Listening to Motörhead's entire discography, an inexperienced listener might have a hard time discerning between their earlier works and the later stuff. Sure, the production quality was increased significantly; but there's only a very small difference between the songwriting formula or riff style despite the large chronological gap. Motörhead was arguably one of the most stylistically consistent groups in metal history. Aftershock, the band's second-to-last full-length album ever, is as predictable as the rest yet still widely enjoyable.
The guitar tone has a biting quality to it, reminiscent of Skynyrd-esque American Southern rock. Some of the riffs also seem to match this style; Phil Campbell's playing seems more raunchy and groove-centered than on previous recordings. His solos are bluesy and blistering; yet they're pretty much the same as all the ones he, Würzel, and Eddie Clarke had laid down on the band's records for the previous 35 years. There's very little variation between songs (except for the quieter "Dust and Glass"), and many of the tracks seem to be based largely on one-note riffs (see the verse of "Going to Mexico" for the most well-executed example).
Mikkey Dee of King Diamond fame contributes his drumming once again on Aftershock, making this the eleventh of the band's albums he was featured on. His drumming is relatively simple, and rarely captivates the listener's attention, except for a handful of songs that feature a drum fill as the intro.
Of course, the late legend Lemmy Kilmister is the star of the show on Aftershock. His innovative, fuzz-laden bass tone is a staple of the Motörhead sound, and it shines through quite well throughout the fourteen-song running length of this album. His harsh, raspy vocals are nearly as strong as ever, although a bit of compression can be clearly heard at some moments to increase the punch of his delivery.
The production quality is good enough that it takes away slightly from Motörhead's earlier, authentically dirty and raw sound. This isn't a huge issue, but prevents the album from standing out as a gem among the vast depths of the band's discography.
Aftershock is a great album, but should only be experienced by those already familiar with Motörhead's sound. This is by no means a unique record by their standards, so it's much less important than their earlier and more influential releases. But for a seasoned fan, it can still be appreciated as an effort to maintain a solid sound by one of the greatest bands of all time late in their career.
Best songs: "Heartbreaker," "Going to Mexico," and "Queen of the Damned."
It may come as a surprise to most who aren't familiar with their full catalogue, but Motörhead are a band who have never really made a bad album. The first seven of their LPs (excluding No Parole which is essentially an inferior alternate version to their self-titled début) are all stone cold classics featuring the best of their material, and although their has been a few troughs since then like Snake Bite Love/We Are Motörhead at the tail end of the 90's there has been absolute killer cuts after their glory period too such as 1916 and even as recent as 2008's Motörizer. As a follow up to The Wörld Is Yours in 2010 this is at least an equal achievement, a solid effort to show that Motörhead are timeless and will always still have it. And with the band skirting the edge of destruction more than ever before a reassuring cut like this is exactly what fans need.
A track by track breakdown of a Motörhead record is always going to be a bit of a pointless exercise as everyone will know their 21 times tried and tested formula, and I'm happy to report that it is still as effective as always. “Keep Your Powder Dry” wonders off true course slightly with a lead riff that sounds more like something from an AC/DC song but Lemmy's unmistakable chord-driven bass style keeps it in Motörhead's yard. Likewise when things get bluesy on the Steve Miller Band-style Hammond organ-accompanied “Crying Shame” and the stripped down John Lee Hooker/Lightnin' Hopkins-esque Folk Blues feel of “Lost Woman Blues” and “Dust and Glass” it always has Lemmy's trademark stamped firmly across it.
When it comes to the more straight-up rockers there is not many tracks here I would like to hear replace some classics in a live set, but “Queen Of The Damned” is definitely one of them. Most of the songs on here clock in at under 3 minutes and that is more than enough time for a chord-driven bassline to open it up, a cracker main riff, bluesy licks, throaty vocals, short but sweet solo and lyrics about a dangerous woman. What more could you want from a Motörhead song?
Nothing else on here quite matches this tune, but a few stand out thanks to Lemmy's still timeless lyrical ability, in particular closing track “Paralyzed” which boasts probably the band's best opening lyric since “Killed By Death” when Lemmy croons; “Running through the jungle/looking for a light/running like a bastard baby/in the jungle night” Young whippersnappers like Speedwolf could take a tip from “Do You Believe?” when it comes to righting great Rock n Roll lyrics but there is a worldweariness in some of the lyrics here that can only come from the seeing the things an ageing rocker has and can never be faked by youth. “Coup De Grace” is one such cut but when the man himself “dances with the devil” at “The End Of Time” it is the perfect song for describing where he is in life right now.
