Album Reviews : Motörhead – Motörizer

If you’ve enjoyed the majority of previous Motörhead releases, you’ll like this one too. End of story. I’m sure most people will agree with me when I saw that these guys are one of the most consistent bands ever to exist, and apart from a few albums in the middle of their bloody long career (which certainly aren’t bad albums, but not as good as the rest), they have never disappointed. The band’s 24th album, ‘Motörizer’ (nice to see they’re as creative as ever), is certainly continuing this trend with 40 minutes of classic rocker tunes.

The album kicks off with “Runaround Man” which is, to put it simply, a classic Motörhead song through and through. “Teach You How to Sing the Blues”, as the title suggests, has a slight taste of blues to it, and also features a damn good guitar solo, probably one of my favourites from the band. “When the Eagle Screams” is a tad slower and sounds quite similar to much of their previous album, ‘Kiss of Death’, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. Then, just when you think Lemmy couldn’t get much more creative, he comes out with a track called “Rock Out”, and lyrics like “Rock out with your cock out”. Pure style right there. “One Short Life” is a bit slower and has some groove to it but is probably the worst track on the album; it’s just a tad boring. “Buried Alive” is an upbeat speed metal track with an absolutely fantastic chorus that’s rough but sneakily catchy. Lemmy kicks off the next track, “English Rose” with just vocals and no music which sound surprisingly good while the guitar tunes in “Back on the Chain” sound like something that could feature on a Deep Purple album. “Heroes” slows right down to ballad pace but stays heavy. “Time is Right” is another classic Motörhead rocker and the more melodic “The Thousand Names of God” finishes the album off nicely.
This is a damn solid album.

As usual, there’s not a bad track on here. The only gripe I have is the lack of an acoustic track because “Whorehouse Blues” (off ‘Inferno’) and “God Was Never On Your Side” (off ‘Kiss of Death’) are quite easily two of their strongest tracks.

Sound-wise it’s not quite as heavy as their last few albums, instead opting for a more classic rock feel reminiscent of “Bastards” and even some earlier material. This means the album doesn’t sound quite as thick, but much dirtier than it’s predecessor. A good change.

The band on are on fire here and all their performances are top notch which isn’t a surprise. Personally, I prefer their last effort over this one, but it’s simply personal taste, it doesn’t mean this is a lesser album. Like I said before, if you’re a fan then you’ll love this album and as with most of Motörhead’s releases – the louder you play it the better it sounds! 8.3/10

Band: Motörhead
Album: Motörizer
Year: 2008
Genre: Hard Rock
Label: SPV
Origin: United Kingdom
www.myspace.com/motorhead

Track listing:
1. Runaround Man
2. Teach You How To Sing The Blues
3. When The Eagle Screams
4. Rock Out
5. One Short Life
6. Buried Alive
7. English Rose
8. Back On The Chain
9. Heroes <- Reviewers Choice
10. Time Is Right
11. The Thousand Names Of God