Motörhead
Ace of Spades

THE REVIEW

The world of Rock between the Seventies and Eighties is undergoing profound transformation processes: on one hand, we have the explosion of genres like Pop, Disco, and especially New Wave, which will revolutionize the "guitar-driven" way of conceiving music up to that moment; on the other hand, there is the rampant spread of the Punk movement (which later evolved in the USA into Punk/Rock).

As a result, two important effects emerge: the major Rock bands that were dominant until then, such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, and The Rolling Stones, experience a significant decline, progressively losing importance, and new bands are created working in the groove of the emerging Punk movement and the so-called "Heavy Metal," which had been becoming self-aware since the mid-Seventies.
From this blend of seemingly different genres, but which ideally shared a substantial rediscovery (in a much harsher key) of those musical canons that distinguished the glorious Rock'N'Roll of Chuck Berry, Elvis, Gene Vincent and company, a new way of doing Rock is created, primarily embraced by the umpteenth "Power Trio" destined to write a large part of the history of world Hard Rock up to 2015 (the year of its dissolution), the famous Motörhead.

Born in 1975 thanks to the insights of the brilliant yet picturesque Ian Fraser Kilmister (later renamed "Lemmy," dressed in a highly original manner as a Confederate soldier from the times of the American Civil War) alongside the excellent guitarist Eddie "Fast Eddie" Clarke and the underrated drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, all proudly of British origin, they have a quiet start in recording to then take off in the year of grace 1979 with the release of two authentic "milestones" like Overkill and Bomber, both produced by former Stones producer Jimmy Miller.

But the true consecration for the trio comes immediately the following year with the release of this legendary album produced by Vic Maille, which will lead them to their (deserved) worldwide success: I'm obviously talking about Ace Of Spades. Like an authentic steamroller, the three (who, on the album's stunning cover, are dressed as authentic Mexican "Gringos") churn out note after note, in the rhythm of Hard Rock, Blues, and a hint of Punk, starting with the compelling title-track "Ace Of Spades" which in less than 3 minutes reveals not only Lemmy's strong predilection for gambling in all respects (with the easily double entendre Ace Of Spades), but condenses utterly overwhelming sounds.

However, if you think that after such a lightning start the infernal engine of the trio might at least slow down, you're only deluding yourself: the following "Love Me Like A Reptile," with Taylor on drums masterfully reproducing the sounds of a real rattlesnake, indeed delivers emotions galore in almost 3 minutes along with a screaming double solo from a very on-fire "Fast Eddie."

The excellent "Shoot You In The Back" reveals, instead, Lemmy's passion for the good old Western movies of the past, and the following "Live To Win" is another nice Hard Rock punch directly to the listener's stomach who by now seems to have finally gotten acquainted with the band's solid and direct sound.

"Fast And Loose" is another fast and incisive track, followed by "(We Are) The Road Crew" in which Lemmy himself betrays another of his greatest passions, that of the strictly "on the road" life, where good Clarke showcases another couple of solos from his Fender Stratocaster, as commendable as they are cutting like a razor's very sharp blade.
"Fire Fire" and "Jailbait" are two more devastating tracks where Hard Rock and Punk blend in a really fitting mix, while "Dance" is a beautiful Rock'N'Roll flavored track which undoubtedly represents one of the absolute peaks of the album.

The equally fast "Bite The Bullet" then paves the way to what I believe is the album's highest point "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch," characterized by sounds very close to AC/DC with a Clarke once again confirmed in a state of grace, not only embellishing the song with ruthless riffs but also adding his cherry on top with another couple of high-quality solos, almost as if a certain Angus Young himself were playing them.

The extremely fast yet very fun "The Hammer," with its overtly Punk/Rock style, effectively closes the circle on this masterpiece of an album which represents, without fear of contradiction, the absolute creative peak of this group which, while remaining true to itself in the decades to come (despite various lineup changes but always with the iconic Lemmy at the center), would never be nearly matched by any subsequent work.