Motörhead - Aftershock review
| Band: | Motörhead |
| Album: | Aftershock |
| Style: | Heavy metal |
| Release date: | October 21, 2013 |
| A review by: | ScreamingSteelUS |
Disc I
01. Heartbreaker
02. Coup De Grace
03. Lost Woman Blues
04. End Of Time
05. Do You Believe
06. Death Machine
07. Dust And Glass
08. Going To Mexico
09. Silence When You Speak To Me
10. Crying Shame
11. Queen Of The Damned
12. Knife
13. Keep Your Powder Dry
14. Paralyzed
Disc II [Best Of The West Coast Tour 2014, Live CD] [Tour Edition bonus]
01. Damage Case [live]
02. Stay Clean [live]
03. I Know How To Die [live]
04. Metropolis [live]
05. Over The Top [live]
06. The Chase Is Better Than The Catch [live]
07. Rock It [live]
08. Lost Woman Blues [live]
09. Doctor Rock [live]
10. Just 'Cos You Got The Power [live]
11. Going To Brazil [live]
12. Killed By Death [live]
13. Ace Of Spades [live]
14. Overkill [live]
It's Motörhead, folks, you know the drill. There are only so many ways in which Motörhead can make a record and there are only so many ways in which you can remark upon the fact that Motörhead makes predictable records. We all know what to expect.
At this point, the reviews are beginning to sound just like the albums: same old thing, time after time. Do not misconstrue this as a complaint though; Aftershock is a solid album. Motörhead is the type of band that, if all else fails, can always be relied upon to be loud, abrasive, and worth a listen. So what if hearing one album is the same as hearing most of them? These guys have no pretensions about what they offer and they always deliver on their promise.
Lemmy sure is sounding old these days, but you could have said the same thing in 1980. In the intervening three decades his voice has simply gone from "8,000 packs of cigarettes a day" to "slightly older 8,000 packs of cigarettes a day." He might be a senior citizen now but he still packs his signature punch. The important thing is that his recent health scares do not seem to have impaired his musical abilities. Maybe a little bit of the energy has gone out, but the band remains rocky and rolly as ever.
As usual Aftershock is an entertaining collection of speedy rock and roll, slow blues, and blistering heavy metal. "Heartbreaker," one of the first songs released, is probably the best song on the album. Other standouts include the plodding and Black Sabbath-y "Lost Woman Blues" and the mid-paced crusher "Death Machine." I happen to really enjoy "Silence When You Speak To Me" as well, but in the end it's all the same anyway. At least the repetition is not sickening, as it can be with other bands that take this approach. The music may be formulaic, but it isn't boring. Lemmy always retains the flame of raw energy that has kept the band going for all these years, and while it might flicker or wane at times it never goes out.
Aftershock is a good album. It is a perfectly average Motörhead album and that is perfectly fine. This is their biennial reminder that they are still Motörhead, still doing Motörhead things, and still playing Motörhead songs as usual. If you have a few extra bucks, pick it up. Aftershock is nothing groundbreaking, but still a quality release.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 5 |
| Production: | 9 |
 | Written on 20.10.2013 by I'm the reviewer, and that means my opinion is correct. |
Comments
Comments: 22
Visited by: 382 users
| NorthernDickhead Posts: 220  |
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| ScreamingSteelUS Editor-in-Chief Admin Posts: 5927  |
There is nothing "wrong," per se, it's just that Motörhead don't exactly push their own boundaries. They have been making the same album for years now, but it's a good album, so it isn't a terribly great problem.
---- "Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader I'm the Agent of Steel.
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| TheMAGAmvm Soycrusher Posts: 1086  |
The only thing that can make Motorhead good even though they release the same old formula, is the song-writing. Expecting originality from them is like expecting Cannibal Corpse to something else other than their own signature death metal sound.
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 9158  |
Written by NorthernDickhead on 20.10.2013 at 10:03 The fact that Motörhead has been releasing the same album for over 25 years. Seriously though, I don't know how you gave it an eight, all they do is regurgitate album after album.
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| Lit. Account deleted |
Lit.
Account deleted Written by Boxcar Willy on 20.10.2013 at 17:55 So do Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Sodom, AC/DC, Deicide, Overkill, Running Wild, Rush, Slayer, Testament, Deep Purple, Entombed, Amon Amarth... etc. Need I go on? And we already know that Motorhead (or even Aftershock) is already better than half the albums or half the bands I just mentioned. The point is: If it's better in quality than The World Is Yours, than that's all I need. If it ain't broke, why fix it?
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| NorthernDickhead Posts: 220 |
Written by [user id=101272] on 20.10.2013 at 18:02 Who think that In Flames release always same album? I haven't heard any Motörhead album,but their ratings are pretty high. If they release same album year by year,and albums are good,don't need to mutate... 
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469  |
Written by [user id=101272] on 20.10.2013 at 18:02 I would say ALMOST (not all) old bands reach a point when they basically release the same album over and over with pretty much zero originality. It's especially true for old classic Heavy Metal bands.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Uldreth Posts: 1150 |
Written by [user id=101272] on 20.10.2013 at 18:02 Assuming what you say is true, it is besides the point. The originality rating in the review judges originality, not the "goodness" of the album. That is the final rating. So even if this is a good album (which I don't know, I don't intend to check this out) if it does sound like everything else they did in the last 25 years then that rating should definitely take a massive dive.
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7566  |
I don't why but subconsciously i think "Aftershock" will get the same reactions when "World Painted Blood" dropped back in 09.
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| 3rdWorld China was a neat Posts: 4367  |
Originality is overrated. I like this album btw.
