In the history of music, there are few true mavericks on the level of the legendary
Lemmy, a man who seems to do his own thing without any concern for what anyone else thinks about it. This level of confidence has made
Motörhead a timeless institution in the world of rock & roll, and on
Aftershock, the band's 21st album, it's clear they're not even close to running out of gas. While the band's elemental sound doesn't show much in the way of innovation, the spirit of true rock is so strong within it that it doesn't really matter. These guys aren't influenced so much as they are influences, and as the elder statesmen of being badass,
Motörhead deliver yet another show of strength, putting on a master class in the sort of down-and-dirty grit and grime that most other bands can only summon ironically. Although
Aftershock probably won't go down in history as one of the band's great albums, it serves as a reminder of
Motörhead's, and by that virtue
Lemmy's, status as true originals who play by a set of rules that only they seem privy to. Fans of the band, or really anyone who has ever dared to cut the sleeves off of a jean jacket or carved a skull into a desk with a knife, would do well to pay tribute by checking this one out, lest they incur the wrath of
Kilmister. ~ Gregory Heaney