It has been 4 years since the last album, "Tales From The Grave In Space", but very little has changed since that album. Gama Bomb still spoils us with speed, riffs and humorous lyrics. One difference I sense is that the band seems tighter and that they have improved on almost every aspect on both instrumental skills and musicality. The songs are still mostly superficial, but not as much as on previous records. This time, I can actually tell the difference from the songs after the first listening session. And the song that makes the most impression is the powerful "Terrorscope" that takes you in a stranglehold and shakes you wilder than an earthquake with its wild riffing, awesome guitar solo and intoxicating chorus. And let us not forget that this song has a music video that is one of the funnest metal videos in years.
So the band can make some good music, but is it really necessary with this occasional short song? "Shitting Yourself To Live" is 21 seconds long, and it is so short that I could almost count the amount of riffs in the song. At least try to make something memorable in that short amount of time, like they did in the 1 minute and 17 seconds long song "Smoke The Blow With Willem Dafoe".
But let us ignore these tiny distractions and let us focus on the rest of the songs. I have always felt that Gama Bomb is at their best when they take their lyrical level towards the sci-fi world. One of these songs are "Beverly Hills Robocop" that speeds through with a surprisingly clean guitar sound and a truly robotic chorus. I do not know if it is supposed to sound cool or just be silly, but I love it none the less. Sadly, there is a lot less science fiction in this album than it was in "Tales From The Grave In Space", but to make it up, the band is making the tunes more individual then ever before. Songs like "We Started The Fire" and "The Cannibals Are In The Streets" are recognizable, great songs that should without a doubt tingle your thrash nerve and make you bang your head.
So overall, this album is one of the better album that the Northern Irishmen has created in their career. With improved song personalities and great riffing, Gama Bomb has now developed themselves as one of the best existing acts in crossover thrash. Their speed and passion has showed several times that these guys never stops having fun, and I always have fun when their adrenaline pumping songs blasts out of the speakers. "The Terror Tapes" may not be a true terror, but it is a album that is terrifically good.
Songs worthy of recognition: Terrorscope, We Started The Fire, Beverly Hills Robocop
Rating: 8,5/10 Metal Idiots
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