Rome’s HoneyBombs have been kicking around the Italian rock and metal scene since 2012, a scrappy outfit born from the restless mind of guitarist Alex Rotten. Their debut, Wet Girls and Other Funny Tales (2017), was a rough-and-tumble slab of carefree rock’n’roll spiked with punk snarl and heavy metal grit - a promising, if unpolished, shot across the bow. Fast forward through a revolving door of lineup changes, a global pandemic, and a half-decade of woodshedding, and the band has returned with There Is An Elephant In The Room, a sophomore effort that lands like a sledgehammer wrapped in velvet. Released on March 14, 2025, this is a bold leap into melodic speed metal territory that proves HoneyBombs have outgrown their bar-band roots and found something worth shouting about.
The album’s audial palette is a love letter to the golden age of power and speed metal, with echoes of Helloween’s anthemic soar, Iron Maiden’s galloping precision, and Stratovarius’s orchestral flourish. But HoneyBombs aren’t just playing dress-up in ‘80s cosplay. There’s a modern edge here - think In Flames’ melodic heft or Hardcore Superstar’s streetwise swagger - woven into the fabric, giving the record a freshness that sidesteps nostalgia traps. Vocals, once a raw shout, have evolved into a commanding presence, weaving between soaring cleans and guttural roars with a newfound confidence. Guitars assault is relentless, churning out riffs that stick in your skull and solos that shred with surgical intent. Meanwhile, a rhythm section that’s as thunderous as it is dynamic, driving the album’s momentum without ever feeling rote.
This is a concept album, though not in the prog-rock, wizards-and-dragons sense. It’s more personal, a raw excavation of inner conflict and suppressed truths, the kind of stuff that festers until it demands to be heard. The title alone suggests a reckoning, and the music delivers: a storm of sound that’s equal parts catharsis and confrontation. The band’s punk roots still linger in the attitude, but the juvenile smirks of Wet Girls have matured into something deeper - a defiance that’s less about flipping the bird and more about facing down demons.
Recorded between 2022 and 2024 across multiple studios, with heavy hitters like Riccardo Studer and Giuseppe Orlando behind the boards, it’s a polished yet primal affair. The mix lets every element breathe - guitars snarl, drums crack like cannon fire, and Skid’s keys add a cinematic sheen without softening the blow. Mastering by Alessandro Del Vecchio ties it all together, giving the record a wall-of-sound heft that demands to be cranked loud.
There Is An Elephant In The Room isn’t perfect - its ambition occasionally outpaces its runtime, and a few ideas feel like they could’ve been pushed further. But those are minor quibbles in the face of what HoneyBombs have pulled off: a record that honors metal’s past while carving out a space of their own. After years of lineup shuffles and a debut that showed more promise than polish, this feels like the moment they’ve finally hit their stride. It’s heavy, it’s heartfelt, and it’s got hooks that’ll haunt you long after the last note ends. For a band that’s spent over a decade scrapping in the underground, Elephant is proof that sometimes the elephant in the room isn’t a problem - it’s the whole damn point.
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Thanks to Grand Sounds PR.
