Review by Brian on May 24, 2015.

Back when I was young teenager I began to explore music outside of metal, I wanted to hear something that was different from all the run of the mill thrash bands that were being force fed to us metalheads. I knew of this band that toured with Voivod and they had a brand new album out. I went to my local record store, Blue Jays Records and Tapes, picked up the long slim cardboard box that housed the CD inside (remember those?). The cover art was different, the band name was written in plain block letters and it was titled The Real Thing. This was it! This is what I'd been looking for.

Faith No More made that transition easier for me because they still incorporated some metallic guitars and some undeniable metal riffs. The Real Thing spent the summer of 1989 in my CD player. Even though the band would never again enjoy the commercial success it did with that album, they would go on to greater things. In 1992 with their release of Angel Dust, Faith No More began to get more experimental.This is when Mike Patton began to shine as the vocalist and they would never be the same. Angel Dust is a masterpiece and has never been matched. The follow up King For a Day...Fool for a Lifetime did well to further their sound and is near perfect. However, Album of the Year was sub par by their standards and then they broke up and left us craving more.

Fast forward 17 years. I caught wind of the new single "Motherfucker", this was classic Faith No More. Spoken word, pseudo rap versus with the ultra catchy chorus with Patten's trademark vocals. I remained cautiously optimistic as I awaited to get Sol Invictus in my hands. Why not? It has been almost two decades since their last release and comeback reunion albums often fall short of past glories. At first I wasn't sure what I thought, but through several listens I realized that Sol Invitus is a triumphant return for Faith No More. Musically it falls somewhere between the last two releases, containing the best elements of both. It's as if they haven't missed a beat.

Sol Invictus has all the elements that we have become accustom to. Melding different genres, catchy choruses, sarcastic lyrics and Mike Patton's amazing voice. However this isn't just regurgitated shit that we heard 20 years ago. Sol Invictus is fresh and the appropriate comeback album, with a whole set of songs destined to become classics. Whether it be the quick paced and punk driven "Superhero", the doom laden and sorrowful majesty of "Cone of Shame" or the funky "Rise of the Fall" they all leave an imprint on your brain and have you singing them in the shower. The back to back Faith No More stamp is left right near the end of the album with "Motherfucker" and "Matador". To me these 2 songs have that classic feel.

Clocking in at around 40 minutes and containing couple so so songs makes this album a little too short for an 18 year wait. However the meat of the album is extremely strong and fans of the band should be pleased with it. So 25 years a later and Faith No More's music is still "The Real Thing"

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Brian on May 24, 2015.

Back when I was young teenager I began to explore music outside of metal, I wanted to hear something that was different from all the run of the mill thrash bands that were being force fed to us metalheads. I knew of this band that toured with Voivod and they had a brand new album out. I went to my local record store, Blue Jays Records and Tapes, picked up the long slim cardboard box that housed the CD inside (remember those?). The cover art was different, the band name was written in plain block letters and it was titled The Real Thing. This was it! This is what I'd been looking for.

Faith No More made that transition easier for me because they still incorporated some metallic guitars and some undeniable metal riffs. The Real Thing spent the summer of 1989 in my CD player. Even though the band would never again enjoy the commercial success it did with that album, they would go on to greater things. In 1992 with their release of Angel Dust, Faith No More began to get more experimental.This is when Mike Patton began to shine as the vocalist and they would never be the same. Angel Dust is a masterpiece and has never been matched. The follow up King For a Day...Fool for a Lifetime did well to further their sound and is near perfect. However, Album of the Year was sub par by their standards and then they broke up and left us craving more.

Fast forward 17 years. I caught wind of the new single "Motherfucker", this was classic Faith No More. Spoken word, pseudo rap versus with the ultra catchy chorus with Patten's trademark vocals. I remained cautiously optimistic as I awaited to get Sol Invictus in my hands. Why not? It has been almost two decades since their last release and comeback reunion albums often fall short of past glories. At first I wasn't sure what I thought, but through several listens I realized that Sol Invitus is a triumphant return for Faith No More. Musically it falls somewhere between the last two releases, containing the best elements of both. It's as if they haven't missed a beat.

