MOTÖRHEAD, the iconic Godfathers of heavy metal, recently unleashed their newest release, entitled “Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic”, which is the ultimate reissue of the band’s swansong album “Bad Magic.”
At the time of its release back in 2015, “Bad Magic” arrived as a massive kick in the teeth for anyone who believed MOTÖRHEAD were going to amble along into a peaceful little pasture containing fluffy little lambs, folk music and perhaps the odd medieval lute here and there. Big-rig head crushers such as “Thunder & Lightning” and “Teach Them How To Bleed” brought such people to their knees begging for forgiveness, as the album unfurled into their toughest, leanest, meanest and most uncompromising album in aeons. Much of this came down to long-time producer Cameron Webb getting the band to record live at NRG North Hollywood, Maple Studios and Grandmaster in California together for the first time in the Kilmister/Campbell/Dee era, and from the crackling punk energy of “Electricity” to Brian May of QUEEN‘s scintillating guest-appearance on “The Devil”, a vast wealth of aggression, attitude, and excellent songwriting was cultivated in that furious working environment.
Phil Campbell didn’t just record possibly his finest guitars, he threw down most certainly his best solos for decades, while Mikkey Dee‘s drumming found new tribal resonance with the MOTÖRHEAD sound he had helped nurture. There was also one of Lemmy‘s rawest lyrical life reflections on “Till The End”, and a cover of THE ROLLING STONES‘ “Sympathy For The Devil” which made the song feel like one of their own. One of the hidden gold-dust additions to “Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic” is MOTÖRHEAD‘s famous, and internationally acclaimed, version of David Bowie‘s classic “Heroes”. Originally slated for inclusion on the last release only to be withdrawn at the last minute, it was a cover version which Lemmy had a great affection for, and as such its inclusion here is both fitting and just.
Sonic Perspectives flagship interviewer Rodrigo Altaf sat down with MOTÖRHEAD longtime drummer Mikkey Dee to discuss the ins and outs of this release, while at the same time reflect about his long career in metal, and even his appearances in one-time records. Watch or listen to their animated chat below; and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.
“Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic” was released on double 12-inch vinyl, CD digipak with bonus disc, limited-edition boxset, digital download and streaming. Order it HERE.
“Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic” track listing:
1. Victory Or Die
2. Thunder & Lightning
3. Fire Storm Hotel
4. Shoot Out All Of Your Lights
5. The Devil
6. Electricity
7. Evil Eye
8. Teach Them How To Bleed
9. Till The End
10. Tell Me Who To Kill
11. Choking On Your Screams
12. When The Sky Comes Looking For You
13. Sympathy For The Devil
14. Heroes
15. Bullet In Your Brain
16. Greedy Bastards
Live at Mt Fuji Rock Festival 2015 – Sayonara Folks! track listing:
1. We Are Motörhead
2. Damage Case
3. Stay Clean
4. Metropolis
5. Over The Top
6. String Theory
7. The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
8. Rock It
9. Lost Woman Blues
10. Doctor Rock
11. Just ‘Cos You Got The Power
12. Going To Brazil
13. Ace Of Spades
14. Overkill
