Album Review: Eruptions by The Special Bombs (by Marcus Pond)

The Special Bombs are a four piece group from Wittibreut, Germany. Their debut album Eruptions, came out on March 20 via SBÄM Records, six months after their debut EP Stay True. They released a video for the single “Still Dreaming” in mid-February, and had planned to do some touring to support Eruptions before COVID-19 changed everyone’s plans.

But, even if it’s not in front of a packed house party or a sweaty mosh pit, Eruptions is still a great listen. After seeing their video for “Still Dreaming”, I quickly hopped on the CPRW group message to call dibs on the review, and was thrilled to discover that Colin had already received an advance of their record. The email he forwarded to me had some press info that claimed their sound is similar to something that might come out of “Gainesville or Sweden instead of Lower Bavaria”. While The Special Bombs seem like they’d fit in well at a Fest lineup, and the Millencolin influence seems pretty apparent, I heard a homage to Bouncing Souls that was undeniable as well.

Eruptions kicks off with “My Eruption”, which features a guitar riff that would slide in perfectly on How I Spent My Summer Vacation. In similar Souls fashion, Stephan Lirk is able to flex his vocals into that trademark higher octave without too much of a strain. Also, similar to the Souls, he’s able to pen a song about something negative (losing your temper, getting frustrated, etc.) and make it sound unbelievably catchy and upbeat. Like a volcanic eruption, “My Eruption” builds and builds to a cathartic explosion of pounding drums and screaming vocals.

It’s quickly followed up with lead single “Still Dreaming”. This is easily the standout track (for me, at least), as it boasts an infectious chorus that is begging to be listened to at full volume with the windows down. I’ve listened to it dozens of times, and I still can’t help but sing along when Lirk yells “It feels like running out of fuel / I hope it’s over soon / I’m fighting against demons in my head.”

Even though I’m pretty sure I’m much older than the guys in The Special Bombs, I loved hearing “Not Too Old” from them. At first, I assumed that it was about not being too old to listen to punk music (something that I’m sure people who know me probably wonder about), but it’s really about not putting limits on your goals and dreams, something that undoubtedly resonates with everybody, eventually. A great tune about still having time to discover “what lies beyond the beaten track”.

The song I’d love to see live more than any would have to be “United”. There are lots of gang vocals here, especially during the chorus, when they all shout “This is our time, this is our scene / It’s all about passion and what we feel / United we are what we can’t be alone / Since we’re together nothing can go wrong.” I can already feel the sweaty bodies around me singing along, arm in arm.

Eruptions is nothing if not consistent. Each track is straightforward, uplifting, melodic punk. There’s no acoustic tracks, no orchestras or pianos thrown in for variety, no goofy throw-away songs. Every tune is meant to be played loud, ideally with space to jump around, with lyrics designed to be shouted along to.

RIYL: Bouncing Souls (but more How I Spent My Summer Vacation or Gold Record than Anchors Aweigh), Millencolin, Dropkick Murphys, Beatsteaks, volcanos

Stream and download Eruptions on Bandcamp here.

Like The Special Bombs on Facebook here.

This review was written by Marcus Pond.