1067. Motörhead / Orgasmatron. 1986. 3/5

It was a turbulent time for Motörhead through the middle part of the 1980’s. The band had lost guitarist Eddie Clarke, who had been replaced by Brian Robertson and who had then been dismissed himself after the tour following the previous album. This led to long term drummer Phil Taylor also handing in his resignation, and along with now no longer having a record contract they were tough times for a band that was being nominated as a major influence on every new heavy band coming into the market. By the time the smoke had cleared Motörhead had not one but two new guitarists along with a new drummer, and the album that came to fruition from all of this was Orgasmatron.

Given the differences in style that seemed to cruel the last album to the ears of fans and critics, you can probably understand the direction that this album went in. The addition of two guitarists increased the wall of noise coming out of the stereo speakers, and while it isn’t necessarily a fuller sound it most certainly is a different guitar sound again. In some songs it comes across as similar to many Motörhead classics, but in other places the phasing and distortion and pedal effects make themselves present right in the front of the mix. The title track and closing song “Orgasmatron” is one of the best examples of this. Not only is the tempo dropped to a slow crawl, the guitars are distorted and twisted and creating what is a unique sound for a Motörhead song, while Lemmy intones about his thoughts on the hypocrisy of religion, politics and war. It is unusual when you first hear it, and it does take some time to get used to it, but once you do it is enjoyable. “Doctor Rock” is a more straight forward rock song that the band likes to play, though is another where I find the unusual format hinders my liking of the song. Add to this “Claw”, which not only integrates the same sort of song arrangement but then has Lemmy screaming the title throughout the final third of the song. I still feel that on Another Perfect Day Lemmy’s vocals never sounded better. Here though, and especially on these two songs, it feels that he’s deliberately trying to steer clear of that, and to me it is an overreach.
There are some great classic tracks here though, even if most of them have been forgotten over the years by some fans. The opening track “Deaf Forever” is a beauty, cranking along in old school Motörhead style that is a pleasure to listen to. “Nothing Up My Sleeve” and “Ain’t My Crime” also get the album off to a great start. “Mean Machine” is one of the better songs and yet I have always felt that it could have been better, that it just lack a spark that could have lifted it even more. The opening to side two of the album is excellent, with the opening riff of “Built For Speed” reeling back in the doubters and producing a headbanging action with immediate effect. This is followed by “Ridin’ With the Driver” which is also at the right tempo and energy to keep the album moving, and then finished off with the aforementioned “Doctor Rock” and “Orgasmatron”.

This album is a grower, and like most of the albums Motörhead released in the 80’s and 90’s sometimes you have to be in the right mood to appreciate them. Another Perfect Day sounded great from all aspects but the songs didn’t quite resonate. On Orgasmatron the sound is perhaps closer to the base Motörhead sound but is still different enough to stand apart. I am still about 50/50 as to where this stands with me overall. As a first outing for the second coming of Motörhead the band it does promise more than it probably delivers in the end.

Rating: “March or croak, flame and smoke, burn forever in eternal pain”. 3/5