Motörhead have definitely had their reputation slightly tarnished in recent years by some borderline Gene Simmons-like poor choices for merchandising ( Motörhead wine anyone?), being unable to control the pricing and content of endless compilations and boxsets fired off their label's production line and more recently Lemmy's ill health affecting live performances. As I said before, Motörheadbangers are in need of a little reassurance and I think this album fits that bill well. They have always been a band who have behaved like every day could be their last as a band, and while this is an emotionally tough time to be a fan of theirs as that possibility edges ever closer it is almost comforting to now that if Motörhead were no more as of tomorrow then this would be a fitting epitaph to an unparalleled career. [7/10]
There’s no point in describing Motӧrhead’s sound at this point. I’ll give you guys a hint: on their 22nd album in a near-40 year career, they didn’t start playing mellow progged-out jazz music. Aftershock sees the boys in fine form with a collection of looser, faster and more energetic tunes than you’ve seen on many of their other recent releases. I was one of those who thought The World Is Yours was a weak album, and it was one of the Motӧrhead albums I played the least. I didn’t expect this one to knock my block off so thoroughly, but there you go.
The band just sounds hungry and energized as hell on this album. You get a lot more dynamic on here than the stodgy sound of the last few, and also a lot rawer, more punky performances and songwriting ethic going on – there are fewer spots where they slow down to a midpaced stomp. Now, as much as I enjoyed those tunes from albums like Inferno, I always liked Motӧrhead better when they were just playing fast and furious. On ball-busters like “End of Time” with its down and dirty punk style, and “Death Machine” with its gritty, teeth-gnashing stomping like a horde of wild boars, the band sounds virile and pissed off as hell. Opener “Heartbreaker” and its immediate sequel “Coup de Grace” are both fine Motӧrhead tunes that show the band still kicking ass and able to get way more pussy than most bands starting out now. And “Do You Believe” is just a killer tune, with Lemmy howling away about the glories of a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle like he hadn’t already done it for 30 years before this. But it’s so good here that I’m giving it a pass.
Not to say that there’s no variety here. “Lost Woman Blues” is a contender for best song here with its slow, bluesy (shockingly enough…) build up and then its raunchy, rocking finish – Lemmy shows off his sensitive side, too. “Dust & Glass” is a weird little psychedelic-style ballad that sort of just serves as a breather between the heavy stompers, but it’s good. “Crying Shame” is the band’s usual 50s-style rock ‘n’ roll ditty with the swingin’ pianos behind the groovy metal riffs, and it rocks – how much charisma can a 67 year old man possibly have? Look no further than Lemmy right here. Bad fucking ass. The best tune has to be “Silence When You Speak to Me,” though – an absolutely crushing song with a bass line that will turn your skeleton to dust by the time it’s over. Just an absolute winner of a song.
The album gets a bit weaker as it goes on, with shorter songs like “Queen of the Damned” and “Paralyzed” not quite living up to the standard of the first half of the album. But on a 14-song album with so many highlights, and from a band this old, I’m inclined not to care about a little filler too much. I mean, even the filler is still pretty damned good in its own right. And seriously, 22 albums in and Motӧrhead sounds like this. That’s just amazing. If they were just going through the motions, that would be one thing, but they’ve got a fire under their collective asses and their material here is as strong as it has been at any point since the early 90s, at least. This is a winner of an album, and I’ve had a lot of fun listening to it this year. Definitely going on the Best of the Year list for ’13. Get it now and let Lemmy show you the light and the way.
Every Motorhead review ever written starts with some statement about the band’s apparent invincibility and unwavering persistence, but their infallible reputation has been slightly shaken over the last year. Iconic vocalist/bassist Lemmy Kilmister’s recent health troubles have caused some alterations to their touring schedule, leading some to question the band’s future as a fully functional unit. Fortunately, Motorhead’s twenty-first studio album adheres to their longstanding status quo while reviving a few tricks that haven’t been seen in some time.
Even with health scares to consider, it’s safe to say the band dynamic hasn’t changed a bit. Lemmy’s vocals retain their slurred but commanding croaks, his ferocious bass playing often leads to guitarist Phil Campbell playing a lot of catch up, and Mikkey Dee’s drumming is as rapid fire as ever. The clear production and chorus-oriented songwriting also make it quite similar to the efforts that have been put out since 2004’s Inferno.
