Inferno was Motörhead's first album with Cameron Webb producing. Webb told Joel McIver of Classic Rock Presents Motörhead in 2010 that he had wanted to make an album with the band for years and met them for dinner at the Sunset Marquis Hotel to discuss the possibility of working together: "I talked about how I wanted to make a really heavy record with them. That was a mistake, because Lemmy likes to play rock 'n' roll — he doesn't like to play heavy music — and he called me on it.." Nonetheless, the band and Webb produced Motorhead's heaviest album in years. In an interview for the bonus Inferno DVD, drummer Mikkey Dee states that Webb "pushed us a little more. He wasn't intimidated by our rock star moods". Lemmy adds, "That was a great thing, 'cause Mickey can be really intimidating and so can I, and Phil can be really violent." The band explained that they made Inferno the same way as all their other albums — at the last minute — by renting a big rehearsal room in Los Angeles and writing songs for about six weeks and, after a week break, recording them while they're still fresh.
Release
The album's closing song, "Whorehouse Blues", was somewhat of a departure. A country blues-style song, it was distinguished by acoustic guitar by all three members, with Lemmy adding harmonica towards the end. Dee explained his switch from drums: "I've been playing guitar all my life a little bit, because guitars have always been around, so it's nothing spectacular in my eyes." He added: "It's quite fun to walk onstage and do that song. And we definitely surprised the audiences." Filming of the video for "Whorehouse Blues" was due to take place in a Stringfellow's club, but Peter Stringfellow objected to the song title and its associations, and withdrew any involvement. With twenty-four hours left until the shoot, they found a club in Ealing. "In the Black" was featured in the video gameBrütal Legend.
Artwork
, long-time sleeve artist for the band, said of the album cover:
Critical reception
Guy Strachan praised Inferno in Terrorizer as "the best album that Motörhead have ever recorded." However, James Monger of Allmusic chided the band for "churning out the same record over and over again". "There are tinges of the blues here, of punk and of metal," wrote Ian Winwood for Mojo, "played by a band whose sharpness and precision is these days often overlooked." In 2011, Motörhead biographer Joel McIver wrote: "Inferno was a blast from start to finish. Its bottom-heavy, modern sound suited the songs perfectly; it was almost as if, without realizing it, Motörhead had stamped their identity on the album more honestly than on any other album for at least a decade.." Lee Marlowe of Classic Rock stated in 2013 that "Killers" "is as catchy as anything in the band's vast catalogue: a strident stand-out on one of the strongest albums they've done," while "Whorehouse Blues" "makes perfect sense".
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from the Inferno liner notes.
Lemmy – lead vocals, bass, acoustic rhythm guitar & harmonica on "Whorehouse Blues"
