With rock veterans Motörhead making the headlines for all the wrong reasons these days due to the ongoing health issues of the band’s founding frontman Lemmy Kilmister, it certainly does the heart good (no pun intended) to see the trio end what was a troublesome 2013 on a much more positive note with album number 21, Aftershock. Three years in the making and, as ever, operating under the mantra of “Everything louder than everything else,” the record is easily the band’s best since 2004’s Inferno and sees the boys in vintage, sabre-rattling form.
Opening with the punk-infused stomper ‘Heartbreaker,’ which sounds like a Buckfast fuelled Chuck Berry rockin’ out with Little Richard, Lemmy, guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mickey Dee set the bar high. They continue to deliver the goods over the following 13 tracks. Arguably this line-up’s finest work to date, ‘Queen Of The Damned’ and ‘Coup De Grace’ in particular are high octane classics in the making that are on a par with ‘Orgasmatron’ and maybe even ‘Bomber’ and in the surprisingly tender ‘Lost Woman Blues’ they have a possible crossover hit on thweir hands thanks to a bruised and at times beautiful performance from the ‘Head’s leather-lunged frontman. Sounding re-energised and more youthful than bands a third their age, Aftershock will make many nay-sayers eat their words and proves without a doubt that the trio still have it.

Key Track: 'Lost Woman Blues'