kissin' dynamite

(8/10) "Money, Sex and Power" was a bit of a downer a few years ago and fortunately things got better again on the successor "Megalomania". Now Swabian metal youngsters Kissin' Dynamite need to prove that this trend is a sustainable one.

"Generation Goodbye" is that album that should do this job, and it does. Actually I must say that the guys are going back one more step towards their roots. Kissin' Dynamite are back in straight forward melodic metal and all the added frills belongs to the past.

The title tracks and the first single release "Hashtag Your Life" give a clear direction for "Generation Goodbye". I can't really say that the band is back, since they were never gone, but for sure they found back their old strength. These two tunes include everything I expect from the quintet - melodic metal that has its base in the late 80's, spiced-up with a modern sound which makes the album fresh and dynamic.

My personal preference goes more for the faster and heavier tracks on "Generation Goodbye". "She Came, She Saw", Highlight Zone" and "Under Friendly Fire" are just some of these anthems that invites immediately for a sing-a-long. And even though the melodies are quite catchy, things get never too sift and cheesy. Guitars and a hard hitting rhythm section are constantly pushing.

There are some more moderate moments on this album too. If Clocks Were Running Backwards" is one of them. Being far away from a ballad the tune starts more silent before it builds-up towards a powerful metal track.

There is a powerful ballad called "Masterpiece" on the album too. Hannes Braun shares vocals with, I guess, Jennifer Haben from Beyond The Black, something that adds a new expression to Kissin' Dynamite's sound. In the end it's only "Utopia" that stands back a bit behind the other ten songs.

Kissin' Dynamite got over their "Money, Sex and Power" phase. "Generation Goodbye" is their best album since having published "Addicted to Metal".

(8/10)

Tracklist:

1. Generation Goodbye
2. Hashtag Your Life
3. If Clocks Were Running Backwards
4. Somebody to Hate
5. She Came She Saw
6. Highlight Zone
7. Masterpiece
8. Flying Colours
9. Under Friendly Fire
10. Lager Than Life
11. Utopia

Label: AFM Records

Genre: Melodic Metal

Release Date EU: July 8th, 2016

Heavy Metal Maniacs is a fan club of heavy sounds and the lifestyle connected to this kind of of music. The club is located in The Netherlands, with having members also in countries like Germany, Canada and some more. 2015 is the year of the 16th edition of their Heavy Metal Maniacs festival and the guys managed to get some great metal bands together, performing on October 17 in the P60 in Amstelveen.

The most known act was the German Metal institution Primal Fear. But also German youngsters of Kissing' Dynamite have been part of the running order as well as Manimal from Sweden, Junkyard Drive from from Denmark, Ancillotti (IT) and the Motörhead cover bans Snaggletoöth from Holland.

The first band that had to enter the stage was Dutch Snaggletoöth.

After a pretty long break it was time for Danish Junkyard Drive. I haven't heard of those guys before but I have to say that there forceful hardrock cocktail tasted very well. Those five boys from Roskilde (this is already a good omen in itself) base their music on bands like AC/DC, Airborne and Guns'n'Roses. Junkyard Drive was the youngest band on this festival but the guys did a really cool job. And last but not least they have a small hit called "Pauline" that is worth to be checked out.

From young to experienced. Italian Ancillotti have been the next one on stage. Their traditional metal fitted perfect to this festival. The four guys had obviously a lot of fun that night and their metal filled the air in P60. Most of the performed tracks have been from their 2014 release called "The Chain Goes On", but also a new song made it on the setlist. "To Hell With You" is taken from the next album and it raises curiousity when it comes to the upcoming longplayer.

Again back to Scandinavia, but we move further to Sweden. Manimal was next. The guys took the long trip from Gothenburg down to Amstelveen to set down a show that was really good. Those guys are in business with Manimal already since 2002 and you could see this experience.

Their biggest success so far was their "The Darkest Room" album, that entered the Swedish charts without being released in other countries. That was in 2009. In the meantime AFM Records takes care about the four Swedes and the new album will be released in November this year. And since the setlist contained quite some songs from "Trapped in the Shadows" the gig of the four-piece became to a special one. Manimal has obviously quite some fans in Holland which gave the band a great time during the 45 minutes long set.

