Bastards, released only a year after March Ör Die, was basically its predecessor’s opposite, which is why it kinda rules. Stripped-down, gritty, and loud as fuck, with one exception (the anti-child-abuse ballad “Don’t Let Daddy Kiss Me”), it came out on the tiny German label ZYX and got relatively little promotion. It’s too bad, too, because there are several fantastic songs on it. This is also the first Motörhead album to feature the lineup of Lemmy, Phil Campbell, Wurzel, and Mikkey Dee, as drummer Philthy Animal Taylor left the group during the sessions.

Bastards starts off strong, with four slammers in a row — “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees,” “Burner,” “Death Or Glory,” and “I Am The Sword.” Each one is a raging ball of fury, but each is different; “I Am The Sword” is driven by a twisting, snakelike riff, while “Death Or Glory” is a head-down blast of punk-metal energy, and “Burner” stops dead for a one-word chorus before launching back into high gear.

After that, it gets to be kind of a mixed bag. “Don’t Let Daddy Kiss Me” is slow, horrifying, and deeply sad; “Bad Woman” is pure rock ‘n’ roll, piano and all; and “Born To Raise Hell” is a fist-pumping party anthem. But “Lost In The Ozone,” “I’m Your Man” and “We Bring The Shake” are forgettable, and the album’s final cut, “Devils,” is about two full minutes too long — it’s Motörhead going early-’90s radio rock (no surprise, given that the album was produced by Howard Benson, who’s worked with Bon Jovi, Daughtry, Theory Of A Deadman, Creed, Three Days Grace, Hoobastank … you get the idea).