ALBUM REVIEW: Not The End Of The Road – Kissin’ Dynamite
Regardless of the boundaries that music breaks in 2022 – and will continue to shatter over the coming years – the want for bands to continue the classic sound of yesteryear will forever remain strong. Whether you’re from an older generation who grew up in the 80s, discovered bands from then through your parents, or even on your own mindlessly scrolling through YouTube or Spotify, the desire for a classic feel in a fresh body will never diminish.
Germany’s KISSIN’ DYNAMITE are one such example, picking up the torch for big hair and arena-rock anthems when they started in 2007 and now in a position where they’re cracking the top ten in their home country as they did on their last record, 2018’s Ecstasy. Friday 21st January sees their sixth album take flight, Not The End Of The Road, their first on new label Napalm Records, whom they signed to from Metal Blade.
Naturally, if you’re going to replicate a well-trodden music genre, it’s imperative that you get the formula of the songs within said genre down to a tee and, for a band taking on the heyday of 80s glam metal and stadium rock, one such area is the chorus; it has to be powerful, easy to sing and stay in your head for a long time after the album is finished. Not The End Of The Road doesn’t just have choruses for days, it has them for years! The opening title track, a driving rock track with a message of positivity within the lyrics, is so massive it far outstrips the venues this band are currently playing. And once you’ve given the listener one, you might as well follow it up with another, right? What Goes Up is the perfect song to follow such a bombastic opener with its DEF LEPPARD swagger and huge sing-along middle.
The momentum doesn’t stop there – Yoko Ono, a song written to challenge the oft-pedestaled view of John Lennon‘s wife, is such a brilliant balance of force and spite, it could become the 21st century version of You Give Love A Bad Name – it even sounds like BON JOVI. Previously released single Good Life makes an appearance here too, a charity song for children suffering from cancer with a stunning guest spot from ex-DELAIN vocalist Charlotte Wessels. Best of all, however, is All For A Halleluja, arguably the best KISS track since 2009’s Modern Day Delilah and with a key change that, to use the internet phrase, is actual fire. The numbers that lean into ballad territory – Coming Home, Gone For Good and Scars – might feel a bit out of place given the pace of everything around them, but they’re suitably slathered in cheese and provide a good foil to the more boisterous tracks around them.
You can’t say KISSIN’ DYNAMITE have got sixth time lucky because their output has always been very consistent, but calling this album Not The End Of The Road has paid off handsomely; it’s only the beginning. If they’ve pulled the rock and roll slot machine and received payouts before with their studio releases, this time they’ve truly hit the jackpot. In a world that will remain uncertain for a long time to come, to have a record like this that’ll lift spirits instantaneously is an absolute joy. You don’t just need this album in your life, you medically need it.
Rating: 9/10
Not The End Of The Road is set for release on January 21st via Napalm Records.
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