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MOTORHEAD - Kiss Of Death |
Sanctuary | |||||||
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Posted: 11/19/06Reviewed by: Dirt Category: Heavy Metal Released: 8/29/06 Label URL: www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com Artist URL: www.imotorhead.com | |||||||
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Motorhead is one of metal's most enduring bands, and the group led by elder statesman Lemmy Kilmister has also been consistent in the quality department, with very few stinkers in their catalog. The key to success is that Lemmy knows what Motorhead is supposed to sound like and he varies little from the recipe. Kiss Of Death contains all the elements that you'd expect from a Motorhead album - Lemmy's gruff voice, Phil Campbell's upfront and refrained riffs, the rhythmic heaviness of Lemmy's thumping basslines and Mikkey Dee's ultra heavy drumming. These guys never seem to lose their intensity - and when you consider the years they've been hashing it out, it really is amazing.
We Are Motorhead (2000), Hammered (2002), Inferno (2004), have all had their foot-tapping, dare I say, peppy commercial numbers, as well as their "Orgasmatron"-like, brooding tunes, and pedal-to-the-metal, rip-roaringly fast tracks. Kiss Of Death follows suit with the super-catchy "Christine" (the commercial track), the Mikkey-Dee driven speedsters "Sucker," "Trigger," "Going Down," and "Devil I Know" (the fast tracks), and the darker, less hook-driven tracks "Under The Gun," "Living In The Past," and "Kingdom Of The Worm." While I love the speedy tracks and "Christine," it's these darker tracks that keep me from putting Kiss Of Death at the top of my favorite Motorhead albums list. They just don't grab me like the others, as I think the sinister vibe is the focus and the hook is not. "God Was Never On Your Side" is a ballad - something that Lemmy should not do - but has been doing on more of the recent albums.
The Bloody Truth: Kiss Of Death is a solid Motorhead album. It doesn't vary from the formula they've had in recent years but whether it will be your favorite depends on whether you want an album tipped in the direction of"Ace Of Spades" hooks or some of that mixed with the "Orgamastron" vibe. For me, I love Motorhead's anthems, so Kiss Of Death is a middle of the road album for me since it does head into darker territory on several tracks. Additionally, Lemmy's more recent interest with ballads has to go.
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