It's safe to say that when it comes to producing great rock and metal bands, no continent does it better then Europe especially countries like Sweden, Italy and Germany with the latter being the origin country for a band called KAMIKAZE KINGS who this year have released their sophomore CD called "Master Or Slave" which is the follow up to their debut album "The Law" from 2013. So, are KAMIKAZE KINGS masters of Hard Rock or are they slaves to the genre? Let us find out which one it is in this review.

Hailing from Berlin in Germany, KAMIKAZE KINGS are a 4 piece Hard Rock band whose members all have the last name Kamikaze and I assume they changed their last names when in band mode so what their real last names are I will never know. So far they have released one album called "The Law" and that was very successful when it came out as was the tour that followed.

Following the success of their debut, the band are back with a new album called "Master Or Slave" which is produced by Jacky Lehmann who has helped to produce albums by other legendary German acts such as SAXON and DORO PESCH to name a few so with someone like that on board, you know that they only produce music form bands that they think are good enough to assist with the production of a new album.

So, did Jacky Lehmann make the right move by assisting KAMIKAZE KINGS with the production of their new CD? Well the simple answer is yes. Upon first impressions, this is very worthy of calling itself a Hard Rock album. The sound is heavy as a Hard Rock record should be with pounding drum beats, heavy guitars and a vocal performance that may be a bit hit or miss at times but if you look past that then it is very enjoyable.

Another thing to say about this album is that it's one of those records where the moment one song ends, the next one comes at you so the flow of music is constant which if you love your rock and metal is a good thing and for me that is good as it means I have more to enjoy with very little time in between to recover before the next one comes to kick my ass.

I mean that of course in a good way as any music that is an ass kicker is good music so is this the case with "Master Or Slave"? I am happy to report that yes it is the case. Germany has produced it's fair share of great musician and bands and KAMIKAZE KINGS now have the right to be a member of that club. Hard Rock music should be all about heavy music with great energy and "Master Or Slave" is one of those albums that falls into that category.

From the opening track "I Rule the Night" to the closing track "King" and the title track "Master Or Slave" with lots of other energetic tracks in between such as "Hungry Like A Wolf", "Evil Woman", "One Night Of Glory" and "Devils Rodeo", KAMIKAZE KINGS have recorded a worthy successor to their debut album and is highly recommended if you like your Hard Rock or any music from Germany.

Before I finish this review, it's time to answer the question from the start of this review which is: are KAMIKAZE KINGS masters of Hard Rock or are they slaves to the genre? The answer is they are masters of Hard Rock along with lots of other great Hard Rock bands in the genre.