"We play rock n' roll," says Motorhead's vocalist/bassist Lemmy Kilmister at the opening of their double-disk live album, Better off Motorhead Than Dead: Live at Hammersmith, and no band could make a bigger understatement or a stronger claim to doing so. This double-disk live album was recorded at the band's 30th anniversary concert at England's legendary concert hall Hammersmith Odeon, and is another reminder of why Motorhead is one of the mightiest rock bands, EVER.

Since 1975, Lemmy has led the British hard rock band on a relentless march to play balls-out rock n' roll despite disco, hair metal and currently emo's best efforts to castrate the genre; in the process, Motorhead paved the way for all heaviness to follow. Simultaneously hoarse and melodic, Lemmy's gravelly voice influenced millions of screamers fronting hard rock, punk and metal bands. The ratty aggressiveness of his distorted bass tone been emulated by Cliff Burton of Metallica and Dave Curran of Unsane.

Despite Motorhead's ever-changing cast of guitarists and drummers, the rest of the band's sound has remained fairly consistent - guitars playing raunchy blues-based rock and up-tempo punk-paced drumming. Lemmy's current bandmates Phil Campbell (guitar) and Mickey Dee (drums) comprise the band's most solid line-up ever. Song after song, Campbell fires off lightning-fast guitar solos, but with a soulful smoothness that sets him in a class of his own and he can put Metallica's Kirk Hammett to shame with his mastery of the wah-wah pedal. Lemmy could not have asked for a better drummer than Mickey Dee, formerly of King Diamond, and according to Lemmy, "the best drummer in the world." Just listen to Dee beat the drums like a speedbag during the 3-minute drum solo in the middle of "Sacrifice" and you'll see what Lemmy means.

Songs that carved Lemmy's face into the Mount Rushmore of rock n' roll - "Ace of Spades," "Iron Fist," and "Bomber" - have never sounded better thanks to Campbell's solos and Dee's drum fills, which infuse these classics with a newfound intensity. And Lemmy, like hard liquor, only gets better with age. Surprisingly, my two favorite cuts from album are "Killers" and "Love for Sale," both of which are featured on the band's recent albums, Inferno (2004) and Snake Bite Love (1998), respectively. If you're looking for "Love Me Like a Reptile," "Killed by Death," "Dancing on your Grave," and "R.A.M.O.N.E.S," you'll be glad to find them among the album's 23 songs.

The album's title, "Better off Motorhead Than Dead," is an unavoidable reference to the band's, and particularly Lemmy's longevity. No amount of cigarettes, alcohol and all the other fun that comes with the territory of rock n' roll can kill Lemmy. I don't care if Lemmy is over 60, he will never die. And if he does, he will take you with him.