Aftershock, the 21st studio album by British rock band Motörhead, was initially slated for a mid-2013 release. It eventually saw separate releases on 18 October in Germany, 21 October across Europe, and 22 October in North America and the rest of the world. Produced in collaboration with UDR GmbH and Motörhead Music, ADA served as the distributor for the first time.
During an August 2012 interview with Artisan News Service at the Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour of 2012, Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee divulged that they had already written several songs for the follow-up to 2010’s The Wörld Is Yours, with ongoing writing sessions. In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Lemmy was asked about the potential of an all-covers album, to which he expressed interest, citing the band’s diverse musical tastes that would make for an eclectic track listing.
By late October 2012, it was announced that the band had plans to enter the studio in January 2013, with Cameron Webb returning as the producer. The album title was unveiled on 18 June 2013.
Upon its release, Aftershock received mostly positive reviews from critics. Brandon Ringo of New Noise Magazine awarded it five stars, hailing it as Motörhead’s best album in 20 years and praising its return to the band’s roots.
Sammy O’Hagar of MetalSucks commended the album’s raw and aggressive sound. Mojo’s Phil Alexander lauded the loud and defiant rock ‘n’ roll spirit of standout tracks like ‘End of Time’, ‘Death Machine’, and ‘Queen of the Damned’. Hank Shteamer of Pitchfork acknowledged the familiarity of Motörhead’s style but still found the album deeply satisfying and thrilling.
Aftershock gained commercial success, selling 11,000 copies in its first week in the United States, charting at No. 22 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, the song “Heartbreaker” received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance in 2015. However, it lost to Tenacious D’s cover of Dio’s “The Last in Line.”
