Metal Underground.com

From their AC/DC-inspired name to the big crunchy riffs and wailing guitar lines, it's obvious that Kissin' Dynamite carries a great love of 1980s metal. "Money, Sex & Power" will delight fans of that era, with moments that recall everything from Hollywood glam to power- and thrash-metal tinged moments that will remind listeners of this German bands fellow countrymen Accept and the Scorpions. Unfortunately, unlike the band's last album, "Addicted To Metal," "Money, Sex & Power" doesn't have a ton of memorable material — though it is admittedly packed with some excellent guitar solos.

Of course, it's easy to forget that this band's early-'80s inspirations packed plenty of filler onto their albums. Is anyone really clamoring to hear "Slice Of Your Pie" or "She Goes Down" from Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood?" But I digress.

When the band's firing on all cylinders — as it most certainly is on the title track, which, quite wisely leads off the album — it's a lot easier to overlook some of the filler that follows. From the singalong fist-pumper of a chorus to Steffen Haile's bass growling underneath Ande Braun and Jim Muller's guitars, it's just about pitch-perfect.

The band captures the "are-they-fucking-or-fighting" vibe of '80s glam lyrics perfectly on "Sex Is War" and "She's A Killer." Another excellent tune lyrically speaking is "Dinosaurs Are Still Alive," which sings the praises of acts including Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Aerosmith and Guns N' Roses in a way that's pretty clever.

Less impressive, both lyrically and musically is stuff like "Club 27," which is all about living fast and dying young, but never quite works as well as it needs to. "Sleaze Deluxe" also fails to impress, with a chorus that is aiming to get people's fists in the air, but somehow never quite makes it.

All that said, you can't deny that Jim Muller and Ande Braun turn in some excellent performances on guitar. Solos like the one near the end of "Sex Is War" take you on a ride all over the fretboard, while stuff like "Six Feet Under" shows off a bluesy swagger that it might've been nice to hear more of.

Fans of '80s metal will have a blast listening to Kissin' Dynamite's "Money, Sex & Power." Sure, there are a fair number of filler tracks, but nothing truly terrible.