For me, Irish Thrash Gama Bomb is somewhat of an anomaly; Crossover Thrash for me is one of the most tedious and uncreative corners of a genre that isn’t well known for creativity as it is, yet somehow this band managed to obtain a high slot on my list of favorite new Thrash bands. Just how did they manage to make a fan out of me, especially when they share a similar style to a certain other modern Crossover band that I don’t care too much for? In all honesty, I should hate this band; Aggressive Thrash has always been the way for me, whether it be Kreator or Slayer, while GB is simply, dare I say it: FUN. On their latest record, Tales From The Grave In Space, they show absolutely no respect for the more serious side of metal, with songs about ninjas, witches, and mummies. And as I write this, I am seriously baffled over why I love this band.

Perhaps it’s because Gama Bomb have such an endearing air about them that it’s easy to look over the occasionally tiring riffing and stock Thrash drumming. Indeed, the band is at their best when they’re at their silliest. Slam Anthem and New Eliminators Of Atlantis B.C., for example, feature various melodic segments, the latter of the two having an utterly corny pseudo – Power Metal chorus. We Respect You, from what I can gather by ear, is a tribute to the band’s favorite Sci-Fi movies. The song Three Witches is a reference to the Weird Sisters in the play Macbeth. It should be clear now that Gama Bomb is a band that doesn’t take itself seriously in the least bit, except perhaps when they perform their obligatory political song; On their previous album, Citizen Brain, they expressed their views on climate change with Global Warning, while here they cover racism with Mussolini Mosh, and it’s pretty clear where they stand: The last line of the song is “Nazi’s, fuck ‘em!”.

All of this is led by the better – than – ever Philly Byrne, whose unique voice sounds like it’s teetering on the very edge of madness as he rambles on about ghosts and monsters, with plenty of high-pitched screams thrown in; think of Tom Araya’s shriek at the beginning of Angel Of Death, and you’ll have a fairly good idea of what to expect from him. But his voice can grow a bit annoying at times, especially on Polterghost, where his falsetto screams are a bit overused and grating.

The musicianship and production here is nothing less than top – notch. Three Witches features some extremely tight tremolo riffing that is so precise it’s nearly mechanical, and the short lick at the start of Escape From Scarecrow Mountain is endlessly entertaining. There are a few bum tracks here; Apocalypse 1997, Return To Blood Castle, and Polterghost have nothing particularly enticing to offer (Though Polterghost tries and fails), and the worst part is that these three tracks all appear right in a row on the album. But Tales From The Grave In Space is filled with excellent moments, especially where Byrne’s voice is at its most frantic and the band is at their fastest (Slam Anthem, Last Ninjas Unite, Skeletron). The album closer, Mummy Invasion is another highlight, as it’s a tad slower than the most of the tracks and has some of the most driving riffs Gama Bomb has ever created.

No, Tales From The Grave isn’t perfect, and no, it’s not really original in any aspect. But this is easily the most fun Thrash record I’ve heard since Tankard’s Thirst album, and I can’t helped but be charmed by the insanity of the whole thing. And you really have nothing to lose in getting this, because the album is fucking FREE for download on the Earache Records website, in case you didn’t know. You’d be a fool to not at least listen to this, as you really have no excuse not to. Tales From The Grave has lasted upwards of five plays from me, and reaffirms my faith in a band that I never thought would last longer than Citizen Brain. But the real question - Just how long can Gama Bomb last with their amazingly entertaining yet somewhat repetitive form of Thrash? – remains to be answered.