Sol Invictus has all the elements that we have become accustom to. Melding different genres, catchy choruses, sarcastic lyrics and Mike Patton's amazing voice. However this isn't just regurgitated shit that we heard 20 years ago. Sol Invictus is fresh and the appropriate comeback album, with a whole set of songs destined to become classics. Whether it be the quick paced and punk driven "Superhero", the doom laden and sorrowful majesty of "Cone of Shame" or the funky "Rise of the Fall" they all leave an imprint on your brain and have you singing them in the shower. The back to back Faith No More stamp is left right near the end of the album with "Motherfucker" and "Matador". To me these 2 songs have that classic feel.

Clocking in at around 40 minutes and containing couple so so songs makes this album a little too short for an 18 year wait. However the meat of the album is extremely strong and fans of the band should be pleased with it. So 25 years a later and Faith No More's music is still "The Real Thing"

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 10, 2020.

Ah, the crazy gang from Northern Ireland has returned. Fun thrash is usually not my metier, but there is no rule without an exception. Gama Bomb's last album was stuffed with an almost unhealthy overdose of killer riffs. I was therefore eagerly awaiting the here described work. Untouchable Glory does not want to be the lukewarm afterburner, although it is always very difficult to write an adequate successor of a 95%-album. To anticipate the result: the here presented album cannot fully compete with The Terror Tapes, but this is no problem at all. Thousands of bands would be happy if they were able to write an album of this quality.

Gama Bomb have found their own style. The terrifically rapid guitar lines show that it is not impossible to combine an easygoing atmosphere with sharp and furious riffs. The songs come to the point in a very straight manner and make clear that the Gama crew hates attributes like pompous, monumental or overloaded. It comes therefore as no surprise that the tunes are reduced to the essentials. But this does not mean that the band is at risk to deliver a one-dimensional album. Gama Bomb has enough ideas to keep up the tension and variety does not also come off badly. However, this is not the greatest advantage of the album. The crucial factor is that the band hates any form of phlegm.

Compared with this five-piece, hyperactive children are in danger of being blamed for lethargy and lameness. The liveliness of the group and the high energy level of the album know no boundaries. In terms of velocity and dynamism, Gama Bomb takes off and only the sky's the limit. But while other British bands prefer to fly with a rather ordinary airplane (Iron Maiden) or a bomber (Motörhead), Gama Bomb sit in a light and airy glider. Their long hairs flutter in the wind while they greet from high above. Thank God, they are not at risk to lose their clothes. The guys have tucked their t-shirts in and exactly the eponymous song combines their slightly absurd humour and their talent for writing dynamic compositions. Casual verses meet an highly explosive bridge and the chorus shines with fast lead vocals and supposedly authoritarian shouts of a gang in the background. A very good, but not a typical track, because the majority of the songs avoids restrained parts while putting the focus on high velocity exclusively. 'Evil Eye' is a fantastic example for the band's typical approach. Do you like energetic and precise thrashers such as, for example, "TEAMxDEADx" from Dr. Living Dead? This kind of compact songs without a gram of fat? In this case, 'Evil Eye' will be your sonic Eldorado. But Gama Bomb have more aces up their sleeves. The rapid 'Witching Mania' does not only score with its blazing chorus and 'Drinkers, Inc.' is another high velocity tornado whose fanatic riffing invites you to an almost suicidal headbanging session.

Although Gama Bomb love songs at lightning speed, they do not forget to show further characteristics that push their pieces on an outstanding level. A simple "Hu" and a likewise simple "Ha", this is all that is needed to lend the opener a slightly moronic yet funny appearance. Maybe you are familiar with Lawnmower Deth's "Umph Umla" - Gama Bomb seem to like the aura of this song, although they prefer a more subtle form of humour. Apart from that, the average velocity of the song gives no reason to cry. 'Avenge Me!', to provide another example, offers a short mosh part at the end and due to these gimmicks, Gama Bomb have written another thrilling full-length. Its twelve songs are equipped with charismatic lead vocals, the production combines cleanliness, pressure and sharpness in a special way and the overall impression indicates a good atmosphere within the band. Indeed, Gama Bomb is a group with a relatively stable line-up and the guys feel comfortable while playing their specific kind of thrash. It seems to me that both the exceptionally designed booklet and the yellow disc are just further documents of their specific kind of humour. Anyway, lend an ear to highlights such as 'Raging Skies', another high speed torpedo, and see for yourself.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 10, 2020.

