Motörhead – “Bad Magic” [Album Review]

Bad Magic is the latest release from rock/metal stalwarts and mainstays, Motörhead. This is the band’s 22nd album and, if you have followed their career at all, you know more or less what a Motörhead album is going to sound like. Lemmy doesn’t reinvent the wheel and really makes no attempt to do so; he doesn’t have to, he just writes his unique blend of signature thrashy hard rock that appeals to millions of bangers around the world. I might piss a few people off here, so let me first say I am a fan of the band, but I just feel that over the years, at least for me, their releases have been sort of hit or miss.

They are predictable to a fault, which I feel can be a blessing and a curse. When they are firing on all cylinders as they were on albums like, Aftershock, Ace Of Spades, Orgasmatron and a few others, there is nothing like it… you just want to throw your hands in the air and snap your neck with reckless abandon. Unfortunately predictability has a downside which, in this case, is the danger of becoming bland.

For the most part Bad Magic is a decent offering that will satisfy the band’s hardcore fans, but as is so often the case, Lemmy and company do not really push the limits or step things up. Ultimately I was left wanting something more… more urgency, more variety, just something more. Is this a bad record? Absolutely not, but it really did nothing to get my blood flowing either. Except for a really cool cover of the Rolling Stones’ song “Sympathy For The Devil,” there is nothing that sticks out as being particularly memorable.

Track Listing:

01. Victory Or Die
02. Thunder & Lightening
03. Fire Storm Hotel
04. Shoot Out All of Your Lights
05. The Devil
06. Electricity
07. Evil Eye
08. Teach Them How To Bleed
09. Till The End
10. Tell Me Who To Kill
11. Choking On Your Screams
12. When The Sky Comes Looking For You
13. Sympathy For The Devil (Rolling Stones cover)

Run Time: 42:57
Release Date: August 28, 2015

Check out the song “Victory Or Die” here.