Motorhead Motorizer: Inside the 2008 Album

Motorhead Motorizer arrived on 26 August 2008 as the band’s nineteenth studio album.

Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, and Mikkey Dee recorded it with producer Cameron Webb, their third album together.

The record broke a long visual tradition, arriving as the first Motorhead album since 1996 without cover art by longtime collaborator Joe Petagno.

Motorhead Motorizer went on to become the band’s highest charting UK album in seventeen years.

What Is the Motorhead Motorizer Album About?

The Motorhead Motorizer album is a fast, direct record built on eleven tracks in under 39 minutes.

Runaround Man, Teach You How to Sing the Blues, and When the Eagle Screams open the record at full speed.

The Thousand Names of God closes the album with a pointed lyric about soldiers sent to fight wars they never chose.

The result is Motorhead Motorizer sounding like a band still writing with total conviction three decades into its career.

Who Recorded Motorhead Motorizer?

Lemmy Kilmister handled lead vocals and bass across the entire record.

Phil Campbell played all guitar parts as the band’s sole guitarist.

Mikkey Dee played drums throughout, continuing the same trio lineup active since the mid 1990s.

Guitarist Wesley Mishener added slide guitar to The Thousand Names of God and also worked as an assistant engineer on the sessions.

Where and When Was Motorhead Motorizer Recorded?

Motorhead recorded Motorizer between late 2007 and early 2008 at Studio 606 and Sage and Sound.

Cameron Webb produced, mixed, and engineered the sessions, his third straight album with the band.

Kevin Bartley handled mastering, while Sergio Chavez, John Lousteau, Wesley Mischener, and Josh Bierly served as assistant engineers.

SPV and Steamhammer released Motorhead Motorizer on 26 August 2008, marking the label’s eleventh and final Motorhead release.

Why Does the Motorizer Cover Art Look Different?

Motorizer marked the first Motorhead album cover since 1996’s Overnight Sensation without art from longtime collaborator Joe Petagno.

Illustrator Mark De Vito designed a heraldic coat of arms instead, quartered into four sections.

The Royal Arms of England represent Lemmy, the Welsh Dragon represents Phil Campbell, and the Three Crowns of Sweden represent Mikkey Dee.

The band’s Snaggletooth mascot fills the fourth section, tying the new design back to Motorhead’s classic visual identity.

What Songs Are on the Motorhead Motorizer Tracklist?

Motorhead Motorizer runs eleven tracks across just under 39 minutes.

The album opens with Runaround Man, Teach You How to Sing the Blues, and When the Eagle Screams, then moves through Rock Out and One Short Life.

Buried Alive, English Rose, Back on the Chain, and an original song titled Heroes keep the record’s pace through its second half.

Time Is Right and The Thousand Names of God close the tracklist, with every song credited to Kilmister, Campbell, and Dee.

How Did Rock Out Become a WWE Theme Song?

Rock Out served as the official theme song for WWE Unforgiven in 2008, continuing Motorhead’s long running ties to wrestling.

The song also appeared in the films Hesher and Nitro Circus: The Movie.

Lemmy Kilmister introduced the track on Bruce Dickinson’s Friday Rock Show in July 2008 to help promote the album.

Its lead single status made Rock Out one of the more visible tracks from Motorhead Motorizer outside the band’s core fanbase.

Did Motorhead Motorizer Chart?

Motorhead Motorizer reached number 32 on the UK Albums Chart, the band’s highest UK placement since 1916 in 1991.

The album also peaked at number 2 on the UK Rock and Metal Albums Chart and number 5 in Germany.

In the United States, Motorizer debuted at number 82 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Independent Albums Chart.

Lemmy told Classic Rock magazine the band had never had a hit in America, joking that this time they cracked the top 100 before falling straight back out again.

What Did Critics Say About Motorhead Motorizer?

Critics responded warmly to Motorhead Motorizer, which holds a Metacritic score of 63 percent.

Metal Hammer awarded a rare 10 out of 10, while AllMusic’s Alex Henderson gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and called several tracks forceful enough to have been recorded 25 years earlier.

Pitchfork’s Cosmo Lee praised the record too, noting that Lemmy turned 63 that year but still sounded half his age.

Blabbermouth rated the album 8 out of 10, and The Guardian’s Jaimie Hodgson gave 3 out of 5 stars.

How Does Motorizer Compare to Kiss of Death?

Kiss of Death leaned on guest musicians C.C. DeVille and Mike Inez for two of its standout moments.

Motorizer dropped outside guests almost entirely, relying instead on the core trio plus a single slide guitar contribution from engineer Wesley Mishener.

Both records share Cameron Webb’s production, though Motorizer marked his third album with the band against Kiss of Death’s second.

Chart wise, Motorizer performed even better in the UK, becoming the band’s strongest showing there in seventeen years.

People Also Ask

Is Motorhead’s Motorizer a good album?

Motorhead’s Motorizer is widely regarded as one of the band’s stronger 2000s records, earning a rare 10 out of 10 from Metal Hammer and a positive 3.5 out of 5 stars from AllMusic.

Pitchfork’s Cosmo Lee singled out Lemmy Kilmister’s continued energy on the record, noting he sounded far younger than his 63 years at the time.

Who produced Motorhead’s Motorizer album?

Cameron Webb produced, mixed, and engineered Motorhead’s Motorizer album in late 2007 and early 2008, his third production credit with the band.

Recording took place at Studio 606 and Sage and Sound.

Why doesn’t Motorizer have Joe Petagno artwork?

Motorizer broke with tradition as the first Motorhead album cover since 1996 without art from longtime collaborator Joe Petagno.

Illustrator Mark De Vito designed a heraldic coat of arms instead, representing each band member’s heritage alongside the band’s Snaggletooth mascot.

Did Motorhead’s Motorizer album chart?

Motorhead’s Motorizer album reached number 32 on the UK Albums Chart in 2008, the band’s best UK result since 1916 in 1991.

It also peaked at number 2 on the UK Rock and Metal Albums Chart and number 5 in Germany.

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Last updated: July 24, 2026