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718  |
Written by Boxcar Willy on 20.10.2013 at 17:55 Inferno and Kiss Of Death showed Motorhead branching out without dropping the signature Motorhead sound, that was the best two-album run they had since the "classic" days. Looking at their catalogue, you'll see they go through a cycle of quality to their albums, despite sounding alike. They've been on sort of a down cycle for the past two albums, but the hope of hearing something along the lines of Inferno always keeps me interested. So I wouldn't exactly say they regurgitate the same thing album after album. That being said, the last 2 albums left me a little unexcited about this one. @ScreamingSteelUS: How does this compare to "The World Is Yours"? Because I was thoroughly bored with that one right off the bat, but other people were of the opinion it was another solid Motorhead release...
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| M C Vice ex-polydactyl Posts: 3408  |
Lemmy sounding old? Lemmy sounded old when he was three. Agree with the originality thing (haven't got this one yet though). Only two Motorhead albums don't sound like the others.
---- "I'm here to nunchuck and not wear helmets. And I'm all out of helmets." "I'll fight you on one condition. That you lower your nipples." " 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7566 |
It's a good record, not brilliant enough to get more than 8. I'd find couple of tracks("Queen of the damned" "Crying Shame" "Going To Mexico") appealing and very fresh. best track "Paralyzed".
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| ScreamingSteelUS Editor-in-Chief Admin Posts: 5927 |
Written by Doc G. on 21.10.2013 at 20:51 "Aftershock" is a step up, at least. I enjoyed "The World Is Yours," but it was pretty generic even by Motörhead standards. "Aftershock" is still fairly generic, but it has more standout material and as a general rule is of a better quality, I think.
---- "Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader I'm the Agent of Steel.
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| Angelic Storm Melodious Posts: 6675  |
"Aftershock" is definitely a better album than "The World Is Yours", which a couple of tracks aside, was a dull and lifeless album. There's nothing groundbreaking on "Aftershock" no, but seeing as there's zero originality in at least 95% of the metal/rock that's being pedalled today, it's not something I'd hold against the band. True originality in music is becoming rarer and rarer as time is progressing, as it's more difficult than ever before to be truly original in today's musical climate. "The World Is Yours" was one of Motorhead's worst albums, whereas this new one neither stands out as one of the band's best or worst albums. The best thing about "Aftershock" is there is not a bad song to be found on it, not once did I feel like skipping a song as I listened, so it's a very consistent, and enjoyable album all the way through.
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469 |
Written by Angelic Storm on 23.10.2013 at 21:06 It is nearly impossible to be really original today, as far as Metal music goes. Even in more 'evolved' genres (sorry to use this word for lack of a better one, it's not an elitist attitude on my part and I don't want to imply that genres like Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash, Powermetal etc are superior to Heavy Metal or Rock music in general), where there is often more complexity in structures, tempos, technicality so, Imo, more room for experimentation and variation, pretty much everything has been tried and done already. Many things have been done countless times already in more extreme Metal genres and those genres struggle to bring any originality and renew themselves. And I believe it will not improve but only get worse, as far as originality goes. And this is why I think originality is greatly overrated these days. As far as an album fits my tastes very well, as long as I find the music enjoyable, I don't care if it's original or not. What I dislike in general in Metal is when it is over-simplistic. I might be wrong to do that but I consider simplicity and easy-to-play music as an indication of a certain level of mediocrity in some cases. But even that has its own limits. Sometimes, I can enjoy simple music even if my tastes lean more towards something a bit more complex and sometimes I find very technical stuff utterly boring. So, while I believe that more complex song structures, variations in tempo, technicality and experimentation all can help to create interesting and enjoyable music, they're not an insurance of quality and should not be seen as the end of it all. I think the key resides in well-composed songs that can give you a feeling of 'escaping reality' and provide genuine emotion to the listener, no matter the level of complexity. For me, a certain level of complexity usually helps me feeling involved in the music and helps keeping my attention and interest. I guess for other people, simplicity can help to achieve the same. Imo, music doesn't need to be original, as long as it fits your own tastes and gives you enjoyment. P.S. I hope this post is not confusing. I did my best but explaining all this in a way that I hope is clear was not easy.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| CrossIv Posts: 2 |
I like this "lack of originality".. i found it interesting because they dont need to change that much for being loved. I'm in love with Motörhead and the way it sounds in every album.  
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| Dani5050 Posts: 76  |
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| theFIST Posts: 1074  |
Written by CrossIv on 27.10.2013 at 22:15 there are few bands for which that statement is as true as for Motörhead
---- http://metalstormmusicianscorner.bandcamp.com Written by Warman on 07.11.2007 at 22:39
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| NikolaFranquelli Account deleted |
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| Darth Revan Posts: 147 |
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| Timelord Posts: 276  |
Bands that have managed to achieve longevity can take 1 of 2 paths: Continue to release albums every few years running the creativity well dry to the point where it all starts sounding the same(tired forced generic metal). Even for the best it is extremely difficult to write even average songs for that long a period. The second way is to take an extended break giving the batteries time to charge up fully. Writing comes from life experiences and if you don't allow any time between then everything becomes stale. Exodus: Tempo of the Damned,Immortal:All Shall Fall are good examples. Money Grabs like Black Sabbath:13 (the title and the fact Bill Ward was smart enough to see it as just that) or any Kiss release excluded. In today's market of endless festivals vs lack of normal touring. Releasing 2-3 new songs that could make into the setlist without losing fan favorites would be ideal. To many albums of any band can result in deliberate style or "experimental" changes (Kreator,Megadeth) fans reject and make them not so keen to buy any future releases.
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