Hammered

• Music

Amazon.co.uk Motorhead should really be over. Late 70s hardcore pioneers, their sound has been entirely superseded by several generations of rockers. Yet somehow, over a quarter of a century since their inception, they still seem to matter. And Hammered matters, despite some desperately poor moments. The opening "Walk a Crooked Mile" is utterly wretched. Lyrically soft, musically bog-standard, with a miserable attempt at melody, and further burdened by a weakly flashy guitar solo, it's possibly Motorhead's worst ever. "Down the Line" isn't much better, nor is "Brave New World", despite opening with a drum attack recalling Phil Taylor. Indeed, the album doesn't really get going till track six, "Shut Your Mouth", when suddenly urgency enters Lemmy's vocal, continuing on into "Kill the World", featuring an appropriately cruel riff and a typically explosive chorus ("You got to move / Momma didn't raise no fools"). There's an excellent conclusion too. "Red Raw" possesses a bassline of "Ace of Spades" ferocity, while "Serial Killer" sees Lemmy recite a Poe/Clive Barker-influenced poem, with a little help from wrestling star Triple H. Hammered's main problems are inconsistent songwriting and guitarist Phil Campbell's failure to match the wailing wildness of Fast Eddie Clarke. He will have to try harder, or Motorhead won't matter for much longer. --Dominic Wills