Boasting a combined 250 years of experience is Australia’s Gopher. The duo of Ned Smelly and Ernie Bingo formed in 1790, which officially makes them the world’s first extreme band, and it has taken them a couple of centuries to unleash their debut Tunnel Buddies.
Riddled with double innuendo is the album title Is a golf reference or some weird sex thing? This is party metal electro chaos, that has a touch of the grindcore humour and sensibility. ‘’Does the Queen Queef’’ has got an imminently catchy anime-like keyboard line that runs concurrently with a great riff. ‘’Five Bucks a Day’’ is Amon Amarth if they were a party band. There is no doubting the musical ability on here ‘’Hot Mess Express’’ is death metal excellence and has got that real Australian DNA and some real catchy stuff. Yes, you will hum the chorus of ‘Keno King”. “Kupu Kupu Malam’’ is electronica absurdity dialled up to eleven, whilst ‘’ Shopping Trollied” is not too dissimilar from other Australian grindcore greats and must surely be the new mantra for a Saturday morning after the Friday night that is ‘’Party In the Sky”
Look, you’ll either laugh or you won’t. The keyboards are ever-present, and some of the choruses are so saccharinely catchy that they are at odds with some super-heavy death metal riffing. Tunnel Buddies is absurd, it’s an individual assault brief, riddled with old age humour and a sense of fun. As they say ‘’unlike Australia Post – it delivers’’
Gopher: Facebook
Release Year: 2026
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Sparky
