Gama Bomb - Speed Between The Lines (2018)

Knowing the Ireland thrashers Gama Bomb and their quirky humour, it is hard to decipher if the name of their 6th studio effort is talking about robotic athletes that shatters every record Usain Bolt possess, or if it is just a fun word play of taking amphetamines while preparing another string of cocaine. No matter what it means, you can be sure that there is one thing that we can take from "Speed Between The Lines", and that is that we are certainly gonna get our daily dose of lightning fast metal.

So when the album was announced, the band promised some ass-melting metal, and while the music did not do exactly that, it is most definitely another thrashtastic effort by the lads. Sure, it is not anything different from what the band have done previously, and they seemingly only know two types of tempo (fast, and faster), but this familiar feeling is still fun as hell to witness, even more so since the whole album is a bite size 35 minutes, just enough to satisfy, and not too much so you will not end up in a drowsy thrash coma. The same can be said about all individual songs, with all lying somewhere between 2,5-4 minutes in length.

The sound is not the main focus, it is instead the humorous insanity in the lyrics that makes you come back to the band time and time again. Gama Bomb has a simple strategy, they mostly sing about what they love, everything from early horror tropes, kinky fetishes, partying hard, and... Kurt Russell? Okay, we got ourselves a homage song to the actor Kurt Russell in here, and nothing against the guy, but why? Kurt is a fine actor and all, but has he really made any iconic performances during his career? I guess "Escape From L.A." and "Tango & Cash" are some of his most famous roles, and recently he was in both "Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2" and "The Hateful Eight", but that does not seem enough to warrant a good and catchy thrash song with some brilliant K-U-R-T chantings in his honor. It reminds me of Psychostick and their homage to Bruce Campbell, which leads me to believe that Gama Bomb have a sick fascination of Kurt. Would not surprise me if they get a tattoo of his face... on their face's.

Besides that awkward weirdness, there is still a lot to enjoy with this album. The lyrics will give you some good chuckles here and there, if you can keep up with the blazing speed it is being presented in that is, and it is all enhanced thanks to singer Philly Byrne. His demented vocals have that perfect mix of power, range, and insanity that can make any Gama Bomb song come to life in a spectacular way. The rest of the guys certainly do a good job too, trying to out speed each other in a way that would make a Formula 1 car seem sluggish.

The only problem with this album is that it is not made to last very long. It speeds through your mind, giving you a nice adrenaline rush that you would do best in not taking in multiple times a day. It is another thrashing fun record by the Irish lads that cements their spot as one of the main bands in their genre, but "Speed Between The Lines" is not an album that will necessarily define the band, nor thrash itself, in 2018. That is okay though, as long as both we and the band are having fun, that is more than enough. If you want a quick fix for that frowning face, then this record is just the cure you need.

Songs worthy of recognition: Give Me Leather, 666teen, Motorgeist, Kurt Russell

Rating: 7,5/10 Faceblasters

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