Kiss of Death (Motörhead album)


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

Recording

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

The album reached #4 in Germany, marking Motörhead's highest entry ever in the German charts. Kiss of Death is also notable for being the final Motörhead album to feature original artwork by longtime artist Joe Petagno.

Critical reception

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, 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

Credits adapted from the Kiss of Death liner notes.