Kissin' Dynamite are still belonging to the younger metal bands, but the guys gained already a lot of experience during the last years. Hannes, Andre, Jim, Steffen and Andi can look back on four albums that have been full of pure metal with a certain glam factor. I personally liked their first two records more than the latest one, however the music of Kissing' Dynamite is made for the stage.

First things that became obvious was the fact that the frontrow changed. All of a sudden the girls moved closer to the stage to celebrate the guys from Swabia. The show of the five guys was pure power from the first to the last song. Combined with typical stereotype posing the show was completely rounded. Music, stage acting, outfit and vibe - all fitted together very well and Kissin' Dynamite inflamed a pure glam metal firework that was highly entertaining. 

The whole thing climxed in a 'Scorpions'-pyramid at the end of an energetic show. Small drop of bitterness was the missing of "Steel of Swabia", but for the rest Hannes and the gang did a great job.

Primal Fear started a bit later than expected, but as soon as the five guys entered the stage it was obvious that they will not take any prisoners tonight. Already before the actual gig started Alex Beyrodt motivated the crowd to scream and shout. The fans accepted this invitation immediatley and the first rows went crazy.

Primal Fear came with two new members. Francesco Jovino was sitting behind the drumkit while Tom Naumann returned on second guitar. However, Primal Fear stood as a rock and the five-piece played tight and powerful. Passion meets professionalism - this describes it best.

Everybody, band and fans, had a lot of fun during these 90 minutes. The setlist had a bit of a focus on the latest album, but in the end it was a well chosen mix of old and new. "Chainbreaker" from the debut has been performed as well as "Final Embrace" from the band second longplayer "Jaws of Death". 

The really cool thing with the band is the fact that, eventhough they developed their sound further, you don't notice any differences between the old and new stuff. It's just Primal Fear. The band has their trademarks when it comes to sound and songs and they handle those with care without copying their own, older, tunes.

Those 90 minutes showed again that Primal Fear is one of the most impactful European power metal bands at the moment and it was great to see them live again.

I have to give the guys of Heavy Metal Maniacs a lot of credit that they managed to get Primal Fear to The Netherlands. Normally the band doesn't get that much further into the country than Venlo and therefore it was great to have them this time in the Randstad. Well done and thanks to all involved for a real metal firework. All in all a night to remember.

The 'Heavy Metal Maniac festival' is a nice small event that is build on a common interest and dedication for hard music. It feels like a 'family' event; something that brings people with the same interest together for listening to excellent music in a relaxed atmosphere. It was my first time at this festival and I'm looking forward already to next years edition; number 17. Horns up.

Setlist Primal Fear:

1. Intro
2. Final Embrace
3. Alive and On Fire
4. Nuclear Fire
5. Unbreakable
6. Seven Seals
7. Drum Solo
8. Running in the Dust
9. Angel in Black
10. When Death Comes Knocking
11. Fighting the Darkness
12. Chainbreaker
13. Metal is Forever
14. Delivering the Black (Encore)
15. Battalions of Hate (Encore)

Setlist Kissin' Dynamite:

1. Intro
2. DNA
3. Running Free
4. Supersonic Killer
5. Money, Sex & Power
6. Maniac Ball
7. Love Me
8. Six Feet Under
9. Sex is War
10. Hysteria
11. Ticket to Paradise
12. Ring
13. Operation Supernova

Setlist Manimal:

1. Irresistable
2. The Dark
3. The Darkest Room
4. Shadows
5. Trapped in the Shadows
6. Psychpomp
7. Invincible
8. I am
9. Human Nature

Setlist Ancillotti:

1. Bang Yoyur Head
2. Devil Inside
3. Victims of the Future
4. Living for the Night
5. Monkey
6. I Don't Wanna Know
7. To Hell with You
8. Legacy of Rock
9. Warrior

Setlist Junkyard Drive:

1. Devils Boogie Woogie
2. Spotlight Rush
3. Drama Queen
4. If You Wanna Rock Me
5. Seaze the Day
6. Danger Zone
7. Pauline
8. Golden Lady

​

Location: P60, Amstelveen, The Netherlands

Date: October 17th, 2015

(7/10) Does Rebellious Spirit know the guys from Kissin' Dynamite? They are at least based in the same area in Germany - Swabia. And they play a similar kind of music, which is 80's based hardrock. Also age-wise the two bands are very similar. The guys have been between 15 and 18 when they recorded their first demo. That was three years ago.

