Good thing they put a muscle flexing bovine (complete with nose ring) on the front cover, lest people misread that title! Seven years since “Dragonheart”, the multinational Messiah's Kiss, after surviving a bout with stomach cancer, they're still fronted by the much traveled Mike Tirelli (ex-Riot/ ex-Burning Starr/ ex-Holy Mother), returning with bountiful treasure trove (up to 16 tracks, including bonus editions) of hard rocking Americanized proto-metal anthems.

Guitar and pounding drums are the first things heard, opening ‘Living In Paradise’ which has something of a toned down Pantera riff. ‘Only Murderers Kill Time’ has a decided Ronnie James Dio quality about it (an acoustic-only rendition is one of the bonus cuts), while the loose, aggro ‘Mission To Kill’ has a punk backbone atop powerful metal exoskeleton. The guitar dominated ‘Symphony Of Sin’ ends with a cappella vocals and a wayward Eastern rhythm. Seeming like a Sammy Hagar/Montrose leftover, there's a redlining ‘Nobody Knows Your Name’. Contrary to its name, the headbanger's delight ‘Whisper A Prayer’ features screaming guitar and an ADD sense of urgency. Speaking of fretboard burn, check out ‘Buried Alive’. Hopefully this teasing Kiss leads to the opportunity for in-person/live, “bulls out” consummation!