¦----¦ ------¦ The Motorhead legend roars on in 2004 ¦----- --------- ----------------- with the release of the new studio album ------- --- ------------- 'Inferno' on June 22 on Metal-Is Records, ------- ------- --- a division of the Sanctuary Records --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- Group. It's the first album of new, --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ skin-peeling material from ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- vocalist/bassist Lemmy, guitarist ---- ------- ---------- Philip Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee ---------- ----- since 2002's 'Hammered' and it's the -------- - - ----- ¦--- first Motorhead release since last ---¦ ----- --¦ - ------ -----¦ year's critically acclaimed, five-disc, ¦----- --------- ¦---¦------- career-spanning box set 'Stone Deaf ------- --- - ----------- Forever!' ------- ------------- --- --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- Guitar legend Steve Vai makes a guest --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ appearance on two tracks. ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- ---- ------- ---------- 'Inferno' is an appropriate title for ------------- --- ----- Motorhead's latest skull-grinding, -----¦ ------ --------- ¦--- internal-organ-liquefying album. The 12 ---¦ ¦¦ ¦---- ¦----¦ ------¦ tracks are: "Terminal Show," "Killers," ¦----- --------- ----------------- "In the Name of Tragedy," "Suicide," ------- --- ------------- "Life's a Bitch," "Down on Me," "In the ------- ------- --- Black," "Fight," "In the Year of the --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- Wolf," "Keys to the Kingdom," "Smiling --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ Like a Killer" and "Whorehouse Blues." ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- ---- ------- ---------- "This album is real musicians playing ---------- ----- real music. There were no rules," Lemmy -------- - - ----- ¦--- says. ---¦ ----- --¦ - ------ -----¦ ¦----- --------- ¦---¦------- It's not easy for the hard-living, ------- --- - ----------- fun-loving rock icon to pick out favorites ------- ------------- --- on 'Inferno.' Every song is special and --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- important. --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- "Music is very personal. It's just like ---- ------- ---------- sex in that way," says Lemmy. ------------- --- ----- -----¦ ------ --------- ¦--- Vai's blazing guitar performances on ---¦ ¦¦ ¦---- ¦----¦ ------¦ "Terminal Show" and "Down on Me" were ¦----- --------- ----------------- the result of a casual social encounter ------- --- ------------- with Lemmy at the famous Rainbow Bar & ------- ------- --- Grill in Hollywood. --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ "I was going in and he was coming out ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- and we ran into each other. I told him ---- ------- ---------- we were recording and invited him down ---------- ----- to sit in. He took me up on the offer," -------- - - ----- ¦--- Lemmy says. ---¦ ----- --¦ - ------ -----¦ ¦----- --------- ¦---¦------- Motorhead has a distinctive musical ------- --- - ----------- style -- nobody grinds out a furious rock ------- ------------- --- 'n' roll hybrid of heavy metal and punk --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- like this band. But Lemmy always has a --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ few tricks up his sleeve, and ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- Motorhead albums tend to have a song or ---- ------- ---------- two that veer away from their trademark ------------- --- ----- sound. On 'Inferno' the honor belongs to -----¦ ------ --------- ¦--- the slinky "Whorehouse Blues," ---¦ ¦¦ ¦---- ¦----¦ ------¦ appropriately drenched in bluesy ¦----- --------- ----------------- acoustic guitar and harmonica. ------- --- ------------- ------- ------- --- "I like to surprise people," says Lemmy. --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ Motorhead's colorful history is well ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- known. Lemmy -- born Ian Kilmister -- ---- ------- ---------- was a former roadie for Jimi Hendrix and ---------- ----- eventually joined the space-rock band -------- - - ----- ¦--- Hawkwind. Lemmy wrote and sang ---¦ ----- --¦ - ------ -----¦ Hawkwind's big 1972 U.K. hit "Silver ¦----- --------- ¦---¦------- Machine." Upon exiting Hawkwind after ------- --- - ----------- four years, he formed Motorhead in 1975, ------- ------------- --- naming the group after the last song he --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- wrote for Hawkwind. Motorhead's --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ aggressive, uncompromising, balls-out ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- musical style (and personal lifestyle ---- ------- ---------- philosophy) shook the music world. Let's ------------- --- ----- be blunt here: Motorhead invented speed -----¦ ------ --------- ¦--- metal. But the great thing about ---¦ ¦¦ ¦---- ¦----¦ ------¦ Motorhead is that they appealed to both ¦----- --------- ----------------- punks and head-banging metalheads. ------- --- ------------- ------- ------- --- "We sounded like punk but looked like --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- metal. I always felt we were more punk --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ than metal anyway. I call it rock 'n' ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- roll, but if I had to go down one side ---- ------- ---------- or the other I'd say we had more in ---------- ----- common with punk than we have in common -------- - - ----- ¦--- with heavy metal. We came out at the ---¦ ----- --¦ - ------ -----¦ same time as the punks," Lemmy says. ¦----- --------- ¦---¦------- ------- --- - ----------- The band's self-titled official debut ------- ------------- --- album was released in 1977. Motorhead --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- quickly built a rabid following through --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ killer live shows and albums that we ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- able to translate that power. 1981's ---- ------- ---------- legendary live album 'No Sleep 'til ------------- --- ----- Hammersmith' rocketed to # 1 on the U.K. -----¦ ------ --------- ¦--- album charts. Another notable album in ---¦ ¦¦ ¦---- ¦----¦ ------¦ Motorhead's canon is 1991's critically ¦----- --------- ----------------- acclaimed, Grammy-nominated '1916,' ------- --- ------------- which was nominated for Best Metal ------- ------- --- Performance. Motorhead earned a second --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- Grammy nomination in 2000 for Best --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ Metal Performance with a tribute to ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- Metallica's "Enter Sandman" on the ---- ------- ---------- 'ECW: Extreme Music' album. ---------- ----- -------- - - ----- ¦--- As a live act, Motrhead is untouchable. ---¦ ----- --¦ - ------ -----¦ Few scenes in heavy metal match Lemmy ¦----- --------- ¦---¦------- on stage -- standing his ground, head ------- --- - ----------- tilted slightly upward as he growls ------- ------------- --- ferociously into his microphone and --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- unleashes thunder from his --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ Rickenbacker. Campbell's screaming ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- sonic overload guitar completes the ---- ------- ---------- roaring string section, while Dee, ------------- --- ----- surely one of the most inventive and -----¦ ------ --------- ¦--- brutal drummers you ever heard, drives ---¦ ¦¦ ¦---- ¦----¦ ------¦ along like a locomotive. Live, and on ¦----- --------- ----------------- CD and on video, there is no one like ------- --- ------------- them. ------- ------- --- --- ------- ¦----- ¦-- Motorhead will promote 'Inferno' with --¦ -----¦ -----¦ ---¦ yet another world tour this year. ¦--- ¦----- ------- ---- Ashes and rubble will be left in Lemmy, ---- ------- ---------- Cambell and Dee's wake. ---------- ----- -------- - - ----- ¦--- 'Inferno' is an enhanced CD. The ---¦ ----- --¦ - ------ -----¦ enhancement will allow fans to sign up ¦----- --------- ¦---¦------- for Motorhead Internet service at ------- --- - ----------- www.motorheadrules.com. ------- |