ALBUM REVIEW: Warfare – Lemmy Sessions (Cadiz Music)
Warfare were a new wave of British heavy metal band who formed in Newcastle in 1982 and lasted until 1993.
Their debut album Pure Filth, released in 1984, blended punk with metal, so it seemed only natural that when they came to record the follow-up, Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead was asked to produce it.
Like Motorhead, Warfare appealed to punks and metalheads alike, so it was the perfect fit. The finished album, Metal Anarchy, was released towards the end of 1985, and became a NWOBHM classic.
Drummer and vocalist Evo found the recordings which make up this album in his loft on a cassette which hadn’t been played in almost 40 years. They are the raw versions put down through the desk and, after Lemmy worked his magic, released as Metal Anarchy. Released for the first time as part of a 3CD compilation in 2023, they are now being made available separately on vinyl.
Unsurprisingly, Lemmy Sessions sounds like Motorhead, full of gruff vocals, galloping riffs, squalling solos and a pummelling rhythm section. You can almost smell the studded leather jackets, sweat and snakebite, and as you’d expect, it rocks like a bastard.
The nine tracks appear in a different order to the final album release, with standouts including Psycho Express, the Discharge-like Electric Mayhem, Warfare and Metal Anarchy (featuring a guest appearance from Motorhead guitarist Wurzel).
If, like me, you like to hear songs in their formative stages, this is a must for any self-respecting Warfare fan’s collection. 7.5/10.
- Lemmy Sessions is on deluxe collector’s edition metallic gold vinyl, with a bonus four-track 12in EP Robot on black vinyl, in a strictly limited edition of just 500 copies. It’s available from Cadiz Music HERE.
