Artist:  Kissin' Dynamite
   Title: Addicted To Metal
   Label: AFM Records

Hannes Braun, Ande Braun, Jim Miller, Steffen Haile and Andreas Schnitzer, who are these guys I can hear you all cry out, well believe me, these are names that you should have etched into you brain, because collectively these guys are know as the awesome Kissin’ Dynamite.  Let me enlighten you further.  Kissin’ Dynamite made a four track demo back in late 2007 that sent waves around the metal community, this was followed up in 2008 with the bands debut release 'Steel Of Swabia'.  What’s new about that you may well ask, well considering the band were all teenagers at the time and not hardened veterans of the biz, the stir that these guys created was even more apparent, when you considered that most of their gigs had to played at the weekend as they had school during the week, and when they played the legendary 'Bang Your Head' festival in Germany and the Czech 'Masters of Rock' festival, they were hailed as one of the bands of the day.

Even a certain Udo Dirkschneider was so impressed with this young band that he invited them along to support his band UDO for three of his tour.  He even took time out to visit the band in the studio in January, to record a track with frontman Hannes for their new album 'Addicted To Metal, which leads nicely into the review for said album.

Well what can I say, this album is all I want in a Heavy Metal album.  Good tunes, good time rock n' metal, all wrapped in a neat no nonsense package.

Things get underway with the title track 'Addicted To Metal', the track that features Mr, Dirkschneider himself.  As the hammer smashes onto to the anvil on the intro, you know you're in for some old school sing-a-long metal as only the Germans can do, with Hannes coming across as a mix between Andy Deris and Eric Adams, with a touch of Tobias Sammet thrown in for good luck.

The true blue collar working mans Metal continues with the excellent ‘Run For Your Life’.  You can just imagine the crowds throwing the horns up to this one \m/.  Then it's one of my favourite tracks of the album ‘Supersonic Killer’, this one has more than a touch of Priest about it, with a little tongue and cheek Manowar vibe in the lyrics, but it's the musicianship of this one that really stands out, the stampeding guitars, the string bending and Hannes superb vocals.  We have a saying here in the North East of England, when you want to headbang - "Heeds Doon" ... (that’s heads down to you south of Middlesborough and the rest of the world), and this is "HEED’S DOON" Heavy Metal at its finest!

But this band don’t only deliver the big ballsy Metal, they do bring it down a touch and bring some great Melodic Metal to the mix, and one of the giant tracks on the album is ‘High Enough’.  If you didn’t know the band were from Germany you’d swear this one was from a Scandinavian band, it has the feel about it, The Poodles or something similar.

Keeping with the more Melodic Metal theme the album continues with the excellent anthemic ‘Love Me Hate Me’, before another of my many favourites off the album ‘Hysteria’, a real ballsy rocker that just sounds fantastic.  This one has you reaching for the volume control as you know this song deserves to be played loud and proud, and on repeat!  Big licks and a massive bass and drum lines, great stuff!

The big metal tunes just keep coming with the thumping ‘All Against All’ and the darker power-metal stylings of ‘In The Name Of The Iron Fist’ before another favourite ‘Assassins Of Love’ again melodic power driven metal very much in the Edguy vain, then it’s the simply superb ‘Why Can't You Hear Me’, a metal ballad of the highest order.  Again the sort of thing that you’d expect to hear from a Scandinavian band.  Imagine if Klaus Meine was from Stockholm, then you’ll have an inkling of what this one sounds like.

It’s back to the Heavy Metal with the riff spewn ‘We Want More’.  This one’s right out the Kiske Helloween days, razor sharp vocals and a six string assault that will rock your world.

The album closes as it started with a real slice of old school Metal with ‘Metal Nation’, again a one for the denim and leather horn raising crowd.  This rounds off a great album from a bunch of young guys destined for greatness.  So keep an eye out because Kissin’ Dynamite are about to explode all over the scene, you mark my words, never mind your Steel Panthers these guys are the real deal.

 Tracklisting:

1. Addicted To Metal
2. Run For Your Life
3. Supersonic Killer
4. High Enough
5. Love Me Hate Me
6. Hysteria
7. All Against All
8. In The Name Of The Iron Fist
9. Assassins Of Love
10. Why Can't You Hear Me
11. We Want More
12. Metal Nation

                  

 

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