Motörhead
Hellraiser: Best of the Epic Years

THE REVIEW

Hello, this is my first review, and I would like to talk about my favorite band, namely Motörhead. Released in 2003 under the Epic label, Hellraiser is a collection of tracks mainly taken from Motörhead's early '90s albums, namely "1916", released in 1991, and "March or Die" from 1992. From the late '80s to 1992, the lineup of this group was subject to changes. In fact, in 1987, there was already the arrival of two new guitarists, Phil Campbell and Würzel, and then, in 1992, the band faced the definitive farewell of "Philty Animal" Taylor, who was fired because he had not learned his drum part in the song "I Ain't No Nice Guy" (although, in truth, the two guitarists complained about the slowness of his drum transitions) and was replaced by the Swede Mikkey Dee.

The album opens with the song "The One To Sing the Blues", which features a majestic, imposing drum opener, but still very similar to the already known one in "Overkill"; the song is marked by a hard and powerful riff, and it features a good solo that beautifully concludes the song. Following it is "Shut You Down", a song different from the first one, as it is very fast, in pure Rock n' Roll style that characterizes Motörhead.

Then, we arrive at "I Ain't No Nice Guy", a duet between Lemmy and Ozzy Osbourne. The track begins with an acoustic part that ends around two minutes, where a distorted part arrives. At the end of the song, the acoustic guitar returns. Perhaps the only flaw I found is the short length of the distorted part. However, Lemmy managed to achieve what he desired, and he was able to harmonize with Ozzy. A small trace left by Ozzy Osbourne can also be found in the following track, the title track of the collection: "Hellraiser". The song was made in 1992 by Lemmy as a cover for the former leader of Black Sabbath and his friend. The song is still very famous today, made great by the famous Osbourne. Lemmy's voice in this song appears younger, and the solo is (in my opinion) among the best done by Motörhead, also because it is very similar to Zakk Wylde's solo in "Hellraiser" by the Ozzy Osbourne Band.

The fifth track "Asylum Choir" is quite fast, and the following track, "Bad Religion", has a slower riff than the previous song, although this last one is barely acceptable, not at the level Motörhead has accustomed us to. "Eagle Rock" is a new song that features the group's classic style: fast and crashing riff and a medium-long solo in the terminal part of the song.

"You Better Run" is a somewhat boring song, very slow. This song still has the air of being Kilmister's experiment in imitating the blues genre. Undoubtedly, an experiment that I think failed, given the repetitive nature of the unpleasantly tedious track. "Cat Scratch Fever" is on higher levels, with a nice Motörhead-style riff. Lemmy's voice here appears slightly darker than usual.

"March Or Die" did not impress me: the group wanted to convey the sensation of a military march, pairing the presence of a keyboardist, whose instrument's sound covers Phil Campbell's guitar and Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister's Rickenbacker bass. This song instills a state of fear and unease, but, most likely, that was Lemmy's intention when he created the track. Again, the singer's voice is very dark.

The next song is "Angel City", a very fast song, with a small surprise at the end; the track closes in "diminuendo" with the presence of keyboard parts.

Then comes "1916", in which Lemmy wanted to recall with a keyboard sonata the massacres of the First World War, with weapons he himself collects, also introducing violin inserts. The song constitutes a pleasant moment of relaxation and invites reflection on the massacres of the First World War where many people died.

"Make My Day" and "Going To Brazil", at first listen, seem very similar to each other. Listening to the two tracks more carefully, we can notice that in "Going To Brazil" it is characterized by the presence of solos in the purely instrumental parts, where there is no Kilmister's voice. In this song, it is also very easy to notice the phrasing between the two guitarists: Campbell and Würzel.

"Dead Man's Hand" is another new track, very similar to "Eagle Rock": the execution speed is always the same, but Lemmy's singing did not convince me; it seems very forced and less catchy than usual, and the final part where the speed changes and the song becomes slow.

The last song of the album is "Ramones", a tribute to the homonymous American Punk Rock band. The song is a cover, very short: indeed, it lasts only one minute and twenty seconds, just like the one made famous by the Ramones. The lyrics are like an anthem, where the chorus repeats the group's name, clearly spelling the letters that make up the name of the American punk band (R-A-M-O-N-E-S R-A-M-O-N-E-S Ramones!)

Motörhead have been famous since their debut for their style: powerful and majestic openings, heavy and aggressive riffs, very fast and oppressive drums, long and catchy solos. This CD is like an exception to the rule: a collection with a more Hard Rock imprint than usual, where the frontman wanted to try a new genre for him, abandoning metal sounds at least for these two albums. For some, "1916" and "March or Die" are Motörhead's best albums, but evidently, these people have never listened to higher calibre albums like "Overkill", "Orgasmatron", and "Iron Fist".