by Adam Bregman
Unlike many of the band's contemporaries, Motörhead manages to still release lean and mean rock records, while keeping the songs simple rather than adding some electronic accompaniment or trying to be current or hip. Many of the other bands from Motörhead's era might still be worth checking out live (Iron Maiden, AC/DC), but each of those groups' new albums is almost always more forgettable than the last. In Hammered's &Walk a Crooked Mile,& Motörhead has written at least one more classic to add to the band's large number of hits, which could easily fill a double CD. Epic in length and with a cool bassline courtesy of Motörhead main dude Lemmy Kilmister, &Walk a Crooked Mile& has a bit of a punk edge to it like a lot of Motörhead's tunes, but it also closes with a stylish '80s-style metal guitar solo. The rest of the material does not veer from the usual Motörhead formula, but it's all played dirty and in the gutter, and will undoubtedly appeal to Motörhead's dedicated fan base.