You have to give props to Motorhead's founding member, bassist, and acid-coated-gravel-voiced singer, Lemmy Kilmister. The man basically invented biker-trash heavy-metal way back in 1975 and he's been playing it (with various line-ups) ever since. Snake Bite of Love has the sort of Energizer Bunny appeal of later Ramones albums. This collection of grinding, thudding tunes about sex, booze, dirty women, and damnation has a tendency to be overly cartoonish and lyrically cheesy ("Dogs of War" sounds like it was created by Motorhead wannabes rather than Motorhead), so those just starting to rev their heads should probably choose a classic like Ace of Spades before tackling Snake Bite. Nonetheless, the album boasts some soon-to-be concert-classics, like the woeful but sinister doomed-soul tale, "Joy of Labor," the anti-politician sing-along "Take the Blame," and the gloomy "Dead and Gone." --Megan O. Steintrager
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