El Colosso « The RingMaster Review

The tail end of last year saw the attention seizing arrival of German outfit Blast Bomb on the punk ‘n’ roll scene with debut single Born To Lose. Offering up three ravenous slices of heavy rabid rock ‘n’ roll, the release announced the Hamburg hailing quintet as one explosive proposition. Since then the band has made a just as striking and powerful impact on the live scene, sharing stages with the likes of Honeymoon Disease, Conan, Monolord, El Colosso, and Grumpynators along the way. With their reputation seemingly growing by the week, Blast Bomb is poised to release the Burn History & Live Today; an encounter confirming them a feral trespass of sound rather easy to devour and be excited by.

Blast Bomb emerged early 2017 as a project when guitarists Torben and Klaus, bassist Kai, and drummer Tobi came together though the foursome had played together in various permutations and outfits including notably High Gain District and Skull Harvest across previous years. Swiftly they enlisted former Thirteen Shots vocalist and founder Johnny Rose and together honed a sound which is an aggressively imposing and irritable yet instinctively contagious collusion of punk and hard rock with varied metal bred essences. Born To Lose soon proved it was an ear grabbing proposal which demands attention but fair to say as potent as that release was, it has been fiercely eclipsed by Burn History & Live Today in adventure and imagination let alone raw confrontation.

Recorded by Franz Schedlbauer at No Moss Studio and across its quartet of songs lyrically inspired and linked by the emotions and desire leading to Rose’s resettlement in German from England a couple of years ago, the EP swiftly reveals bolder imagination in sound and enterprise through opener Gambler. From an initial bike throated rumble, the band’s new single swaggers in with a hungry groove and rapaciously swinging beats. That grooving continues to bait as things evolve, getting under the skin as Rose’s distinctive tones bring their equally compelling invitation to the hook loaded rock ‘n’ roll incitement. Also spilling a horror punk scent over its punk ‘n’ roll instincts, the track provides a web of old school nurtured but intrusively fresh confrontation while increasingly building on its creative hand.

The following Stray prowls ears with an almost portentous air as it makes its entrance; its threat escalating by the riff and chord as the growling bass of Kai and scything swings of Tobi bring greater imposing texture and attitude to the senses challenging encounter. Stoner spicing adds to its character, further flavouring an inescapable intensity in sound and emotion as well as another inventive aspect to the Blast Bomb sound before Burn History bounds in with devious hooks and snarling riffs amidst an eager ferociousness quickly sparking blues flamed spirals of guitar. This all springs into a spicily searing glaze of sonic liquor which subsequently triggers a repetition of the song’s opening whirl of irresistible hookery and in turn a horror punk lined stalking. With imagination and drama growing in every persuasive note and vocal twist, the track rivals the first in best song honours.

Live Today concludes the release, its gentle opening saunter easily luring the imagination, seducing as guitars and bass unite in an even tempered invitation unsurprisingly carrying an edge and suggestive volatility. That aural simmering eventually erupts in a caustic wind of sound though it is still held with a restraint which escalates the intrigue and creative nature of the song.

It is a fine end to a release which confirms Blast Bomb as one exciting prospect and though you can sense that their sound is still evolving, finding its true voice it just adds to their striking and very welcome intrusion on the punk/rock scene.

Burn History & Live Today is released via Undead Artists on November 2^nd with pre-ordering available now @ https://blastbomb.bandcamp.com/releases