Who doesn’t like Motorhead? They, along with Sabbath and Zeppelin, defined a large quotient of what we today consider the sound of heavy metal. So it only makes sense to pay tribute to Lemmy, that growth on his face and the rest of the boys who brought us Ace of Spades once in a while. That last little phrase on the end there is key though, “once in a while”. When you have the tribute machine turned up too loud or on for too log, it becomes harder to hold interest in what is on offer. Enter Murder One, the newest album from the Swedes in Rawhide. It’s not all without merit though, as there are a few songs on this album that dare you to not bang your head or, at the very least, chuckle at the over-the-top sleazy lyrics.

As one would expect from a band who seemingly pulls so much influence from the days of yore, the lyrical themes on Murder One revolve around the old standbys of drinkin’, druggin’, rockin’ and rollin’ (not necessarily in that order). The music itself is solid, with a punk meets metal sound that is pleasing to the ears but stays in too familiar of territory to really stand out from the crowd of leather-jacket wearing longhairs.

Some of the songs will more than likely be found in rotation on my ipod as they are fun listens (Habit to Support) but as a whole the album just doesn’t do it for me. It just reminds me of how much I love Motorhead and how much I should be listening to an old Motorhead album right now

Favorite track: Habit To Support – A song about sucking dick to pay for your habit. How can you really go wrong with that? Tongue in check lyrics mixed with a punk meets metal for a knife fight in a back alley guitar sound guarantee that while the rest of the album didn’t wow me, this track will without a doubt be listened to and passed on to friends. ESPECIALLY after a few drinks.