After 25 years of raising hell, Motörhead hardly needs the introduction its latest album title provides. But perhaps We Are Motörhead serves to reassure the band's fans that these are the same hard-driving metal pioneers, popping wheelies on Harleys while some of their labelmates coast in cushy wheelchairs. Starting off fast and heavy with "See Me Burning," this venerable London-based outfit pummels listeners with layered riffs, an airtight rhythm section, and Lemmy's raspy vocals. A year after a collection of punk bands delivered a tribute album filled with close-to-the-leather-vest Motörhead covers, the band returns the favor by covering The Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen," with Lemmy's snarl-free delivery taking the mystery out of Johnny Rotten's lyrics. The group does pound out a classic-rock style power ballad, but, as this is Motörhead, the tune carries the non-radio-friendly title "One More Fucking Time." The title track, which closes the album, features the lines We are the first/And we just might be the last/We are Motörhead/Born to kick your ass, and while the uninitiated might cringe at such crass self-congratulation, the band's longtime fans should feel revitalized both by the sentiments expressed and the convincing musical fury with which they're reinforced.
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