However, let's focus on the rebel guys for a moment."Obsession" is the second album of the four-piece. It follows the debut called "Gamble shot". Since I haven't heard their debut I was quite curious on what to expect. And I was positively surprised. As said, the band plays 80's based melodic hardrock that is based somewhere between HIM in the darker "Lost" and Mötley Crüe ("Look what I've become").

But the Rebellious Spirit for sure heard also about Poison. Listening to songs like "Summer moved on" and "Between the highs and lows" explains you what I mean. It is the vocals and the melodylines of Jannik Fischer that reminds to the guys from L.A.. The last mentioned track has by the way a quite heavy middle part.

The ballad "In my dreams" is in my point of view a bit too cheesy, but the final track, the riffy "Breakout", brings back the overall positive impression of the album.

The good sound of "Obsession" rounds of the total package.

If you like 80's hardrock and if you count Kissin' Dynamite to your faves too, than you should give also this album a fair chance. The chance you'll like it if pretty high.

Let's see what their live shows will look like. They will open for our blond guitar wizard Axel Rudi Pell during his autumn tour.

(7/10)

Tracklist:

1. Obsession
2. Lost
3. Silent scream
4. Walls of lies
5. Summer moved on
6. Confidence men
7. Look what I've become
8. Between the highs and lows
9. Together
10. Forever lost
11. In my dreams
12. Breakout

Label: Steamhammer/SPV

Genre: Hardrock

The youngsters from Swabian metal band Kissin’ Dynamite has a new record out in the stores since a few days. It’s their fourth full-length record, which shows that the band from the south of Germany became more mature during all the years in the music business. „Megalomania“ combines the oldschool (sleaze) metal influences with the ‚experiments’ from their third album „Money, sex and power“.

The other day I had the chance to get more insights from the band directly. I was talking to Jim Mueller, one of the two guitarists of the band. Jim took some time for interview during his ‚other’ job, next to the band. Without going too much into depth I can say that the guy is really connected to metal. It was a nice chat between two Swabians.

Markus Heavy Music Blog:

Hej Jim, good to have you on the phone. How are you?

Jim Mueller:

Thanks. Good talking to you.

MHMB:

Jim, you guys have worked on a new album – „Megalomania“. How does it feel having the album ready to be released? (info: it's relesed in the meantime)

Jim:

First of all it’s a big relief having the album finally done. It took us more effort this time than we expected.

MHMB:

Sounds interesting. Why was this the case?

Jim:

It was due to the fact the decided in June 2013 to do a few things different this time. We reflected on the current status of the band and found quite some things, which worked very well, but there have been also a few things, which we thought could have been done better. One thing we actually said goodbye to have been the 80’s clothing. We are born in the beginning of the 90’s and we want to reflect this. We live in the 21st century and this is what we represent nowadays.

MHMB:

Sounds like a logical decision. Next to the more up-to-date outfits, what happened to the music?

Jim:

We had the same approach when it is about the songs. We mixed the typical Kissin’ Dynamite sound with some new and fresh elements. To find the right way for doing this took some time and energy. As soon as we have decided this the rest of the work on the new album went on much easier.

MHMB:

I have to say that I like the new album, but also the first two records had their charm and had many rounds on my record player.

Jim:

I can understand your remark regarding the first two albums. We are still proud of those releases too and we wouldn’t change anything with those albums. It was just the right time to focus on development and do something different. Our aim isn’t to do the same thing for the coming 20 years. We need the excitement of something new. Doing always the same thing would be quite annoying for us.

MHMB:

A look on the opener „DNA“ shows already those new elements you guys have used. The keyboard parts, which appear all of a sudden, could be from Rammstein.

Jim:

Yes, indeed. The song is a good example for what I meant before. The structure of the song without keyboards would fit exactly into the „Money, sex and power“ area. But the keyboards add something extra to the sound. With „DNA“ we wanted to pick up the fans and take them with us on the journey through the modernized sound of Kissin’ Dynamite.

MHMB:

I have seen that you have performed the song live on several festivals like Rock Am Härtsfeldsee and the Bang Your Head open air. How would you describe the reactions of the fans?

Jim:

We got very very good reactions. Actually even better than what we expected. And after we have got this feedback we knew that we have done the right thing. That’s a very good feeling. And do you know what’s the best thing. Going on tour again. To be in the studio is OK, but we want to play live. That’s my personal highlight.

MHMB:

I have seen that you are playing almost whole Europe this autumn. That must be an awesome moment, since I think it’s your first headliner tour.

