Released by: UDR GmbH
Release date: 28 August 2015
Genre: Heavy Metal
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Lineup:
Lemmy Kilmister – Bass, Vocals
Philip Campbell – Guitars
Mikkey Dee – Drums
Track Listing:
01. Victory Or Die
02. Thunder & Lightning
03. Fire Storm Hotel
04. Shoot Out all of Your Lights
05. The Devil
06. Electricity
07. Evil Eye
08. Teach Them How To Bleed
09. Till The End
10. Tell Me Who To Kill
11. Choking On Your Screams
12. When The Sky Comes Looking For You
13. Sympathy For The Devil
In these days of streamed music and quick to rise, quick to fall bands, it is hard to root out those that live and breathe rock right down to their bones. Motorhead is one of these truly exceptional oddities whom would say: “screw the rest of you, we are going to do it our way.” That is exactly what they have been doing for the past 40 years. It is easy to forget the rich writing heritage of icon Lemmy. We see him almost as a heavy metal caricature with his hand made cowboy boots and cowboy hat, and never out of the colour black, forever connected to The Ace of Spades. His song writing has and is exceptional. Think of those that he has written for; such as The Ramones (‘R.A.M.O.N.E.S’) and Ozzy Osbourne (‘Hellraiser’). This time he does not disappoint with the new Motorhead album ‘Bad Magic’.
Rampant and old school, Motorhead screams out at you from the very first track: ‘Victory Or Die’. With the ever ready Rock ‘n Roll drummer from hell, Mikky Dee, they keep the freight train pace right to the end. Motorhead traditionalists… enjoy! Whilst ‘Thunder & Lightening’ is mosh pit and neat Jack friendly, the album races on into a frenzy metal MotorGP sandwiched nicely around an LA Sunset Strip guitar solo. You can almost hear the Lemmy playing the fruit machine at The Rainbow!
Now can I stay at the ‘Firestorm Hotel’? Sounds like a whole lot of rockin trouble to me! A speeded up honky tonk of a tune with Judas Priest-esque breaks throughout and a sleazy voiced Lemmy, sounding naughtily sly… utter perfection!
WOW hear Mikky hit those double bass peddles like a maniac!! ‘Shoot Out All The Lights’; another exceptionally well crafted ditty, made to sound garage punk… clever, clever, clever.
A hint of Ministry N.W.O and a soupcon of Rammstein provides you with a metal meal that will bring you to your knees with ‘Choking On Your Screams’. Superb connection between the trio ensures heavy satisfaction with a rampage of bass, drums and wailing guitar.
My one disappointment was the cover of ‘Sympathy for The Devil’; not because the heads do this badly, they don’t. Even though it is a favourite Stones track, I feel it has been covered to death.
What I love about this album is that you can hear Lemmy’s life. You can hear he is older and he is singing a little slower, but it is as if all the touring, bad behaviour and basically damn good fun is embroiled into Bad Magic. Mikky and Phil continue as the perfect pros they are, with Phil’s lead on songs like ‘Electricity’ simply ear blasting.
Bad Magic sounds like Motorhead, tastes like Motorhead and IS Motorhead. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Written by: Francijn Suermondt