Motorizer (Motorhead)

There's not much to be said about Motorhead's most recent effort that hasn't already been said about the last few albums they have come out with. The band's performance is extremely aggressive, the songs are packed with solid hooks, and the lyrics are rife with sex and rock 'n' roll with a few political moments here and there. Thankfully, a somewhat laid back atmosphere and a few tempo changes manage to keep things interesting. . .

Runaround Man: As expected, the album starts off with an upbeat thrasher. The song features strong riffs, upbeat verses, a quickly sung chorus, a sleazy guitar solo, and a neat little breakdown before the last verse comes in. A nice rapid fire way of starting things off with fun lyrics ("Gonna get a girl and she gonna get me off").
8 out of 10

Teach You How To Sing The Blues: Another upbeat track. The introduction features a bass heavy rhythm, the verses continue with catchy vocal lines thrown in, the chorus has a more uplifting delivery, and a few wailing solos are placed here and there, and the lyrics continue to be amusing ("If you wanna get your hands on a beautiful girl/You gotta use a Mastercard").
8 out of 10

When The Eagle Screams: Now we come to the album's first mid-tempo tune. It opens with a brief and unusual sample before a heavy rhythm takes its place, the verses continue with a solid groove, the chorus brings some building drums and a catchy refrain, the solo section is dominated by some sweet bass/guitar trade-offs, and the lyrics are full of powerful war imagery ("We were given medals/But now they call us devils/And now we can't decide between the two").
8 out of 10

Rock Out: A fast thrasher in the vein of "Fight" off of the "Inferno" album. Heavy bass and strong guitar chugs dominate the introduction and verses, the pre-chorus builds up to the chanted chorus quite nicely, and the lyrics provide even more amusement ("Rock out, rock out, with your cock out/Impress your lady friends"). A little repetitive and short, but still a fairly cool tune.
7 out of 10

One Short Life: This bluesy tune comes in with crunching bass and more chugging guitars, the verses are slightly dissonant but quite interesting, the pre-chorus is a solid builder, the chorus returns to a crunchy style, and I like to think of the lyrics as being a grittier version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" ("She said always mind your manner/And don't you talk no trash/And if you hear somebody dissing you/Go over and kick his ass").
7 out of 10

Buried Alive: This song comes in right away with dissonant guitar/vocal trade-offs during the verses and the chorus is another great sing-a-long. A pretty cool tune, though not much else to say about it. . .
7 out of 10

English Rose: While the song's opening verse does come in a little awkwardly, it quickly becomes a highlight once it gets going. The verses provide an upbeat chug, the pre-chorus is another great builder, and the chorus features an infectious refrain in the vein of "Christine" off of "Kiss Of Death". It's definitely fascinating to still hear Lemmy sing about naughty schoolgirls after all these years. . .
8 out of 10

Back On The Chain: Bright riffs lead into another bass heavy mid-tempo chug, the verses continue with lower vocals, and the chorus gives the listener a decent refrain. Probably one of the weaker songs on the album.
7 out of 10

Heroes: Perhaps the most unique track on the album. It comes in with dramatically crashing chords and a steady drum beat during the introduction, the verses continue with more toned down riffs, the pre-chorus brings in an odd delivery, the chorus is another uplifting work, and the lyrics bring in more war imagery ("Do you understand how you became a fighting man/You must be hard as nails/And kill with sword and hand"), and the solo sections provides a few twists and turns. A pretty interesting track.
8 out of 10

Time Is Right: An upbeat drum beat leads into an equally energetic set of verses and the chorus provides a decent refrain. Another one of the lesser tracks on the album, but still a cool track.
7 out of 10

The Thousand Names of God: The album's closer comes in with another set of chugging riffs during the introduction, the verses continue with solid vocal lines thrown into the mix, the pre-chorus leads into a big chorus quite nicely, and a few guitar squeals are added in to great effect. A pretty solid closer.
7 out of 10

Overall, this album gets 82 out of 110, 75%, and 3.5 stars. I think the quality of Motorhead's material may be declining in recent years, but this album still packs a punch and provides some enjoyable tunes. Then again, I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a bad Motorhead album. . .