Motörhead - Motörizer Review

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 08.27.2008

Motörhead, Britian's favorite trio of metal rock 'n rollers, return with their 20th studio album, Motörizer. Is the album worthy of being named alongside Ace Of Spades and Overkill?

The Band

Lemmy-Vocals, Bass
Phil Campbell-Guitar, Backing Vocals
Mikkey Dee-Drums


The Track Listing

1. Runaround Man-2:57
2. (Teach You How To) Sing The Blues-3:03
3. When The Eagle Screams-3:44
4. Rock Out-2:08
5. One Short Life-4:05
6. Buried Alive-3:12
7. English Rose-3:37
8. Back On The Chain-3:24
9. Heroes-4:59
10. Time Is Right-3:14
11. The Thousand Names Of God-4:33






The Review

For the past thirty plus years, Motörhead has been carving out a legacy for themselves. Their mix of heavy metal, rock and roll, and punk inspired countless bands, with frontman Lemmy being labeled as a “God” amongst the throes of metal heads. Even with the band members nearing their mid-60’s, Motörhead is still playing louder and faster than bands half their age. It is their drive, constant touring, and steady stream of new material that has endeared the band to many fans.

Since 1996’s Overnight Sensation, the trio has released a new album every two years, a nearly impossible feat for most metal bands. A Motörhead album is quite similar to an AC/DC album, as in the fact that you know what you are going to get when you buy it. No big experimentations in the sound, no huge surprises out of left-field, and no “epic” tracks. What you get with a Motörhead is a collection of tracks that range from mid-paced rompers, sometimes blues-influenced, to fast, short, and punk-ish in nature.

Motörizer is no different from any Motörhead album from the past decade. Some may call that consistency; others may scoff at a band that never tries to push themselves creatively. For me, I’ve always been in the first category about Motörhead. This isn’t Dream Theater or Opeth; at this point in the band’s career, there is no need for Lemmy and company to release an album with crazy instrumental sections and time changes. Motörhead takes what works for them and goes with the flow, something more bands should considering doing.

So what can Motörhead fans expect from Motörizer? Unlike previous albums, there isn’t any acoustic diddies (“Whorehouse Blues”) or attempts at a power ballad (“God Was Never On Your Side”). Motörizer is as clean cut and straightforward as the band has ever been. Opening up with a pair of scorchers, “Runaround Man” and “(Teach You How To) Sing The Blues,” the trio sound as good as they ever have, thanks to the clear and pristine production job done by the band and Cameron Webb. However, even with a cleaner production, there is still grit and grim in the instruments, especially with Lemmy’s bass work, which is right up front in the mix, where it belongs.

Motörizer goes through the usual twists and turns that a Motörhead album goes through. You have your quick and speedy tracks (“Rock Out,” “Time Is Right”), with some mid-pacers to counterbalance the craziness (“Heroes”). The only tracks that embrace the blues-rock fusion that the band has started to show off recently are “One Short Life” and “The Thousand Names Of God,” with the latter introducing the slide guitar to Motörhead’s trademark sound.

I could keep going on and on about Motörizer, but most of you have already made your decision on the album before you finished reading this review. I’ll keep it as simple as possible; if you like Motörhead, you will like Motörizer. If you can’t stand Motörhead and hate the fact that every album sounds similar to the previous release, you won’t be missing much if you skip Motörizer. For long-time fans, there is enough solid material on Motörizer that you will find your favorite songs and place them alongside the other Motörhead track on your IPod.

The 411: Motörizer is a good Motörhead, what else can be said? The band has never had a bad album (save for the 1992 commercial failure March Or Die) and Motörizer is no different. It's no Ace Of Spades, but the band has shown that even after thirty years, there is still some life left in them. Motörhead sounds best when they are playing as loud and as fast as humanly possible and there are many chances for them to do that on Motörizer.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]