Lemmy Kilmister
had been leading
Motoerhead
for 16 years by the time
1916
was recorded in 1991. Over the years,
had experienced more than its share of personnel changes -- and in fact,
Kilmister
was its only remaining original member. But the band's sound hadn't changed much, and time hadn't made its sledgehammer approach any less appealing. As sobering as his reflections on the horrors of World War I are on the title song, he's unapologetically amusing on
"Going to Brazil,"
"Angel City"
(an ode to the "beautiful" party people of L.A.), and
"Ramones"
(which salutes the New York
punk
band). Whether the subject matter is humorously fun or more serious,
is as inspired as ever on
. ~ Alex Henderson