The Meister's Kissin' Dynamite!

German band Kissin' Dynamite released their debut album, Steel of Swabia in 2008 when they were but 15 and 16 years old.  Since then they've followed it up every two years with another solid
effort, Addicted to Metal in 2010, Money Sex & Power in 2012 and now the end of September sees Megalomania hitting the shelves.  The five guys from Swabia (a southern part of Germany), vocalist Hannes Braun, guitarist Ande Braun (Hannes brother), guitarist Jim Muller, bassist Steffen Haile and drummer Andreas Schnitzer formed as a school band.  They have opened for the likes of Steel Panther and U.D.O. who also lends his gravelly vocals to the title track on Addicted to Metal.

For their latest effort, Megalomania, and quite frankly my introduction to Kissin' Dynamite, they barricaded themselves into their studio in Flensburg, Germany for a few weeks to write the songs.  The press release uses the word "zeitgeist" in a few places and after looking it up on wikipedia I found it to mean: "The Zeitgeist (spirit of the age or spirit of the time) is the intellectual fashion or dominant school of thought that typifies and influences the culture of a particular period in time."  Well, let's see if Kissin' Dynamite characterize the zeitgeist as the release claims shall we.

With ten tracks and only a 39 minute run time this is already different than several other reviews I've done lately in which there are 11 or 12 lengthy tracks and total run times over an hour.  "DNA" starts things off and quickly has my attention after the synthesizer beginning explodes into the pumping beat that drives the track.  The darker and pace changing "Maniac Ball" follows and does not live up to the preceding track.  "VIP in Hell" however raises the bar once again, with a breakneck pace but the downfall are the "rap-like" sections of the verses.  My total album killer curse "The Ballad" rears it's ugly head in the fourth spot with "Fireflies".  Not being a fan of ballads, a few classics aside mind you, this one fares better than most and does not squash my interest in the album.  The shortest track and arguably the best on Megalomania, "Deadly" appears next, great rocker with a little more modern tinges.  "I'm the God in you"
chants the beginnings on "God In You" before it opens up into an anthemic balls out rocker and in "Running Free" we are treated to more catchy hooks and melodic choruses.  The industrial flavored "Legion of the Legendary" is not really my style and it's followed up by another yawner ballad in "The Final Dance" instilling a growing loss of interest.  The album closes with "Ticket to Paradise" containing a crunchy beginning and an infectious sing along chorus in this melodic masterpiece that ends on a high point.

All in all Kissin' Dynamite's fourth effort is decent, but a little "all over the map" between the elements of sleaze rock, hard rock, industrial, power metal, speed metal and ballads but the songs I like, I like a lot.  They've certainly enticed me into a search of the previous three outings, remember these guys are in their early 20's with four albums already under their belts.  Let's see what they come up with next.

Cheers,
The Meister

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(Buy: Kissin' Dynamite - Megalomania)