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Sporting a name like LOVE.MIGHT.KILL gave me the impression this German band was going to play some modern, groove-laden core-ish crap. Nothing could be further from the truth. Brace for Impact, the band's debut, features an excellent collection of "happy" Power Metal. Big riffs, bigger solos, supporting-but-not-overpowering keyboards and the excellent vocals of Jan Manenti are just the start. Well written songs are what ultimately make or break a band. Brace for Impact may be a debut, but it sounds like it was written by a band at the top of their songwriting game.

"Tomorrow Never Comes" may be a bit too Zakk Wylde/Ozzy Osborne, full of the former's guitar pinches, for some, but the next song, the speedy "Calm Before the Storm" a highly infectious, Black Majesty style rocker, will remedy that quickly enough. Singer Manenti is equally adept at singing in the mid and high ranges and reminds me of Jørn Lande, circa the first Masterplan album. There are no weak tracks on Brace for Impact and the album flows from beginning to end.

Brace for Impact isn't pushing the envelope of what Power Metal is, but it's as well done as anything in recent memory. It is highly recommended for fans of Masterplan, Black Majesty and Power Metal in general.