Four decades after its original release, Motörhead are returning to one of the most distinctive—and debated—albums in their catalogue. The band’s 1986 record “Orgasmatron” will receive an expansive 40th Anniversary Edition, featuring the remastered original alongside a completely new mix by longtime Motörhead producer Cameron Webb.

Originally featuring Lemmy, Phil Campbell, Würzel and Pete Gill, “Orgasmatron” pushed Motörhead further into heavier territory while retaining the speed, punk attitude and raw aggression that had always been at the heart of the band. Songs including “Orgasmatron,” “Deaf Forever” and “Built For Speed” would go on to become important parts of their live repertoire and legacy.

Yet the album’s production, handled by Bill Laswell, remained a source of discussion. Both Lemmy and Campbell had expressed dissatisfaction with aspects of the final sound, feeling that some of the band’s power and energy had been lost. Rather than replacing that original vision, the anniversary edition now places it alongside an alternative perspective.

That perspective comes from Cameron Webb, who produced six Motörhead studio albums and knew the musicians and their approach to recording intimately. Working from the original 24-track tapes, Webb set out to imagine what Lemmy and Campbell might have asked him to change had they been sitting beside him.

“The aim was never to replace the original, but to reveal more of what was inside it,” Webb explains.

The project also carries a personal connection for the producer. Webb first discovered “Orgasmatron” through his brother when he was just 14, remembering the title track as sounding “like the devil coming through my cassette tape.”

At the same time, Webb deliberately avoided turning “Orgasmatron” into a polished modern metal record. Instead, his approach preserves the wild and sometimes messy character of the original sessions while bringing greater definition to elements of the bass, guitars and overall performance.

The “Orgasmatron” 40th Anniversary Edition will be available as a deluxe 3LP bookpack and 2CD edition, including the remastered original mix, Cameron Webb’s new remix, studio rehearsals and outtakes recorded in 1985, and the complete 1986 BBC Radio 1 “Friday Rock Show” session. A transparent violet 1LP edition featuring the original studio album will also be available.

Forty years later, “Orgasmatron” isn’t being rewritten. Instead, one of Motörhead’s most fascinating records is being opened up again—revealing more of the power that was hiding inside it all along.

Photo by Tony Mottram