Jim:

Yes and it’s another step forward for Kissin’ Dynamite. The setlist is ready and we are starting the rehearsals. We said goodbye to a few old songs and the focus is of course on „Megalomania“. But we will also have some surprises in the meaning of songs we haven’t played for quite a while.

MHMB:

I hope that „Steel of Swabia“ will be still on the setlist.

Jim:

This is something we don’t know yet.

MHMB:

OMG. Than you at least have to add it for the Holland shows :o) Jim, can you tell us something about the support act on your tour.

Jim:

Of course. We have two friends of us joining. They named themselves UMC. It’s a guitarist and a drummer who take chart songs like „Happy“ and make a real metal version out of it. I have seen the guys the other day for the first time live. This becomes pure fun.

MHMB:

Going back „Megalomania“ for a second. It’s definitely a tongue twister. So where does the name come from.

Jim:

True. As said in the beginning we have thought about how we see ourselves. By being a very grounded band on the one hand we are, in a positive sense, also megalomaniac. The reason for this is that we are still so young and we want to achieve quite a lot. And in order to do this you have to have high ambitions that could be seen as megalomaniac. We don’t want to limit yourselves by thinking in small scales. We want to think big by being grounded. In that sense the title fort he album fits perfect. But also songs like „Running free“ and „Ticket to paradise“ fit into this context.

MHMB:

Next to Kissin’ Dynamite, what do you have on your iPod playlist at the moment.

Jim:

It’s a wide range of songs. It goes from Pantera to Dragonforce. I got their new album the other day and that’s the fave on the playlist right now.

MHMB:

Jim, something more for your side to the fans?

Jim:

Sure. They all should not only go for the new album but also come to the shows (also in Holland). That’s where they party happens.

MHMB:

Jim, thanks for your time.

Jim:

Thanks for having me.

(8/10) Swabia's finest, Kissin' Dynamite, have a new record up and running. "Megalomania" is the name of the new disc and has 10 songs. 

When the band released their first album in 2008 it was more the age that was talk of the town. All of them have been under 20. It reminded to Sturm Und Drang a few years earlier (By the way; does someone know what happened to them?). But next to the age the music was very good too and maybe not often enough mentioned. The whole thing started to change with the second record "Addicted to metal". I think it was mainly the support from Udo Dirkschneider that led to an extra focus on the band. The interesting thing with the first two albums was the fact, the five guys from Swabia played hardrock/metal music which had it's peak in the 80's; a time when the guys haven't been even born.

It was than in 2012 when they released "Money, sex & power" which was for me a bit of a disappointment. It seems that they tried out new stuff and added certain twists to the tunes which I didn't really appreciate.

Based on this my curiousity when it comes to "Megalomania" was pretty high. And I have to say that album number four is better again. It's not a new "Addicted to metal" but it's again easier accessable than the predecessor. the songs from Hannes Braun & Co. are more melodic again and have better hooks than on the earlier release. 

There is also a big variety in the different tracks of the album. I see this as a benefit and it seems that they found the right mix between their trademarks and a wider musical range in their songs. There is e.g. the fast hammering "VIP in hell", which you can't resist. Or the opner "DNA" which is midspeed rocker with potential to become a real live highlight due to the catchy chorus. I just wonder where those Rammstein-style keys are coming from. Not that they are disturbing, it's more an unexpected detail.

Of course there is also a ballad needed. "Fireflies" is the name of the tune and it's an OK one. It seems to me that Kissin' Dynamite also count Gotthard to their faves, since the song could come as well from the Swiss metal institution.

To round of the diversity you should also listen to "God in you". The 'jungle drums' which are pretty dominant in the tune are not that often part of a metal track. Combined with the awesome hook the song's a real bad-ass rocker.

Unfortunately there are with "Deadly" and "Ticket to paradise" also two tracks on the album which are bit too trivial. Sticky sweet rockers which Poison couldn't have been written in a better way.

All in all "Megalomania" is  good metal album, which is entertaining and fun to listen to. 'Youth gone wild' is still valid for Kissin' Dynamite.

(8/10)

Tracklist:

1. DNA
2. Maniac ball
3. VIP in hell
4. Foeflies
5. Deadly
6. God in you
7. Running free
8. Legion of the legendary
9. The final dance
10. Ticket to paradise

Label: AFM Records

Genre: Heavy Metal