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I don't often review stuff that's as obviously commercial-sounding as this German band that goes by the name of Kissin' Dynamite, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't listen to a lot of similar music growing up. Maybe that's why the band's sixth album Ecstasy caught my ear. The mid-tempo power metal of bands like Masterplan or Allen/Lande is a fitting reference point but there's also some Bon Jovi and Dokken melodic sensibility on display. Big riffs, ear-pleasing melodies and singalong choruses infiltrate the album and it is easy to picture these guys all over MTV if this was 1988 instead of 2018. There's even a couple of ballads to draw in the female demographic; the cheesy, Poison-inspired, bluesy "Still Around" and the more palatable, Euro-flavored "Heart of Stone." Where the band shines, for me anyway, is the upbeat anthems like "I've Got the Fire" and "No Time to Wonder" (featuring a vocoder!) with their quick paces and huge, major-chord refrains, which I can't help but shout along to. The title track, featuring Exit Eden's Anna Brunner, is another standout track.

If you've got a room in your playlist for some entertaining hard rock/heavy metal that makes no bones about leaning toward an 80s radio-friendly direction, Ecstasy is well-worth checking out. If not, there's plenty of harder and heavier stuff available.