Review by Felix on January 1, 2023.

Yes, I have seen the very high average for this album. Nevertheless, “Orgasmatron”, this seems pretty clear to me, is definitely no spectacular album and, honestly speaking, with the exception of the irresistible drive of “Ace of Spades” (the song), Motörhead has never been a spectacular band. But firstly, it’s the 28th of December and therefore I feel the duty to upload another Motörhead review nobody has been waiting for. And secondly, life itself also does not hold a lot of spectacular moments. Therefore, Lemmy’s gang was always authentic and down-to-earth and this is probably of higher importance than any kind of spectacular song experiences.

“Orgasmatron” delivers some leisurely rocking tracks. Frankly, the only songs I really liked back in the speed-thrashing eighties were “Claw” and “Riding with the Driver”. Here the four-piece (!) does not hesitate, the tunes go straight ahead and both choruses have a raw yet catchy touch. It took me some time that almost every song scores with a solid degree of catchiness. But do not get me wrong, catchiness was not the most important feature for me back in the golden decade of (thrash) metal. Drunken by the violence and precision of acoustic riots like “Bonded by Blood” or “Hell Awaits”, a song like the powerless “Built for Speed” was nothing but music for old men (unbelievable, but I was just 18 years old) and “Deaf Forever” marked a decent but lame opener. Motörhead had been the epitome of antisocial brutality just a few years ago, now they were a toothless tiger, overran by the thrash hordes from the Bay Area, Germany and so on.

Today I still think that there is no basis to call “Orgasmatron” an underrated classic. Some of its pieces lack energy and dynamic. But I have better understood the special charm of Lemmy (R.I.P.) and his comrades. If I disregard the idea of competition for the hardest record in the world, Motörhead’s work from 1986 holds a collection of solid-to-good tracks. “Mean Machine”, for example, gives you a proper does of aggression and velocity, “Ain’t My Crime” makes you sit up and take notice thanks to a good flow and the title track (Lemmy: this is a song about the three things I hate most - religion, politics, war) delivers the entire portfolio of wickedness. Our icon’s usually monotonous voice expresses an enormous portion of cynicism and contempt with the consequence that the sinisterly stomping hymn to evil has become a little classic.

Finally, the production lacks pressure. It puts the focus on Lemmy’s voice (strange decision, haha), while the instrumental section sounds almost blurred. I miss sharp guitars and thundering drums. Maybe it is easier to like the production and the entire album if one has discovered it some years after its release, because the work sounded antiquated right from the beginning. In 1986, Motörhead looked like a fossil from the metallic Stone Age. At least, Lemmy had not lost his inner compass and therefore “Orgasmatron” is no outstanding, but an honest work.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review by Adam M on April 13, 2011.

"The Monochromatic Era" is Industrialized Melodic Death Metal that tries to be memorable and catchy. The music here is very accessible in nature with an almost candy-coated sound. The vocals are a mixture of hardcore screams and clean singing that are probably one of the weakest aspects of the album. They bring forth a commercial vibe to the mix that doesn’t really belong in the Melodic Death metal genre.

The music has slightly more aggression to maintain your interest, but there is still a streamlined approach that makes the band somewhat unappealing. Compared to a band like Dark Tranquility, Breach The Void’s sound has too much sweetness and not enough grit. The music doesn’t maintain enough of a sustained impact, but merely rolls along in a very glossy manner. This is okay if the listener is looking for something easy to digest, but don’t expect anything that will make you overly exert your mental energy. Breach The Void’s music is about as straightforward as it gets, even within the Melodic Death Metal genre. A few electronic bleeps make their presence known from time to time, but add very little to the overall dimensions of the band.

The music here is sufficient, but not interesting enough to really pull the listener in. I imagine that people with less demanding musical tastes will be drawn towards this more than others. If I had to pick a standout track, perhaps 'Digital Structure' has enough chops to attract more attention than anything else on the disc. There are moments in tracks like this one that have an appealing melodic nature combined with aggression reasonable amounts, but they are few and far between. "The Monochromatic Era" is a very average release.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 6.5
Atmosphere: 6
Production: 7.5
Originality: 6.5
Overall: 6.7

Rating: 6.7 out of 10