CD Review: Motorhead ‘Inferno (30th Anniversary)’

On Monday, Motorhead re-release their latest album, the storming Inferno, on Monday. What can we tell you about it? Not a lot, really.

If you like Motorhead, you’ll like Inferno. If you don’t like Motorhead, you probably won’t. So why are we banging on about it? Because it’s being re-released wrapped in special Motorhead Christmas paper, and you get a bloody ace free DVD with it.

Motorhead have had a busy 30th anniversary year. There’s been the
eye-searing live DVD Stage Fright, a BBC Radio Sessions CD, an
appearance on the Gene Simmons Rock School show, endless tours, adverts
for Walkers Crisps and, most importantly of all, Ace Of Spades is used
week in week out at the end of Dick And Dom In Da Bungalow. And the year is being capped with the
re-release of last year’s Inferno.

The DVD that comes with the re-released Motorhead Inferno album
proves what an endlessly entertaining band Motorhead is on and off the
stage. It all kicks off with a film of Motorhead’s show filmed at the
Hammersmith Apollo in June. While not quite as brain-melting as the
Stage Fright DVD, it’s another testament to what an incredible live act
Motorhead can be. Highlights include the appearance of the giant bomber
lighting rig during, uh, Bomber, the still-awkward acoustica of
Whorehouse Blues and the brainless genius of the moment when the
guitarist ponders "What do you normally get for the 30th Anniversary?"
and the crowd roar "Motorhead!"

There’s also the poledancing-and-lookalikes Whorehouse Blues music
video, and the dull Making Of featurette, livened up only by the sheer
relentless Welsh waggery of Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell,
occasionally opining "I used to think Anthony Hopkins was a great
actor. But he’s a twat."

Also included on the Inferno DVD is an extended interview with Joe
Petagno, who designs the majority of Motorhead albums sleeves -
something only really of interest to people who enjoy watching a beardy
man talking about the same picture for 20 minutes.

Main draw, though, has to be The Motorhead Story - an hour-long look back
at the whole history of Motorhead. It’s pretty much just an excuse for
Lemmy to call everyone he’s ever met a "cunt," livened up by stories of
legendary former drummer Phil Taylor screwing a bag of popcorn. Or Phil
Taylor being so off his face that he tries to escape from a hotel
bathroom through a mirror. Or Phil Taylor mooing like a cow.

Inferno (30th Anniversary), then. It’ll only be bought by die-hard Motorhead fans. But the rest of you will be missing out.

Search for the cheapest way to buy Inferno by Motorhead at Kelkoo.co.uk

[review by Stuart Heritage]