by Alexandra Mrozowska
– Senior Columnist —
Starting out a musical career in your teens usually ends up with a highly-publicized nervous breakdown, a string of DUI accusations and, as a grand finale, the act of shaving your head off… unless you’re in a rock band and it’s a reasonable dose of gig-and-groupies-fueled adrenaline that keeps you sane in spite of the early success! At least, it seems so while looking upon the Swabia-based quintet Kissin’ Dynamite, whose debut album Steel Of Swabia caused much of a stir in the rock scene while its band members were not old enough to vote yet. Three albums and six years later, the Germans return with Megalomania – an album that’s hailed to mark a “new beginning” in the band’s music, with more edgy, modern approach and more mature sound.
The sound on Megalomania is simply, for lack of the better word, bombastic. It’s neither the ‘80s-oriented rock nor a modern-sounding one, but rather the best of both worlds, a manic drive of a monstrous guitar-laden machine. Think the infectious guitar groove of “DNA” or a huge sound of its follow-up “Maniac Ball.” “VIP In Hell” gravitates towards even more contemporary musical aesthetics, with a distinctive pumping bass line, furious drum pounding and aggressively chanted verses heavily contrasted with choruses that has some catchiness to it even in spite of the track’s overall festiveness. Next track “Fireflies” is opened with the sound of fanfare (literally!) to develop into a ballad-esque and acoustic-driven, but nevertheless powerful track. “Deadly” and “God In You” have some Cooper-esque vibes to it, especially the heavy-sounding, sinister verses, heavily contrasted with big, melodic choruses.
One of the best-crafted tracks on the album are the following, “Running Free” and “Legion Of The Legendary,” their catchy-to-the-utmost melody against the mighty guitar gallop proving beyond a doubt it’s a compromise between the modern-day heaviness and the melodic roots that’s the band’s driving force on Megalomania. And talking about hard rock roots and the old school playing, it’s what’s underlain “The Final Dance,” Kissin’ Dynamite’s fine take on a power ballad convention. “Ticket To Paradise” is the album’s final track and again, a great rock anthem the German five-piece are perhaps the most convincing at.
Announced as a new chapter in the band’s history, Megalomania has certainly Kissin’ Dynamite taken to a new level, but at the same time, not a volte-face turn taken by the children prodigy of Swabia. It’s still all huge hooks and sterling guitar work, still sleazy and rough but nevertheless melodic hard rock of very high quality. It sounds more modern, perhaps more mature and slightly more embedded in 2014 than their previous albums, but still not a drastic change the fans of the earlier Kissin’ Dynamite albums could have felt particularly discouraged by. Speaking shortly – if you haven’t grabbed your copy of Megalomania yet, you know exactly what to do.
Genre: Hard Rock
Band:
Hannes Braun – vocals
Jim Müller – guitar
Ande Braun – guitar
Steffen Haile – bass
Andreas Schnitzer – drums
Track List:
1. DNA
2. Maniac Ball
3. VIP In Hell
4. Fireflies
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
Website: www.kissin-dynamite.de – https://www.facebook.com/Kissindynamiterocks
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10