Ah, the crazy gang from Northern Ireland has returned. Fun thrash is usually not my metier, but there is no rule without an exception. Gama Bomb's last album was stuffed with an almost unhealthy overdose of killer riffs. I was therefore eagerly awaiting the here described work. Untouchable Glory does not want to be the lukewarm afterburner, although it is always very difficult to write an adequate successor of a 95%-album. To anticipate the result: the here presented album cannot fully compete with The Terror Tapes, but this is no problem at all. Thousands of bands would be happy if they were able to write an album of this quality.

Gama Bomb have found their own style. The terrifically rapid guitar lines show that it is not impossible to combine an easygoing atmosphere with sharp and furious riffs. The songs come to the point in a very straight manner and make clear that the Gama crew hates attributes like pompous, monumental or overloaded. It comes therefore as no surprise that the tunes are reduced to the essentials. But this does not mean that the band is at risk to deliver a one-dimensional album. Gama Bomb has enough ideas to keep up the tension and variety does not also come off badly. However, this is not the greatest advantage of the album. The crucial factor is that the band hates any form of phlegm.

Compared with this five-piece, hyperactive children are in danger of being blamed for lethargy and lameness. The liveliness of the group and the high energy level of the album know no boundaries. In terms of velocity and dynamism, Gama Bomb takes off and only the sky's the limit. But while other British bands prefer to fly with a rather ordinary airplane (Iron Maiden) or a bomber (Motörhead), Gama Bomb sit in a light and airy glider. Their long hairs flutter in the wind while they greet from high above. Thank God, they are not at risk to lose their clothes. The guys have tucked their t-shirts in and exactly the eponymous song combines their slightly absurd humour and their talent for writing dynamic compositions. Casual verses meet an highly explosive bridge and the chorus shines with fast lead vocals and supposedly authoritarian shouts of a gang in the background. A very good, but not a typical track, because the majority of the songs avoids restrained parts while putting the focus on high velocity exclusively. 'Evil Eye' is a fantastic example for the band's typical approach. Do you like energetic and precise thrashers such as, for example, "TEAMxDEADx" from Dr. Living Dead? This kind of compact songs without a gram of fat? In this case, 'Evil Eye' will be your sonic Eldorado. But Gama Bomb have more aces up their sleeves. The rapid 'Witching Mania' does not only score with its blazing chorus and 'Drinkers, Inc.' is another high velocity tornado whose fanatic riffing invites you to an almost suicidal headbanging session.

Although Gama Bomb love songs at lightning speed, they do not forget to show further characteristics that push their pieces on an outstanding level. A simple "Hu" and a likewise simple "Ha", this is all that is needed to lend the opener a slightly moronic yet funny appearance. Maybe you are familiar with Lawnmower Deth's "Umph Umla" - Gama Bomb seem to like the aura of this song, although they prefer a more subtle form of humour. Apart from that, the average velocity of the song gives no reason to cry. 'Avenge Me!', to provide another example, offers a short mosh part at the end and due to these gimmicks, Gama Bomb have written another thrilling full-length. Its twelve songs are equipped with charismatic lead vocals, the production combines cleanliness, pressure and sharpness in a special way and the overall impression indicates a good atmosphere within the band. Indeed, Gama Bomb is a group with a relatively stable line-up and the guys feel comfortable while playing their specific kind of thrash. It seems to me that both the exceptionally designed booklet and the yellow disc are just further documents of their specific kind of humour. Anyway, lend an ear to highlights such as 'Raging Skies', another high speed torpedo, and see for yourself.

Rating: 9 out of 10