But with there being fourteen tracks on here, more than any other Motorhead album, it does end up being one of their more diverse releases. In fact, it has a fair amount in common with 1977’s Overkill. In addition to many tracks having a less than three minute run time and a fast punk execution, “Lost Woman Blues” plays like a mellower version of “Limb From Limb” and the melancholic “Dust And Glass” has a psychedelic tone that recalls “Metropolis” or “Capricorn.” There’s no track as massive as “Overkill,” but “End Of Time” does come close to matching its intensity.
Of course, having fourteen tracks also means that there are some bits of filler to be found. Even the most casual fan can tell you that there is no such thing as a bad Motorhead song but a number of tracks do run together, especially towards the album’s end. The highlights make up for them as always but even those seem like they needed more development or more dynamic song structures.
Overall, Aftershock has a few tweaks that make it more unique than its most recent predecessors but is about even with them in terms of quality. It doesn’t have the fire to challenge the likes of Inferno but it secures the band’s standing in a more uncertain time. I’m still holding out for a bluesier direction, but the classic aspirations may be enough to recommend it to established fans.
Current Highlights:
“Heartbreaker”
“Lost Woman Blues”
“End Of Time”
“Do You Believe”
“Silence When You Speak To Me”
Originally published at http://psychicshorts.blogspot.com
It’d be easy to take Motorhead for granted, or even to (foolishly) write them off. A recent health scare for main-man Lemmy may have looked like it was going to slow the band down, but thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case. After almost 40 years now as a band, Motorhead are still touring and releasing music.
Let’s put this in to context for a moment. This is an age in music where there seems to be a great appetite for reunions and bands performing “classic” albums, where reasonably successful musicians of all genres attempt to coast by on past glories. Yet here are Motorhead, arguably the epitome of rock’n'roll, who have penned more classic songs than anyone has a right to, releasing their 21st album a few months after their iconic front-man was hospitalised. Sure, they may play Ace Of Spades and Overkill at every single show, but there’s nothing wrong with giving the fans what they want and playing the classics rather than relying on them. At 67, no one would blame Lemmy for taking it easy and living off of past glories; but that’s not the kind of person he is; and for that we should all be thankful.
Musically, there’s no real surprises here for anyone who’s familiar with Motorhead beyond playing Ace Of Spades on Rock Band; but what might be surprising is just how good the album is. There’s plenty of high-tempo rockers, as well as some slower ones, and they’re as strong as almost anything else the band have recorded. The unmistakable blend of hard rock and heavy metal that forms the basis of the Motorhead sound is present and accounted for, with several tracks reminiscent of their back catalogue. The furious double-bass drum work on End Of Time propels the song along in the same way that Overkill charged ahead, whilst Queen Of The Damned’s bass opening isn’t a million miles away from the first moments of Ace Of Spades. It all still manages to sound modern though, aided by an excellent production job from Cameron Webb, who has also produced the past few Motorhead albums.
That’s not to say that the band is relying on past glories. More that, after so long, the band have their sound well-defined (hell, it was well-defined years ago) and know how to make it work. They’re not going to go all prog on us. Modern trends will pass them by unnoticed. Motorhead will do what Motorhead do, and that’s to sound like Motorhead; and that’s something they do so very well.
But as anyone familiar with the band will know, that doesn’t mean they’re a one-trick pony. They’re perfectly capable of writing something a bit different from time to time. Lost Woman Blues makes that clear early on, and it sounds like what you’d expect from the title. It’s slow, heavy blues, drenched in the atmosphere of rainy nights and dimly-lit bars as Lemmy laments the loss of a woman. The later half speeds things up, but it’s the first half that makes it a truly special song. Dust And Glass at the half-way mark further demonstrates that the band aren’t even close to running out of ideas. It initially sounding like another blues track, but there’s something more to it than that. Lemmy’s singing is as clean as it gets, and the verses have an almost regretful atmosphere not associated with the band. It’s a very successful change, and the faster tracks that follow it benefit from the change of pace it presents.
Even after the initial rush of the album has worn off, it still holds up well. It’d probably be an over-statement to describe it as the band’s best album (though frankly, arguing which one of their 21, mostly excellent albums is best is a pointless exercise), but it’s certainly a very strong record that holds up to repeated listens, and is worthy of note not just for the simple fact that it exists. There’s plenty here to get excited about, and I can’t imagine anyone who likes Motorhead being disappointed by this record.
Originally published at http://thesoundnottheword.wordpress.com/