When bassist/vocalist Lemmy growls “Rip it up!” on the opening track of Hammered, the metal trio unrelentingly bludgeons your ears on command. After more than a quarter-century of tearing up aural turf, the forerunners of thrash still ooze attitude that permeates this disc. Here and there, Lemmy, drummer Mikkey Dee, and guitarist Philip Campbell fall victim to the occupational hazard of sounding formulaic, but there is no denying the great harmonies they grind out of pulse-pounding party-starters like “Walk a Crooked Mile” and “Mine All Mine.” Bonus track “The Game” is a wicked slice of anthemic metal that World Wrestling Federation fans will recognize as the theme song of superstar Triple H, who stepped out of the ring to contribute vocals to the sinister spoken-word passage “Serial Killer.” A Motörhead must-have.—CLT
