Here we find Phil and the boys back for their second full-length album. It is the same line-up as the debut, with Todd (guitar), Dane (drums) and Tyla Campbell (bass) joining their dad, along with singer Neil Starr (who has since left the band). The title cut kicks things off with the lines “Music is medicine, music is therapy”, true words indeed. It would have been easy for Phil to retire after the death of his buddy, or to come up with a band playing in a similar manner to the one he was involved with for more than 30 years, but while this may have started out as a pick-up outfit it has morphed into something far more powerful.
Lemmy is famous for saying, “We are Motörhead, and we play Rock ‘n’ Roll”, and while there are still elements of that in Phil’s approach, this has a broader approach, with more blues and edge in what they are doing. There is less in the way of straight for the throat attack, but the twin guitars mix it up with a real groove underneath. This is music which makes the whole body move, not just the noggin, and Starr has a wonderfully melodic gravel voice which works incredibly well with the material. Whoever they come up with to front the band in the future is going to have his work cut out for him as this needs a voice with presence to cut through what the Campbells are delivering. I have always felt that Phil was somewhat understated as a composer during his time with Lemmy, as the emphasis from many was always on the early classic material, yet they released some excellent albums throughout their career, not just in the Lemmy/Taylor/Clarke years, and he was at the musical helm of all of them.
This album shows he has really stepped out of Lemmy’s shadow, creating an album which heavy, hard, and rocking from start to finish, moving his music in different directions, with “Desert Song” showing just what can be done when there are no limitations with harmonica providing a wonderful edge. This is a delight throughout, and well worth investigating by all fans of powerful melodic hard rock with a bluesy feel and real depth.
Rating: 9/10
Links:
https://www.philcampbell.net/
https://www.nuclearblast.com/eu/
