Album Review: Motörhead – Kiss of Death
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Motörhead ’s eighteenth album, Kiss of Death, turns twenty this year and BMG have decided to mark the occasion with a new anniversary edition. Being issued on a double vinyl and double CD, the new master is taken from the original tapes, with fresh liner notes and an acknowledgement of the recently passed, Phil Campbell’s, contribution to the Motörhead phenomenon. The CD also includes three bonus tracks, and both editions include a second disc featuring the full performance at Holland’s Lowlands Festival from 2007.
As with the previous album, Inferno, Kiss of Death was produced by Cameron Webb and is in many ways continuation of the that record’s heavy sound, it garnered a generally positive reception from critics across the board. Strangely, Kiss of Death is mentioned only once in passing in the revised edition of Lemmy’s autobiography, White Line Fever (Simon & Schuster: London, 2016) in reference to its success in the German charts.
To the casual Motörhead listener, it is business as usual from the outset, with the screaming guitars and blistering pace of Sucker; Lemmy’s vocals are sufficiently snarling, and this driving tune sketches out some classic ‘Head heavy rock. Trigger matches in tempo as its speedster riffs bully the track along; closing tune, Going Down is a rapid run-through countless references to the band’s past and makes a fun drinking game.
To the more intense listener, you know Motörhead have always been more than the speed machine some would assert. Lemmy openly insisted the band took its influences from old school Rock & Roll, which comes through on the bluesy swing of One Night Stand, the Fifties feel of Christine and the sharp riffage throughout Devil I Know, notable for Mikkey Dee’s pre-chorus drum fill.
But that’s only half of Kiss of Death’s story. Alice in Chains / Ozzy bassist, Mike Inez, lends additional weight to Under the Gun’s relaxed tempo and outlaw attitude, Sword of Glory turns its attention to the theatre of war, going for a more punk styling as it does, and Be My Baby shows the band can modernise their sound without losing its core dynamism.
The only single issued from this record was Kingdom of the Worm, a monstrous, grooving, sludgy piece that threatens to overwhelm in the same way Nightmare/ Dreamtime did from 1916. Living in the Past is built from dark riffs and ominous vocals, proving – should proof be needed- Motörhead were always far more nuanced than the mainstream may have you believe.
Sitting central on Kiss of Death is God Was Never on Your Side, a doomy consideration of the nature of the world and of that other Motörhead fascination: Religion. Lyrically phrased in a cause-and-effect reflection on the nature of God, and the relationship He has with the people who claim to speak for Him, this one is up there with 1916 itself for poignancy and pathos. Poison’s CC Deville provides a guest solo and former Pennywise and Ignite singer, Zoltán Téglás, adds backing vocals.
Some additions featured alternate bonus tracks when Kiss of Death was issued back in 2006, and those are both included here: R.A.M.O.N.E.S. from 1991’s 1916 album, rerecorded in 2006, and Motörhead ’s cover of Metallica’s Whiplash, only available on the SPV limited edition CD digipack. For good measure, they’ve also included a live version of R.A.M.O.N.E.S. unavailable elsewhere.
Disc two is a dozen live tracks from the 2007 Lowlands Festival in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands, which have not previously been available. No Motörhead show could be complete without the likes of Stay Clean, Metropolis, Killed By Death and the obligatory Ace of Spades, but there’s also a rare outing for Another Perfect Day’s I Got Mine and 1916’s manic Going to Brazil.
As this was recorded during the Kiss of Death touring cycle, we have renditions of Be My Baby and One Night Stand, as well as Killers and In the Name of Tragedy, both from Inferno, and all four fitting in among the older, more establish live favourites. There’s even the opportunity to hear rarities Snaggletooth and Over the Top being dusted off and having an airing. As would be expected, the band is tight and focused. Lemmy entertains and is at his self-deprecating best, particularly when introducing I Got Mine from 1983, “Before you lot were born.”
Kiss of Death feels like one of Motörhead ’s records that came and went. Little remained in the live set for long, with perhaps the exception of One Night Stand. Which is a shame as Kiss of Death, like those other overlooked Motörhead records, has much to offer, whether you’re after balls-out blasts, bluesy rock & roll, ominous terror, or just want to sit and ponder the nature of God Himself, it’s all here.
It’s a great opportunity to revisit a hidden gem from one of rock’s greatest bands; and to fill that gap in your collection if, for some reason, it’s missing.
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