Kiss of Death (Motörhead album)

Kiss of Death is the eighteenth studio album by British rock band Motörhead, released on 29 August 2006 via Steamhammer, their ninth with the label.

Kiss of Death
Studio album by
Released29 August 2006
Recorded2006[1]
StudioParamount Studios and NRG Studios, Hollywood, California
Maple Studios, Costa Mesa, California[1]
GenreHeavy metal
Length44:54 (standard)
50:05 (BT version)
LabelSPV/Steamhammer[1]
ProducerCameron Webb[1]
Motörhead chronology
BBC Live & In-Session
(2005)
Kiss of Death
(2006)
The Essential Motörhead
(2007)

Recording

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Kiss of Death was the second album Motörhead recorded with producer Cameron Webb and continues the heavy sound on the band's previous album Inferno. As Joel McIver noted in his 2011 Motörhead memoir Overkill: The Untold Story of Motörhead:

"'God Was Never on Your Side' showcases Lemmy's lyrical doom-mongering as never before; 'Kingdom of the Worm' — the album's lead single — was an acerbic commentary on the modern world; and one song, the ponderous 'Going Down,' was co-authored by Campbell's son Todd."

Mike Inez from Alice in Chains and C.C. Deville from Poison also play on the album. "Kingdom of the Worm" received its world premiere on Friday, 19 May, during Lemmy's appearance on the "Jonesy's Jukebox" radio show on Indie 103.1 FM.

Release

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Kiss of Death reached No. 4 in Germany, marking Motörhead's highest entry ever in the German charts. The album is also notable for being the final Motörhead album to feature original artwork by longtime artist Joe Petagno.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Drowned in Sound8/10[3]
Blabbermouth8/10[4]
MusicOMH     [5]
PopMatters7/10[6]
NOW Magazine(favourable)[7]

A review on Drowned in Sound thought Motörhead is not a band that focuses on innovation and progression and that they are happy doing more of the same and their fans are more than happy to receive it, this album being no exception. Otherwise the review notes the tracks are "twelve slices of good old-fashioned, foot-stomping, fist-pumping rock 'n' roll." Greg Prato of AllMusic praises the band's longevity but feels "there are too many songs that sound like run-of-the-mill modern-day metal (such as 'Living in the Past' and 'Sword of Glory'), rather than the classic Motörhead sound you'd expect." But Lee Marlow of Classic Rock, on 'Sword of Glory", said Lemmy's ability to wring fresh poignancy from the idiocy of war and its mark on history has long been one of Motörhead's sharpest weapons."

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, Mikkey Dee except where noted

CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sucker" 2:59
2."One Night Stand" 3:05
3."Devil I Know" 3:00
4."Trigger" 3:53
5."Under the Gun" 4:44
6."God Was Never on Your Side" 4:20
7."Living in the Past" 3:45
8."Christine" 3:42
9."Sword of Glory" 3:57
10."Be My Baby" 3:40
11."Kingdom of the Worm" 4:08
12."Going Down"Kilmister, Campbell, Dee, Todd Campbell3:35
Total length:44:54
Sanctuary bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."R.A.M.O.N.E.S." (2006 Version)Kilmister, Campbell, Michael "Würzel" Burston, Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor1:22
  • Re-recorded with Mikkey Dee on drums
SPV limited edition bonus track [1]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Whiplash"James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich3:49
  • This limited-edition release was in a tri-fold digipak sleeve, with an artwork poster. The booklet differed slightly from that of the standard release in that there was no brickwork surrounding the central image, just a black border.

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]

Production

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  • Cameron Webb – producer, mixing, engineer
  • Bob Kulick – producer ("Whiplash")
  • Bruce Bouillet – producer ("Whiplash")
  • Sergio Chavez – additional engineering
  • Kevin Bartley – mastering
  • Motörhead – executive producers
  • Lemmy – sketches and handwriting
  • Steffan Chirazi – creative direction
  • Mark Abramson – art direction and design
  • Robert John – photography
  • Michael Shreiber – Latin translation
  • Joe Petagno – album cover, Snaggletooth

Charts

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Chart (2006) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[8] 20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] 82
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 64
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 16
French Albums (SNEP)[12] 37
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 4
Italian Albums (FIMI)[14] 42
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[15] 203
Scottish Albums (OCC)[16] 37
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 26
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 45
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[20] 3
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[21] 10
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[22] 20

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Kiss of Death, Motörhead, SPV GmbH, SPV 99910 CD Ltd, 2006 Liner Notes, page 21, 22, 23, rear
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ "Drowned in Sound review". Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  4. ^ Bergman, Keith. "CD Reviews - Kiss of Death Motörhead". Blabbermouth. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  5. ^ Shepard, Sam. "Motörhead – Kiss Of Death". MusicOMH. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  6. ^ Begrand, Adrien. "Motörhead: Kiss Of Death". PopMatters. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  7. ^ Davies, Evan. "MOTÖRHEAD KISS OF DEATH". NOW Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  8. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Motörhead – Kiss of Death" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Ultratop.be – Motörhead – Kiss of Death" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Motörhead – Kiss of Death" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "Motörhead: Kiss of Death" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  12. ^ "Lescharts.com – Motörhead – Kiss of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Motorhead – Kiss of Death" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Motörhead – Kiss of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "{{{title}}}". Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  17. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Motörhead – Kiss of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  18. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Motörhead – Kiss of Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  20. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  21. ^ "Motorhead Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "Motorhead Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
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