MOTORHEAD – Bad Magic (2015)
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Despite this band’s music is not exactly the cup of tea of this blog, I think we have to feature here the new album by British legends MOTORHEAD, to be released next August 28 which it’s entitled “Bad Magic“.
And that’s because few people bet a dime for the band’s future due to Lemmy Kilmister’s ongoing health issues. But the man though has stuck two fingers up at his illness and has proved many wrong by returning both to the stage and studio. Status Quo once said ‘Rock ‘Til You Drop’, Lemmy’s philosophy in one.
For that attitude only, Motorhead’s new album deserve a listen.
Honestly, I never liked Motorhead too much. Their brand of square, no-frills heavy rock ‘n roll is ok with me, it’s fun, but too much noisy for my melodious ears. Anyway, a couple of tracks of them in a hard rock playlist are always welcomed. As said, Motorhead are funny.
So I did not followed the band since the last 20 years, at least.
And you know what? “Bad Magic” is not ‘bad’ at all. I would not say that is ‘magical’, but it’s darn effective.
Rampant and old school, Motorhead screams out at you from the very first track ‘Victory Or Die’ ; a typically feisty Motorhead number with Lemmy barking out the vocals. This then leads into ‘Thunder & Lightening’ which finds the guys in full flight with a huge riff from the Welsh wizard, Phil Campbell, a classic Motorhead track.
These two cuts set the theme of the album well, listening to it you get the feeling that they wanted to prove a point and show that they are still firing on all cylinders.
One song that enforces this message is the blistering ‘Shoot Out All Your Lights’. Drummer Mikkey Dee is on steroids during this song and provides a massive driving rhythm whilst Campbell and Lemmy beat their instruments into submission, live this song will be an absolute monster.
Well, the rest is typically Motorhead: a wall of sound to make your ears bleed.
It’s not all fast and furious though as ‘Till The End’ slows things down a bit and finds Lemmy in good voice. You can hear that vocally things are not quite as strong as they once were but that is understandable. The song it’s a half-ballad, but still classic Motorhead.
They deliver something different as well with the very good ‘The Devil’, where Queen’s Brian May makes a guest appearance adding a scintillating solo on this sleazy bluesy rocker.
If brushes with mortality are meant to slow you down, it’s clear Lemmy, 70 next birthday, didn’t get the memo. An album of reflective piano ballads this is not.
Indeed, “Bad Magic” will make all-time fans rejoice. It’s heavy, rocking, bruising as all Motorhead stuff. The songs are short, to the point, and this benefits the album to its flowing.
As said, not my favorite band, but if you dig them get “Bad Magic” with eyes closed, it will not disappoint you.
01. Victory or Die
02. Thunder & Lightning
03. Fire Storm Hotel
04. Shoot Out all of Your Lights
05. The Devil (feat. Brian May)
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 (Rolling Stones Cover)
Lemmy Kilmister – Bass, Vocals
Philip Campbell – Guitars
Mikkey Dee – Drums
Brian May – guest Guitar
PRE-ORDER:
www.amazon.de/Bad-Magic-Motorhead/dp/B00YPB10F4
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