Kissin’ Dynamite are a rare case where at this point in their career youth meets experience and produces spectacular results, as a result of being signed to a record deal while they were still in their mid teens these guys have a bigger catalog and more musical maturity than a band typically does by the age that they are.
They are one of the best modern bands who are carrying the torch for rock n roll, But where some bands seem content to recreate the style of the 80’s hard rock bands Kissin’ Dynamite are taking the torch from those bands and pushing the genre forward.
These guys have everything going for them that made the 80’s bands such a perfect rock n roll storm. Great musicianship, Check. Great songwriting, Check. Great production, Rock Star image, Great singer, Check, Check, and Check. But more than anything they do arena worthy rock anthems better than most, In that regard I would put them up there with Crazy Lixx.
Their last album Not The End Of The Road was one of my top contenders for album of the year, a record packed with great songs, Hard rocking riffs, Big choruses, and moving ballads. It really had it all.
Following that album up was always going to be a tall order, So here we are two years later with a much anticipated follow up.
The title track (and you could argue mission statement of the album) “Back With A Bang” starts things off right with some great driving riffs, Pounding drums, and a high pitched wail. The verses slow the pace a bit but drive the melody along just enough to make the chorus hit that much harder, There’s an excellent guitar solo on this song. This song lets you know the good times are here, Let’s rock!
“My Monster” is a great mid tempo rocker that would’ve fit really well on their album Generation Goodbye, The chorus is catchy as hell with singer Hannes Brain singing “All my life I’ve been running away from a monster, The monster in me” these guys really have perfect tone on all of their instruments. Every riff, Guitar Solo, Drums, Bassline, It’s just sheer ear candy. And speaking of guitar solos the one on this track is excellent. Hannes is an incredible vocalist, Over the course of this band’s career he’s showcased his ability to rock your socks off and also reduce you to tears with a soulful emotional power ballad (check out “Scars” and “Heart Of Stone” from their last two albums)
What rock fan doesn’t like a great song to toast to? One of the many things that made Glam Metal so fun was its celebration of having a good time. You’ll find an anthem to toast to your friends and good times in my favorite song on the album “Raise Your Glass” which topically celebrates the times they’ve shared together as a band, we the listener get to live vicariously through the feeling in this song and it’s celebration of passion this band has for what they do.
A good drum beat starts out this song before the riffs start in, Hannes really lets the vocals soar over the chorus and will have you singing loud enough for the neighbors to hear “Raise your glass to the memories that we share, Resonating in each song, and the crowd just sings along. Raise it high to this roller coaster ride, our journey carries on and the best is yet to come. Here’s to every single moment, Raise your glass” do choruses in songs like this get any better than that? I personally don’t think so, And the emotion and power he sings this with really hits you. You’ll walk away from this song feeling fantastic. Between the stadium level songwriting and vocal delivery this song is sheer perfection.
“Queen Of The Night” is my second favorite song on the album. Heavy mid tempo riffs, Bouncing keys, and pounding drums provide a tsunami of hard rock power that add even more punch to the powerful vocal melodies. With how much of an ear worm this song is it’ll be a tragedy if it’s not a single, at the very least this song will slay the audience live.
“The Devil Is A Woman” has a slightly bluesy start before kicking things into high gear with some seismic guitar riffs that would’ve made Def Leppard at their height proud, There’s a heavy influence from them on this song. The progression of the melody from the verses to the bridge and the chorus is spectacular, It gradually ups the pace while getting you moving the entire time. Songs like this are proof of why these Germans can stand toe to toe with the best of the Swedish bands and that’s probably the highest praise I can give presently.
“The Best Is Yet To Come” is cut from the same mold as the title track of their prior album, These days it’s honestly great to hear a song where the message is that it’s only going to get better if we don’t give up. Delicious melodic rock riffs and an excellent driving backbeat by the rhythm section make this a fun song.
“I Do It My Way” starts things out a bit more mellow, this isn’t quite a power ballad but it has that vibe about it, the melodic playing in this is hypnotic and the bass line on this song really just pulses through you. The chorus is huge, in the way that you could see them bringing in a choir to perform it with them live, it has that feel.
“More Is More” reminds me a bit of “All For A Hallelujah” from their last album, It’s a good song but I feel the title is a little redundant and kind of detracts from an otherwise great chorus. I absolutely love the guitar solo on this song and the acoustic playing that follows it before heading back into harder riffs, That’s a really cool transition.
“Iconic” has a really cool melody going on that plays along with the muted riffs in the verse, Hannes again absolutely killing it vocally. There’s so much going on musically with this track I’d love to hear just the instrumental track to absorb it all and all its really cool changes and transitions from the entire band.
“Learn To Fly” is another excellent rocker but when you weigh it against the other songs on this album the chorus doesn’t have as much punch, But when you have songs as strong as these it raises the bar for the entire album.
“When The Lights Go Out” has a lot of groove to it that you can dance to, driving rhythms and a great chorus this another great, Fun song on an album full of them. I love the acoustic interlude three quarters of the way through the song and when it picks back up it feels like it only hits more powerful.
Kissin’ Dynamite do ballads as good as any of the best in rock music out there today, Maybe even better than most. The album ends on what is really the only ballad on the album “Not A Wise Man” and it reminds me of some of the acoustic ballads 80’s hard rock bands did in the 90’s, This could honestly go toe to toe with any of those. Hannes showcases the soulful depth and power of his vocals, It’s always on the ballads that he shines the brightest in my opinion. The acoustic playing here is spectacular and you don’t see a lot of this in hard rock these days, especially acoustic playing of this caliber.
The honest truth is that I have a hard time comparing these guys to anyone, Some bands it’s much easier to give the reader a point of reference but the case of Kissin’ Dynamite they are their own corner of the market right now and are taking the hard rock genre to newer and exciting places musically. They’ve got it all going for them and are by far one of the best and most exciting bands in rock music worldwide, This album proves it.
Rock fans everywhere need this album.
9/10
