Kissin' Dynamite - Kissin' Dynamite (2026)
Kissin' Dynamite is still very much a Kissin' Dynamite album, which is both the reason it works and the reason I stop at 67. The band know exactly how to write a big chorus, how to make guitars sound huge and how to build songs for arenas. There is very little risk here, but there is also very little incompetence.
“Glory Days” is a good opener because it immediately establishes the farewell mood without sounding sad. “I Salute You” pushes the fan-service angle even further, with Saltatio Mortis adding bagpipes and a slightly more celebratory colour. It is obvious, but it works in context. The album is clearly designed as a closing chapter for Hannes Braun's life as the band's frontman, and the emotional framing gives even the more conventional songs some extra meaning.
“Heartattack” and “Night Is Calling” are more direct. The first benefits from the modern production, while the second is probably one of the better new songs because the chorus feels natural rather than forced. It still has the usual stadium-rock structure, but there is enough momentum and melody to make it memorable.
“Out in the Rain” is the highlight for me. The song itself is not especially complicated, but the new version with Amaranthe gives it another dimension. Elize Ryd's voice brings a cleaner melodic line against Braun's rougher delivery, and the contrast makes the chorus feel larger without simply making it louder. The final solo also gives the track a better sense of progression than most of the album.
“Love Me Hate Me” is solid but familiar, while “Lie for Me” works better because Anna Brunner changes the tone completely. The more acoustic and intimate arrangement gives the album some needed breathing space, and the duet feels more personal than the usual guest appearance. Zephyrs Odem also points out that this version gains something from the real-life relationship between Braun and Brunner, which makes the song feel less generic than before.
“I'll Be” is pure arena rock, and “Steel of Swabia” goes in the opposite direction by adding more metal through Ralf Scheepers and Sam Totman. It is probably the most aggressive track here, but also one of the most obviously reconstructed. I enjoy it, though I hear the production choices more clearly than the song.
“Against the World” adds strings from Eklipse and brings more drama, while “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” is one of the better new songs because the darker verses give the chorus more contrast. Radio Metal specifically highlights that shift from darker verses into a heavier payoff, and I think that contrast helps the song stand out.
The final two tracks make sense emotionally. “Only the Good Die Young” is straightforward, while “Good in Goodbye” is the obvious farewell song. It is sentimental, but given the context that does not bother me much. Earshot describes it as the emotional closing statement, and that is exactly how it functions.
The album's biggest strength is that the guests and re-recordings actually create some variation. Without them, this could easily have been 50 minutes of polished arena-rock sameness. The weakness is that the songwriting itself rarely surprises me. I know when the chorus is coming, I know when the guitars will expand, and I know when the emotional lift is supposed to happen.
Still, I would replay more of this than I first thought. “Out in the Rain” is genuinely strong, “Night Is Calling” works well, “Lie for Me” has more personality than expected, and “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” gives the second half some weight.
Very polished and predictable, but also catchy, well performed and more emotionally effective than the formula suggests. “Out in the Rain” is the clear peak for me, and that is enough to push the album to 67.
Genre: Hard Rock
Country: Germany
Final Verdict: 67% (Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 109th / 704
Highlight: Out in the Rain
Made me think of:
Eclipse
H.E.A.T
Audrey Horne
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