Kix – Remasters (Blow My Fuse and Midnight Dynamite)
Rock Candy Records
www.rockcandyrecords.com

Ratings:
Midnight Dynamite: B-
Blow My Fuse:  B+

Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Kix has been trying for years to hit the big time with little success.  In their hometown they were rock and roll heroes, but the further West their trek took them, the harder it became for the band to garner a huge fan base.  They made two albums that went unnoticed before going into the studio to record Midnight Dynamite.  They were teamed up with Beau Hill, the producer of the day who was coming off huge success with the band Ratt.  The result was a bad-ass hard rock record—at least in moments.

The album contained some brilliant material including the title track and “Red Hot (Black & Blue),” but the album failed to deliver the success the band and the record company was trying to achieve.  While not a bad album by any means, it simply didn't make it.  The sound was pure AC/DC meets Cheap Trick meets the modern metal sound of the day, the same formula the band took back into the studio... this time with producer Tom Werman. During this recording, however, the band found the It factor and the offering sold Platinum.

Kix was never a true hair band.  Their roots were more of a Bon Scott era raunch and roll.  The record company slutted up their look as much as they would allow them to, and they were forced to fit in with Poison and others.  Kix, however, was a real, honest to God hard rock band, and not one of the many bands who looked the part but were really pop-stars with long hair and a really fast guitar player.

Blow My Fuse reeks of hard rock mayhem and contains the bands best two songs, one a rocker and one a ballad.  On the hard rock side there is “Cold Blood” and on the softer side is the haunting song “Don't Close Your Eyes.”  With other rockers including “Red Lite, Green Lite TNT” and “Get It While It’s Hot,” the band was on the road to success.  It was short lived, however, as Kix could not stay on top once they got there.

Rock Candy has re-released these two gems and they sound and look great and include new in-depth liner notes, making them the definitive releases of these albums on the market today.

By Jeb Wright