Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Never dismiss a grand master too quickly, never lose any sympathy for the old devil and high priest of British Heavy Metal and above all if the thought of ever believing that Lemmy is finished musically, remember this, there isn’t a deity in the whole of creation that is ready for him yet and who doesn’t want him to groove and pound the bass for all it is worth till the Sun finally expands and swallows the Earth, for they don’t give a XXXX about bad magic, only that it sounds good.
If the 2012 album The World Is Yours could be seen as a creative low, then for the band’s 40th Anniversary the release of XXXX Bad Magic the bounce is spectacular, albeit one tinged with sadness that the high is tempered by the very obvious loss of depth in the once mighty roar that shook buildings and made Empires fall.
It is depth though that is made up for in spirit and guile, in the very heartbeat of three men out to continue a mission that has just swept most up before them and spat out the char-grilled remains as if the carcass of a city’s ruin was a plaything in which to devour and then offer as tribute to a mighty warrior of impeccable standing.
XXXX Bad Magic is unshockable, it places itself into the halls of that great warriors work and whereas Empires can crumble into dust and decay after 40 years, for Lemmy, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, it is but a moment in Time, the iron bell signalling another day’s work over but in that explosive way that ends with a bar brawl in the local tavern, copious amounts of beer drowned and the tales of warriors bested at the gates with sword and axe.
It is the delight of ages that keeps these songs coming and in tracks such as Thunder & Lightning, The Devil, Teach The How To Bleed, When The Sky Comes Looking For You and surprisingly in the bonus cover track of the Rolling Stones Sympathy For The Devil, featuring a not out of place Brian May, that delight is loud, honour bound and a true roaring delight to have played as heavily as possible on the stereo.
Let the Heavens beware, Lemmy is still more than able to shake foundations, the enchanting Metal conjurer has once again found the allure of the raised middle finger and told the doubters where they can politely go.
Ian D. Hall