Motörhead
1916

THE REVIEW

There are those who say that for years Motörhead have been making the same songs over and over again without ever changing. Some see it as a merit, others as a flaw, but in any case, they are wrong: there was a period, at the beginning of the '90s, when even Motörhead tried to make "variations on the theme." A period marked by the release of albums like March ör Die or, in fact, 1916.

The album opens (and this may seem like a contradiction to you) with two typical tracks: "The One to Sing the Blues" and "I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care)", two powerful and rhythmic speed metal pieces, as only Lemmy and crew can play. Then we move on to "No Voices in the Sky", where the rough singing blends perfectly with an unusual melody for the English group. Next is "Going to Brazil", which, despite being closer to the "Motörhead standard," holds some surprises. We then return to decidedly valid melodic pieces: "Nightmare/The Dreamtime" (a gloomy and frightening piece that could easily be the soundtrack for the best horror films) and the poignant "Love Me Forever", followed by two other typical tracks like "Angel City" and "Make My Day" and by "Ramones", Lemmy's tribute to the quintessential punk band. The journey resumes with another usual piece for the group, "Shut You Down" and concludes with the title track, a slow, melodic, and romantic piece where Lemmy tells us about the horrors of war, accompanied by a backdrop of string instruments.

Unfortunately, this change in register (even more marked in the subsequent "March ör Die") was not rewarded by the fans of the resilient band, who subsequently had to retrace their steps. But albums like this excellent "1916" remain, as a testament that Motörhead are true, sincere, and complete musicians.