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KROKUS
Dirty Dynamite

Sony Music (2013)
Rating: 7/10

It’s hard to believe that Krokus continues to put out new music, nearly 40 years after their formation in 1975. The Swiss metal outfit made steady headway in sales and critical acclaim throughout the 80s with their AC/DC-inspired adrenaline and blues-fused rock, and Dirty Dynamite is the band’s 17th full-length studio album.

While Krokus was successful in Europe, they were only a minor hit in the US, although they did gain a following of devoted fans. Those fans won’t be disappointed with the band’s latest entry into the world of hard rock.

When listening to Dirty Dynamite there is an obvious maturity compared to earlier Krokus releases, but the band still sounds a lot like Bon Scott-era AC/DC, and perhaps now more than ever.

If you’re looking for some of the more metal numbers Krokus released, such as ‘Headhunter’ (from the 1983 album of the same name), then this may not be the album for you. On Dirty Dynamite, Krokus has become what they always had the potential to be – an extremely solid blues rock band. Just listen to the title track. It sounds like AC/DC covering Dan Baird (the riff is quite close to Baird’s hit ‘I Love You Period’, from 1992’s Love Songs For The Hearing Impaired). What ‘Dirty Dynamite’ lacks in metal power, it makes up in alcohol and testosterone fueled swagger.

The key word for Dirty Dynamite is “fun”. These are the songs I’d want to hear on a night out at the local pub. The Malcolm Young-style riffing of ‘Hallelujah Rock ’N’ Roll’ is a timeless part of the hard rock tradition. ‘Better Than Sex’ is the soundtrack to a party, covering a chunky rock guitar riff with Mark Storace’s dead on Bon Scott vocals a perfect mix of grit and melody. ‘Yellow Mary’ is a bluesy number that brings back memories of the heavier moments of Dean Davison’s post-Britny Fox band Black Eyed Susan. The guitar on the verse of ‘Live My Life’ is reminiscent of fan favourite ‘Long Stick Goes Boom’, providing an obvious tie in to the band’s most successful era. All of these songs are good time boogie in a hard rock package.

It’s not all classic riffs and good times on Dirty Dynamite. ‘Live Ma Life’ falls a bit flat by the end, becoming so repetitive as to lose the listener’s interest. ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ is a bit too formulaic to be outstanding, and the clash between the bass and guitars on the opening riff of each chorus is rather obnoxious. Even with that said, Krokus does a good job providing a high energy album that shows the band true to their roots and their history.

Very few albums are perfect, and you’ve got to give Krokus props for never honing their music to the current trend. If you’ve been a Krokus fan (or an AC/DC fan for that matter) there’s much to enjoy on Dirty Dynamite. The mature sound presented on this release just proves that Krokus is one of the best rock bands to survive the 80s, and is still capable of creating prime rock ’n’ roll.

Jim McDonald

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