On August 25, 2015, Motörhead released Bad Magic , their twenty-third studio album and the last one recorded with Lemmy Kilmister . The album marked the end of one of the bands in rock history.
Of the 12 unreleased tracks, highlights include “Victory or Die”, “Electricity” and “Shoot Out All of Your Lights”, which showcase the main elements of the raw, fast and heavy sound that characterized the band in the 1970s. The album also featured special guests, such as Queen guitarist Brian May on “The Devil”, as well as a cover of the Rolling Stones .
Furthermore, it includes "Till the End," which sounds almost like a farewell from Lemmy. In it, the vocalist reflects on his journey, his choices, and his lifestyle.
Bad Magic is Motörhead at full throttle: heavy, fast, and furious.
Four months after its release, on December 28, 2015, Lemmy died at the age of 70 from cancer. With his death, Motörhead officially came to an end, since without him , there would be no band.
The day after the bassist's death, drummer Mikkey Dee announced that the band was ending its activities. The musician stated that they would no longer perform shows or release albums, and that Kilmister "lives on in everyone's hearts."
“Motörhead is over, of course. Lemmy was Motörhead. But the band lives on in the memory of many. We won't do any more shows or anything like that, and there won't be any more albums. But the name lives on, and Lemmy lives on in all our hearts,” he said at the time.
Years later, in October 2023, Dee reinforced this position by categorically stating that there would be no reunions or tours under the band's name. "I will never be part of trying to put Motörhead on the road as a band, with some jerk trying to take Lemmy's place," he said.
At no point did Motörhead claim that Bad Magic would be their farewell album. Quite the opposite: it's aggressive, energetic, and true to the essence of the English trio. It was made with noise, fury, and dignity. Exactly the way Lemmy would have wanted it.
READ ALSO: Phil Campbell reflects on what it's like to play Motörhead songs without Lemmy