ALBUM REVIEW: Speed Between The Lines – Gama Bomb
Speed junkies GAMA BOMB have been putting Ireland on the great map of metal for over a decade now and disappointingly (through no fault of their own) they haven’t reached the same heights as some of their new wave counterparts. It is time for this to change as they make their latest declaration in the form of Speed Between The Lines which is due for release on October 12th via AFM Records.
Give Me Leather channels an enticing pace as frontman Philly Byrne unleashes a signature falsetto scream immediately indicating he is back up to full vocal capacity. The hooks are memorable, the solos are face melting, everything is off to a great start! A Hanging takes a bit of a more manic turn as the tempo goes supernova. Addictive adrenaline fuelled shredding and rapid vocal passages combine to dramatic effect. Our first taster of Speed Between The Lines came prior in the form of ideal single choice 666teen. The upbeat, catchy riffing and comedic lyrics are the perfect recipe to continue the energetic stride.
Bring Out The Monster takes a less frantic approach whilst still packing a punch. The 80s thrash vibe and eerie chorus falsetto help elevate the track. The guitar work is intricate but feels very polished as you are introduced to the humourous nature of the Irish quintet in the form of Snowy the Gamabombinable Snowman. R.I.P U brings a resurgence of the accelerated momentum with bouncy, snappy riffing, tongue twisting vocals and further opportunities for the lethal guitar combo of Domo and John to let their adept solo work loose. The hard hitting intensity of Motorgeist takes hold as the swift riff work is enough to leave your head in a spin, drummer Paul Caffrey gets a thorough workout and is given no respite when proceeding track Alt-Reich follows a similarly swift tempo with transitions between galloping riffs and ferocious shredding.
Stay Rotten‘s mind-boggling sweeps, melodic chorus bursts and quick fire energy shows no form of fatigue and flows into the groovy pacing of We R Going 2 Eat U. Philly‘s vocal phrasing makes sure that the songs possess an inviting quality as well as adding necessary variety as the album progresses.
Kurt Russel provides some of GAMA BOMB‘s most comedic moments to date as the lyrical content focuses on drinking cider and firing machine guns with the iconic Kurt Russel. Gang chants of “K-U-R-T” ring through the track alongside impressive bass lines. World Gone To Hell is almost the polar opposite of it’s predecessor taking their vocal sentiments a bit more seriously than usual expressing their disgust at the current state of the world. The combination of rhythm and lead sections is seamless and effective. The appropriately titled Faceblaster hurls a pile of frenzied riffing in your direction ensuring that the Speed Between The Lines maintains its maniacal pacing through until the very end.
GAMA BOMB aren’t going to reinvent the wheel and to be honest nobody wants them to. They provide the perfect blend of humorous, feel good thrash metal so why break what isn’t broken? Whilst being consistently entertaining they are also clinically precise and Speed Between The Lines is one of their strongest releases yet. Philly is back firing on all cylinders and it is a welcome return to the signature vocal style that made them so identifiable in the early days. With this being their sixth full length release it is about time they start to receive as much credit as the likes of MUNICIPAL WASTE and LICH KING. They have more than earned their stripes and at this stage in their career deserve to be cherished as one of the true gems of their generation.
Rating: 8/10
Speed Between The Lines is set for release on October 12th via AFM Records.
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