I've had a soft spot in my heart for Kissin' Dynamite ever since I discovered them in the pages of the French metal magazine Metallian when I was 16. I quickly became obsessed with their unique, over the top glam rock sound. Tied into this was the fact that they were almost criminally young, they still are! After all, how many bands at the average age of 26 are releasing their sixth record which promises to be their best performing yet?
As far as I know, Kissin' Dynamite is fairly unique in this regard. With huge choruses and bitchin' solos throughout, the band has only evolved since their teenage debut. Now the maniacal and fun antics of Kissin' Dynamite seem more polished and ready to impress. Ecstasy is the product of a band coming into their own, growing from the ripple effect of groups like Steel Panther but still delivering glam that is distinctly their own and forever growing.
I think what has always appealed to me about Kissin' Dynamite has been the melodic sensibility. Not just the huge choruses although that's obviously a huge part of what they do. What I'm thinking about though is the triumphant guitar histrionics of the title track, the songwriting vision that makes the record a thrilling listen and the almost overwhelming singability of many of the verses. It speaks to how goddamn talented everyone in the band is that this is the sort of music that feels like it was designed for European festival stages.
Obviously, you can trace a lot of what this band does back to Guns 'n' Roses, Motley Crue and bands of that ilk but that's only the beginning of what has been put together here. When it comes right down to it, most modern glam bands feel like a pale imitation of the past, and there were times in Kissin' Dynamite's history where that might have been the case. On this record though, the band show that they are trying to contribute to an exciting new frontier for the world of glam metal. They are growing their own unique thing out of the tropes we have all grown to love.
It's rare that you find a band who have the ability to craft something that feels 'classic' in the way that Kissin' Dynamite do. This is the sort of thing that you can only really accomplish when you have been at it for as long as these guys have been. Sure it's a little silly and there's a case to be made for the band being cornballs but it's fucking glam. Was Motley Crue ever meant to be taken seriously by anyone over the age of 16?
Sure some of the references on Ecstasy feel a bit dated, but I think that's an attempt at embracing timelessness. The guys still aren't where they need to be, but they show that they have the understanding of the genre that is going to take them far. So I encourage you to embrace the madness of Kissin' Dynamite and accept just what makes them so special. This is glam metal for the modern age and I can't help but love it.
Score: 8.5/10
