Motörhead’s ‘Kiss of Death’ Reissued for 20th Anniversary With Live Album, Half-Speed Remaster

Motörhead’s 2006 album Kiss of Death returns on July 3rd in a deluxe edition that pulls together a careful remaster and a previously unreleased live set. BMG timed the announcement with a lyric video for the remastered “God Was Never on Your Side” and a live version of “Killed by Death” from the same festival recording that makes up the second disc.

The reissue lands a few months after the death of guitarist Phil Campbell on March 13th, and the packaging reflects that loss. New liner notes by Classic Rock’s Dave Ling are written in his honor. The album itself was remastered at half-speed from the original tapes, giving the 11-track studio record a weight that sits well with the lean, three-piece attack of Lemmy Kilmister, Campbell, and drummer Mikkey Dee. Mike Inez of Alice in Chains and Poison’s C.C. DeVille both appear as guests, though their contributions never soften the band’s core rattle.

The bonus material is what makes the edition worth a closer look. Live at Lowlands, 2007 captures the full set from the Dutch festival in Biddinghuizen — 12 tracks, from “Snaggletooth” to “Ace of Spades,” in stark, no-bullshit form. On CD, three more studio and live cuts are added: two versions of “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” and Motörhead’s cover of Metallica’s “Whiplash.”

Pre-orders are open now. The vinyl and CD packages arrive identically sequenced, the live record presented as its own piece of the story. For a band that never stood still long enough to look back, this reissue does the job without overstating it.