Biography
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Years Active
2002 – present (22 years)
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Founded In
Newry, Newry and Mourne, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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Members
- Domonic Dixon (2005 – present)
- Joe McGuigan (2002 – present)
- John Roche
- Philly Byrne (2002 – present)
Beginnings: 2002-2005
Gama Bomb formed in 2002 and soon built up a loyal following in their native Newry, Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the UK, which they consolidated with a rigorous touring schedule and frequent forays into self-released recording. The band first gained attention with their demo The Survival Option in the same year. Relentlessly touring was paired with 2003's The Fatal Mission single. At this time frontman Philly Byrne often appeared on stage dressed as a chef, a priest, a pirate and an unhinged scientist in an ever more outrageous live stage show, which frequently included a Thrash Metal version of 80's TV show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' theme tune.
Survival of the Fastest: 2005-2007
Gama Bomb released their full-length debut Survival of the Fastest (Produced by Alwyn Walker) through European music label Witches Brew in early 2006. The album, which had originally been independently released in a limited edition format in late 2005, included many of the bands then live staples of which many, aside from those present on previous EP releases, had never been commercially available. The 2006 version of the album features the bonus tracks "M.A.D." and "The Survival Option" from their 2004 Fatal Mission single.
Zombi Brew EP
In May 2007, Gama Bomb released their first EP; Zombi Brew. The EP featured new tracks "Zombi Brew" and "Frightmare On Hell St" together with a cover of punk band The Dangerfields' song, "Maniac". The EP was released exclusively on 7" vinyl and limited to 200 copies in conjunction with Problem? Records.
Earache and Citizen Brain: 2007-2009
In September 2007, Gama Bomb announced that they signed a recording contract with Earache Records. The band lent the song "Zombi Brew" to the "Thrashing Like A Maniac" compilation released by Earache
Records, alongside other new Thrash artists such as Evile, Municipal Waste, Short Sharp Shock and Send More Paramedics.
In April 2008 Earache confirmed the release of Gama Bomb's Earache debut Citizen Brain for early June 2008. The album was released in July 2008 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The band have toured Europe extensively to support the album.
Since the release of Citizen Brain, the band have been vocal in their support of music downloading, and led a campaign to 'Stamp Out Inferior Metal' on their 2008 Thrashing Like A Maniac Tour, asking fans to bring along CD's they regret buying and destroy them at shows. In January 2009 they were voted best newcomer in a Terrorizer magazine readers' poll, and toured Europe with Exodus and Overkill in early 2009.
Tales From The Grave In Space: 2009
Gama Bomb announced via their Myspace blog in August 2009 that they would return to the studio in September to record a new album for November 2009. The album is to be produced by Scott Atkins, who produced the band's Citizen Brain album. The album was released for free digitally on November 5th on the band's page on Earache's website. It will also be available for free with the December issue of Metal Hammer magazine.
Musical Influences
Stylistically rooted in 1980s Thrash metal the band have stated influences include acts such as Nuclear Assault, Kreator, Agent Steel, Sodom, old Slayer, and early Megadeth.
Themes And Lyrics
Gama Bomb's lyrics often refer to the horror, action and sci-fi movies, cartoons and computer games of the 1980s, as well as paying tribute to many classic heavy metal themes. They also write topical songs on social issues like racism and global warming. The band are known for injecting their own sense of humour into their lyrics, with bizarre song concepts which lampoon classic thrash metal topics. Recurrent themes to be found in Gama Bomb songs are cannibalism, war, zombies, human sacrifice, ghosts and murder.
Newry, Northern Ireland
* Philly Byrne: Vocals
* Joe McGuigan: Bass
* Luke Graham: Guitar
* Domo Dixon: Lead Guitar
* Paul Caffrey: Drums
Albums
* Survival of the Fastest (2006)
* Citizen Brain (2008)
* Tales From The Grave In Space (2009)
* Untouchable Glory (2015)
Singles & EP's
* The Survival Option (2002)
* The Fatal Mission (2004)
* Zombi Brew (2007)
* Half Cut (2010)
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