventually going all in for heavy metal. They had the talent, the fantasy lyrics, and the masculinity to pull it off. One more tale of woe in the hard rock annals of American history.

The CD includes three bonus tracks taken from a concert of the era. These songs show the band moving more to the center, though maintaining their heaviness, demonstrating they had a desire to rise in the charts.

Ownership: 2024 Cult Metal Classics (CD). Contains history, perspectives, photos, lyrics, and recording data.

11/7/07 (first listen); 9/16/24 (acquired / review / new entry)