Motörhead
The World Is Yours
Producer Cameron Webb
Future PLC/Motörhead Music
Release date: January 17 (UK) | February 8 (U.S.) 2011

In 1975 Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister was fired from British space-rock group Hawkwind. He wasted no time in getting back on the music horse and quickly formed a new three-piece band which almost as a direct opposite to Hawkwind was loud, fast, and if it moved in next door to you ‘your lawn would die’. Lemmy continued to play the bass (despite having no experience when he joined Hawkwind four years earlier) and a suitable name was chosen. Sadly Lemmy was persuaded against calling his new band Bastard and changed it to the infinitely superior Motörhead.

An incredible 36 years later Motörhead is still going and continues to record new albums at an admirable rate. The World Is Yours is Motörhead’s 20th studio album and sounds as fresh as the first.

The great thing about a Motörhead album is that you know exactly what you’re going to get. I mean this as a compliment, indeed it is what keeps me coming back to Motörhead albums. Tracks “I Know What You Need,” “Devils In My Head,” and “Brotherhood of Man” could only be Motörhead songs: heavy, but simple driving riffs, shudderingly hard drums, and Lemmy’s inimitable throaty growl. Lemmy shows off his early rock ‘n’ roll influences (with a heavy twist) on tracks “Rock N Roll Music” and album closer “Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye.”

Motörhead has been a conveyor belt of rock musicians, all ready to back up Lemmy’s incredible talent. But this is the most settled the band has ever been. Phil Campbell has been lead guitarist since 1984 and Mikkey Dee has been pounding on the drums since 1992. This solid foundation is what makes The World Is Yours a great rock album. Lemmy, Campbell, and Dee have all settled into the rhythms of Motörhead and can now produce exactly what us Motörhead fans want. Throughout the album Mikkey Dee’s drumming is a constant driving force that is so prominent it feels more than just keeping time. By now Phil Campbell can probably write the best rock riffs you’ve ever heard in his sleep, and here he backs up my ridiculous statement, particularly on “Waiting For The Snake.”

Motörhead have not tried to live off earlier successes, they have and do constantly make great new rock music. This, Motörhead’s 20th album, is not the sound of a band slowing down or churning out a Motörhead ‘sound’, this is proof of a band with a certain formula but not afraid to try new things. I can’t think of any other band that sounds as fresh as this on its 20th album. I hope this Motör keeps running.