Motörhead
1916

THE REVIEW

I never thought that a band like Motorhead and especially its singer, Lemmy Kilmister, could make me shiver with emotion with one of their songs. Until now, I considered Motorhead a powerful, raw band with no frills. Dedicated to Heavy Metal until death, with its "Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll" themes, I never imagined they could reach such a poetic peak.

I never imagined, however, I could listen to a song written by the mustachioed singer-bassist so dense and full of pathos and meaning. An emotion that is hardly describable; if I had to use words, I would say: chilling.

Chilling. I felt my blood run cold when I listened to "1916", the title track of the ninth album produced by the quartet Lemmy, Phil "Animal" Taylor, Phil Campbell, and Wurzel. I started listening to this album from the end, with this song so far from the Motorhead style in sound. The track is performed with only the presence of Lemmy's voice, accompanied by a violin, percussion, and an electric keyboard. All of it, musically, gives the impression of hearing a funeral march Old West style. This march is the perfect accompaniment for the lyrics, which deal with the massacres of the First World War. A tragedy recounted through the eyes of a sixteen-year-old soldier, who describes with raw atrocity the life in the trenches and who will perish in battle alongside a comrade. Those who have read the poem "Soldati" by Ungaretti can well imagine the terrible scenario experienced by the combatants of the "Great War."

The entire album proves to be well-executed and with the usual Motorhead drive: perfect tracks for Heavy Metal, as the band has accustomed us to in their long career. It begins with the single taken from the LP: "The One To Sing The Blues", a song that advances like an armored vehicle and pierces through the speakers of your stereo, dominated by Campbell's guitar distortion; just enough time to move on and immediately pick up the pace with "I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care)", "No Voices In The Sky", and "Make My Day". Damn, they are Motorhead, after all.

"Going To Brazil" is a perfect Heavy 'N' Roll track, then the fun time ends (what fun, though!) and transitions to “dreamy” atmospheres with "Nightmare/The Dreamtime" and the power ballad "Love Me Forever", showcasing the sweet side of Lemmy & Co., especially a Campbell in great form.

Even though they do it well, Motorhead can't stick to slow rhythms and start running again first with a tribute to the best Punk Rock band in history: the Ramones, praised in the track "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." and, finally, with "Shut Your Gun".

Finally, the requiem: stop fooling around, sit down, listen to the march of "1916", reflect on the barbarities of War and say no to every conflict (and this is neither simple rhetoric nor banal moralism).