Album Review: The Age of Absurdity by Phil Campbell & the Bastard Sons

Likely acting as some sort of catharsis to the pain of loss and grief, in retrospect, Phil Campbell’s strategy of focusing his energies into this family-filled project has proved both a bold and brave move: some icons’ shoes can never be refilled Phil Campbell’s All Starr Band trod Europe’s boards, delivering a boisterous collection of classic covers (Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy). Now that part-time knockabout act has mutated into a bona fide proposition, The Age Of Absurdity marking their first album proper, stepping up from last year’s self-titled EP. Campbell’s three sons – Todd, Dane and Tyla (also a member of the criminally underrated The People The Poet) – are an exceptionally talented trio of Welsh bearded bastards, and the family DNA knits everything together as much as the dynamics of the musical interplay.

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Motörhead’s fans might reasonably expect that the trio would fall silent since the death of their founder and frontman Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister in late 2015, but it’s great news that this has not been the case. Drummer Mikkey Dee has joined the Scorpions, while guitarist Phil Campbell – still a relatively youthful 56 years old – has assembled his own band for this refreshingly powerful album. Note that the album is all Campbell’s own, with very little influence to be heard from his old band.

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With the death of "Fast" Eddie Clarke earlier this month, Motörhead's legendary classic lineup have all passed on. It's up to Phil Campbell, the band's guitarist since 1984, to carry on the legacy of one of rock n' roll's most beloved acts. Shouldn't be too hard, should it? Turns out it is. The Age of Absurdity is tacky, unoriginal, occasionally annoying and altogether not good.

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