Artist: Motörhead
Label: Sanctuary Records
Release: 1986
According to Lemmy, 1986 will go down in the history books as the year of big events. Three are worth mentioning here: the American attack on Libya, Maradona’s famous “Hand of God” that carried Argentina to the final of the World Cup in Mexico, and, most importantly, the release of Orgasmatron, the first Motorhead album after a full three years of agonizing waiting. The funniest part is that the man wasn’t even wrong. Maradona went on to become a world champion with Argentina, and Motorhead set foot back on the path of old glory with Orgasmatron. The Americans clearly drew the shortest straw, getting slapped in the face by Gaddafi once again.
But enough of this nonsense. In ’86, Lemmy’s rabble is back. Louder and more dangerous than ever. Orgasmatron, the first real Motorhead album since the “Robbo” adventure, introduces two new faces who, true to tradition, don’t exactly look heavenly. Phillip Campbell and Wurzel make up a hard-hitting guitar combo that enriches the Motorhead sound with an extra dose of chaos and total lawlessness, last seen somewhere before the year 476, while Lemmy’s Neanderthal bass rumble dates back to the Ice Ages. Trying to give the whole thing at least a vaguely organized shape is ex-Saxon drummer Peter Gill, whose couldn’t-care-less drumming strongly recalls Philty. To be fair, you really shouldn’t expect anything else from Motorhead. From the opening Deaf Forever onward, Lemmy’s band churns out an unbearable racket that would most likely work better than plenty of pest-control products.
In many ways, Orgasmatron is a step forward, well, at least by Motorhead standards. Lemmy obviously took away a few lessons from Another Perfect Day. One of them is the realization that the man can go it alone. So Orgasmatron presents him in a much more self-assured form, next to which the old days are just a faded memory. Speaking of self-assurance, we have to mention the brutal napalm that Nothing Up My Sleeve pours straight into your ears, the genocide of the dust mites in your bed courtesy of Ain’t My Crime, and finally the castration of your entire neighborhood, a recipe prescribed by Doctor Rock. Among all these gems, the now-legendary title track remains Lemmy’s most “polite” document. If the concept of politeness even exists in his vocabulary. Judging by the lyrics of Orgasmatron, probably not! This incredibly nasty lump of rumbling is considered one of Kilmister’s finest achievements, with Lemmy playing the true poet, loaded with cynicism and black humor, settling scores without compromise with all the vermin of this world. Lending a hand with a similarly uncompromising look is Built For Speed, yet another legendary “motor” creation that, thanks to its distinctly renegade character, seems tailor-made for assorted biker adventures. This chilling beast, with its incredible destructive power, grinds to dust everything that crosses its path, and with the trademark roughness of Lemmy’s lyrics, it’s really hard to believe the guy is already forty years old.
The fantasy of rock & roll, going by the endearing name of Orgasmatron, is yet another in the line of Lemmy’s lobotomy attempts. If you make it to the end, it means the lobotomy worked perfectly, which means I’ll probably have trouble activating my own brain cells down the road too. Good thing you don’t need them for Motorhead anyway.
Lineup
Lemmy Kilmister: vocals/bass
Phillip Campbell: guitar
Wurzel: guitar
Peter Gill: drums
Production
Bill Laswell
Tracklist
1.Deaf Forever
2.Nothing Up My Sleeve
3.Ain’t My Crime
4.Claw
5.Mean Machine
6.Built For Speed
7.Ridin’ With the Driver
8.Doctor Rock
9.Orgasmatron
Album length: 48.25
