“Who’d win in a wrestling match, Lemmy or God,” Brendan Fraser‘s character Chazz asks in the 1994 rock ‘n’ roll comedy “Airheads”. In response to the wrong answer, Steve Buscemi‘s character Rex made the correction with authority. “Trick question: Lemmy is God.” Although he’s deceased, Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, frontman of the hard rocking metal legends MOTÖRHEAD, is a heavy metal god and a household name. His image, adorned with handlebar-styled facial hair and prominent moles, is embedded within the fabric of Western pop culture. But it wasn’t a one-man show for the bassist. Lemmy was joined by several extremely talented musicians, including guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee for the bulk of MOTÖRHEAD‘s existence. The power trio decimated Berlin, Germany, on December 5, 2012, and Silver Lining Music is celebrating the performance with “Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin”‘s release.
That night, during MOTÖRHEAD‘s Kings of The Road Tour, twelve-thousand maniacs descended upon the Berlin Velodrom and were treated to one hell of a show. Herwig Meyszner — who has produced concert films for notable artists like SAXON, EXODUS and KREATOR — employed a multi-camera shoot to capture the gig for the DVD portion. But based on the audio alone, there’s something about live MOTÖRHEAD recordings that make listeners feel as though they’re in the crowd. The act’s many years of experience lent to a robust and confident performance. MOTÖRHEAD‘s passion was simply undeniable, clearly displayed here.
The roaring crowd and brief banter set the show off, leading into a rocking and raucous rendition of “I Know How to Die”. Deeper into the set, “The Chase Is Better Than the Catch” oozes with much more swagger and sleaze compared to “Ace Of Spades”‘s 1980 classic recorded version. And the show finishes off as strong as one would hope for with gritty performances of “Killed by Death”, “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill”. The legendary act doesn’t let up during this set.
Considering how hard Lemmy lived, it’s surprising that he reached the age of 70. But upon his passing at the end of 2015, the band of course reached its end. “Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin” isn’t necessarily an essential MOTÖRHEAD release, but with that said, it isn’t just for completists. “Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin” is a solid live album that captures MOTÖRHEAD‘s primal energy and spirit.
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