REVIEW: Gama Bomb - Necronomicon Automaton

Gama Bomb return with Necronomicon Automaton, a four-track whirlwind of classic thrash chaos, clocking in just under 15 minutes. Despite its conciseness, this EP packs a serious punch, offering everything fans have come to love from the Irish crew: high-speed riffs, off-the-wall lyrics, and a tongue planted so firmly in cheek it’s almost trying to burst through. While these tracks were initially written during the sessions for 2023’s BATS, they’ve been refined and repurposed into a tightly-wound, standalone release that never once feels like an afterthought.

Opening track ‘Nunchuks!’ is a feral, fast-paced tribute to martial arts weaponry, kicking the door open with shredding guitars and absurdly brilliant lyrics. Lines like “I bless you in the name of the nunchaka-ka-ka-ka!” are delivered with pure conviction, as frontman Philly Byrne barrels through the track like a mad prophet in a dojo of thrash. It’s everything great about Gama Bomb distilled into two-and-a-half minutes: fun, frenetic, and gloriously unhinged.

‘Intror the Deceiver’ follows with a dramatic introduction that sets the scene like a VHS-era horror trailer. It’s short, but not throwaway; more like a chaotic invocation, inviting the listener into the bizarre world that lies ahead. Gama Bomb has always embraced theatricality, and this track adds a layer of dark camp that ties the whole release together.

Third track ‘Necropanzer’ turns up the heaviness, rolling out a tale of mechanised destruction and undead warfare. It’s arguably the most aggressive moment on the EP, channeling classic thrash tropes through the band’s uniquely warped lens. There’s a slight edge of menace here, but it’s never too serious, Gama Bomb know exactly when to smirk and when to shred.

Closing with the title track, ‘Necronomicon Automaton’, the band dive headfirst into Lovecraftian horror and retro sci-fi mayhem. Twisting riffs and machine-gun drums power a song full of arcane texts, cursed tech, and mechanical monsters. The name itself, ‘Necronomicon Automaton’, is an intentionally ridiculous tongue twister, perfectly summing up the band’s love for absurdity and theatrical flair. If you can say it three times fast, you’re probably possessed.

Production duties fall to guitarist Domo Dixon, whose mix balances raw aggression with clarity, giving the EP a livewire energy that captures the band’s signature chaos without sounding muddy. The cover art, by horror illustrator Graham Humphreys, features the band’s skeletal mascot Snowy in a séance inspired scene that looks ripped from a Victorian fever dream, an aesthetic that fits perfectly with both the EP’s bizarre themes, and Snowy’s progression from yeti, to vampire, to ectoplasmic entity.

All in all, Necronomicon Automaton is a compact but complete offering that showcases Gama Bomb’s enduring knack for fusing razor-sharp thrash with ridiculous storytelling and irreverent humour. It might be brief, but it’s loaded with character, and it only reinforces their position as one of the most entertaining and unpredictable forces in modern thrash.

Score: 7/10

Necronomicon Automaton will be released on April 18th 2025 via Prosthetic Records.

Words: Vee Richardson

Photos: Gama Bomb