You just know some records will be good. UK trio Black Bombers summoned an explosive storm-front in the guise of a seven-inch single (“Crazy” b/w “That Kind”) in early 2015 that sold out its first pressing in a week. To say a full-blooded long-player was anticipated is like saying Kayne West has lots of self-confidence.
Black Bombers hail from Birmingham where everything is either black or Black Sabbath. Those local legends might be held in high regard around the globe but apart from a shared love for riffing and volume, Black Bombers are cut from a slightly different cloth.
They sound like the progeny of early Motorhead, Pink Fairies (in their clear-headed moments) and the Stooges…dressed in a balaclava and carrying a cosh. Pressed for an Aussie comparison, you might say Bored! and you might be entirely correct. Birmingham as the new Geelong.
The songs from the single are here, both in their raw and slightly-refined versions, plus nine other aural assaults. Recorded live in the rehearsal studio by Paul Gray (no, not the one from The Damned and Eddie and The Hot Rods) it sounds brash with a transparent mix that’s right in your face. It might have been nice to hear the results of a larger production budget beefing-up the midrange and bottom end, but it is what it is and it will do nicely, just the same.
Alan Bryson’s guitar and edgy, harried vocal are front-and-centre. The engine room of Dave Twist (ex-The Prefects, The Tenderhooks and Walter Lure’s UK touring band) and bassist Darren Birch lays down solid and sometimes inventive rhythmic bedrock with an undercurrent of swing. Classic power trio, to cut to the chase.
“Come On Over” pulses superbly, plaintive in its demand and full of dynanism. “Nameless” winds down the rhythm and ups the tension. “No Disgrace” would sit well on an Asteroid B612 record with a vein of quicksilver overdriven guitar flashing through. Likewise, the jagged “Early Warning” where Bryson and Birch pull against the beat.
These are songs that you don’t need to over-analyse or mull over. There's not a lot of verse-chorus-verse going on. They have lyrics that aren’t dumb but they’re not meant to be deep literary exercises, either. The connection you’ll make is visceral. Stop scratching your chin. Tune down, turn up and be immersed.
3/4
