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Motörhead Motorizer Review by Gary Hill I’ve always loved Motorhead. You know, they might not be the most original band, but there’s just something about them. They rock out better than just about anyone. Gutsy tough guy swagger doesn’t always work, but for some reason Motorhead can really pull it off. The one problem with them is that in many ways their albums have a tendency to sound the same. Well, for my money Motorizer isn’t one of those discs. This thing is trademark Motorhead and yet it still brings in some variety. It’s vital and fresh. It’s also one of my favorite Motorhead albums of all time. You’ll hear echoes of older Motorhead music, but this one is really its own commodity. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008 Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Runaround Man With a crunchy, very heavy arrangement, this is fast and furious and reminds me of something from Another Perfect Day. It’s a smoking tune and a great way to lead things off in style. There is a very tasty bass driven grind in the midst of this one.

(Teach You How To) Sing The Blues They carry things on in a motif that’s not all that different from the opener. Still, this has more of a punk rock feeling to it at times and the bass dominated riff that drives much of this track is killer.

When The Eagle Screams This screamer is a war tale. The opening Arabic sounding sound bite tells you that it is about the fighting that goes on today. There are no molds broken here, but this is still quite strong.

Rock Out OK, the lyrics are a bit generic, we even get a “rock out with your c*** out” near the end of the tune. The thing is, Motorhead can get by with stuff like that. Musically this feels a bit like something from Overkill mixed with Ace of Spades. It’s another winner on an album that has no losers.

One Short Life In some ways this feels slower. It’s got a real grind to it. It also seems a little heavier for some reason. This is one of my favorite cuts on show here. The guitar solo is a screamer and the arrangement on that section is especially potent.

Buried Alive They are back to frantic pace here and this song reminds me a lot of “Ace of Spades.” In fact, at times I can swear you can place those lyrics over the top of this and have it work.

English Rose This has more of a rock and roll feel, but it’s still Motorhead through and through. It’s another with a bit of that punk texture to it, but really wasn’t punk all about the old school rock and roll? Lemmy starts this acapella in a nice change up. The guitar solo segment really cinches that “rawk and roll” sound. You could almost hear that section (albeit a bit differently done) being played by The Black Crowes.

Back On the Chain Another rock and roll based grind, the bass really makes up a lot of the sound of this. It’s catchy and quite cool. The instrumental segment that makes up the center of the piece is more pure metallic. It’s also scorching.

Heroes This is my favorite song on the CD. It’s a slower grind and it’s catchy as heck. I love the chorus, “Stand your ground and fight / we know that our cause is right / We are the ones whose hope is gone.” In some ways this is the most “metal” track on show here. It’s also got another incendiary guitar solo.

Time Is Right Here we have another of those tough, I’ll rip you apart songs that Motorhead frequently gives us. It really feels like it could have come from the Ace of Spades album. This is another screamer and another of my favorites on the disc.

The Thousand Names Of God Another smoking slab of Motorheadbanging, this is a good song. I just feel like it’s a bit of a let down after the two previous scorchers. That said, the chorus is quite potent and it has some lyrical ties to “When the Eagle Screams.”



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