Review: “Thunder Over London” by Gama Bomb (4th Anniversary)

Specialising in Thrash Metal from Ireland while wearing underpants from China, Gama Bomb have been around for more than two decades, regularly showering us with lyrical themes based in pop culture and movies with the occasional politically charged or socially aware piece, all soaked in their trademark humour. Our first encounter of the Thrash kind with the Gamabombinable snow men was on 5th November 2009. That was the fateful day that a version of their third album “Tales from the Grave in Space” arrived on our doormat in a card sleeve on the cover Metal Hammer Magazine courtesy of Earache Records. Hooked from the first listen, we’ve loved them ever since.

Sandwiched between December 2020’s “Sea Savage” and November 2023’s “Bats” albums like cheese between two slices of bread EP “Thunder Over London” is exactly what you’d expect it to be, high octane breakneck Speed Thrash riffs that cut against the trademark high pitched screams of vocalist Phil Byrne. If the cover art didn’t give it away, the title track is a tale of World War II bombing raids, predicting the downfall of London, Paris and Berlin with vim, vigour and gusto. What’s interesting is that rather than playing the joker, they push their trademark humour to one side for this one making it a bleak foretelling rather than anything else. Gang chants and a slick moment of lead guitar in the bridge section are a nice touch but in all honesty its the catchy chorus that will have you screaming-a-long with the band. It’s just so damn infectious – as are a couple of fleeting solos from Domo Dixon which sends a chill down the spine.

When you listen to the other tracks it becomes clear that the songs weren’t recorded in the same sessions or studios because there is a marked difference in the sound. That’s something you can safely ignore because they all have bags of Gama Bomb charm. The first of those is “Reveal The Shrieking Skull“, a rapid fire riff off between Dixon and John Roche with hints at influence from the age of Traditional Heavy Metal that came immediately before Thrash was born. Again the gang chants are an nice touch, as are the staccato riff breaks that lead into the urgent soloing in the final third. An adrenaline rush of a track from start to finish which returns to the wacky humour Gama Bomb are known for, it’s exactly what the doctor ordered.

Why scream in silence when you can scream in violence? “Shut Up And Shout” is a classic about unleashing your frustrations as people attempt to bully you and face melting solo is a glorious moment, an absolute Chef’s Kiss. The final screams of “Shout! Shout! Let it all out!” might even make you think of Tears For Fears which is all part of that sense of humour. So how about it Prosthetic Records? Can we have a 7″ ghostly green vinyl edition for the 5th anniversary next year? [8/10]

Track Listing

“Thunder Over London” by Gama Bomb was released on 6th August 2021 via Prosthetic Records and is available over at bandcamp