Game Over – For Humanity

Evident from the band’s name and cover art, Game Over is a part of the retro thrash group of bands. There is actually a huge scene in Italy with bands like Hyades and National Suicide, and Game Over does an excellent job upholding the quality of the scene, as they stand out as one of the stronger thrash bands from Italy. “For Humanity” is a short, but sweet offering of relatively safe thrash that breaks no new ground for thrash. Nevertheless, it is a well-constructed effort. The production is fantastic: loud, but not in your face; heavy and crunchy, but not sludgy. You are going to be able to hear everything the band does really well on this record. The singer definitely has an accent, but it isn’t quite as pervasive as in some other Italian bands. In “Tupa Tupa or Die” for example, the singer spits out the chorus so quickly that he’ll sound more American than anything. On the other hand, he sometimes shows that pronunciation issue that makes things more memorable. The chorus of "Abyss Of A Need", for example, shows him elongating the "ah" part of "abyss", similar to the way that German bands always pronounce "universe" with the "uni" part very distinctly.

Most of the tracks are pretty similar, but you’ll come across a riff that stands out amongst the rest. There is an extremely technical Testament-inspired riff near the opening of “Abyss Of A Needle” that unfortunately doesn’t last too long. The other riffs tend to be very much in the Exodus vein; in fact, before listening to “For Humanity” I was spinning “Bonded By Blood” and the influence that record had on Game Over is quite obvious. The band does show some love to other thrash heroes though; “N.S.A.” is a vicious 25-second journey that brings back some great songs from the band’s namesake. There are some less serious moments on here as well, such as “Another Dose of Thrash” and “Tupa Tupa or Die”, both of which definitely bring in the more fun approach to thrash that bands like Anthrax had. 

Part of what makes this album so great is how tight the playing is. Though the band reaches some insane tempos at times, the drumming and rhythm guitars are so in sync that you can’t help but bang your head. They do a great job instantly switching between a down-picked mid-paced riff and faster thrashier stuff. Overall, “For Humanity” is an impressive offering amongst new wave bands. The songs tend to be pretty catchy, and the album doesn’t go on longer than necessary. Game Over is definitely a band to watch over the next few years.

Be sure to check out and like Game Over on Facebook!

Highlights

"Abyss Of A Needle"

"Dawn Of The Dead"

"Another Dose Of Thrash"

"Tupa Tupa Or Die"

Final Rating

4.25/5 or 85%. 

Written by Scott