By the mid-eighties, and the advent of Orgasmatron, Motörhead were already something of an institution, albeit a very different one from the one which commenced operations in 1975. Granted, Motörhead have always played their very own brand of rock n' roll, but it would be narrow-minded indeed to say that all of their albums were the same. Orgasmatron is, I find, a particularly good album at demonstrating this. The four-piece lineup of the time certainly gives the album a thicker, heavier and noticeably different sound. Perhaps more metallic, in many instances, and while it's physically impossible to give Motörhead more oomph than they had already, this twin-guitar attack certainly gives the bands ferocity and energy a few new dimensions. Theme-wise, too, the album has some broad horizons - While the staple themes of Motörhead-eternal are present (and so they should be), there are plenty of more mature themes - Orgasmatron's title track is a thoughtful commentary on religion, showing that while Lemmy and the gang are rockers of the highest order, there is no doubt that they are also thinking men. "Deaf Forever" is another track which certainly attracts my interest, both lyrically for it's themes of warfare, but also musically, with it's stand-out, almost Industrial sounding riff really shaking-up the traditional formula.
The band's twin-guitar line-up would last for several more albums, well into the nineties. In that respect, Orgasmatron is very certainly an album which marks the beginning of an era, and certainly showcases the band's development. Even bands as consistent as Motörhead, it must be stressed, evolve and grow, and while the twin-guitar era was certainly an island in a sea of power-trio, it's certainly as solid as the "classic" albums of the early-eighties, and is, for that matter, a classic in it's own right. It's hard to find Motörhead albums which aren't, saying that. The albums released with two guitarists, however, seem a different breed of classic - Especially this album, and 1916, and while they receive less attention than albums such as "Ace of Spades", and other earlier works, they remain just as good.
It's odd to think that this album is actually a fairly early Motörhead album, The band had only been around for 11 years, and yet still, the album was released 26 years ago, if my notoriously bad maths is up to scratch. It just goes to show the longevity which Motörhead possess, and the Longevity which their albums possess.
A classic - 8/10.
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