SCOTT 'WINO' WEINRICH Says He Never Bought Any MOTÖRHEAD Albums After 'No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith': 'It Became Too Much Of The Same S***'

In a new interview with Veil Of Sound, U.S. doom and heavy metal icon Scott "Wino" Weinrich — the voice of THE OBSESSED, SAINT VITUS and SPIRIT CARAVAN — spoke about his appreciation for some of the early musical output of MOTÖRHEAD. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Here's what I like about MOTÖRHEAD. Before I knew who MOTÖRHEAD was — I'd never heard of 'em before in my life — I was at the mall, and I was pretty young. And I was thumbing through the records, and I was in in the 'M' [section], and I pulled out 'On Parole'. And on the cover of the American version of 'On Parole', it's just Lemmy [MOTÖRHEAD leader] standing there, playing his bass. He's got the big Maltese cross on his bass. And I was, like, 'Wow, look at that motherfucker.' I bought that record sight unseen just because of the way he looked. And I didn't like anything on the whole record except for that version of 'Iron Horse'/'Born To Lose' — that slow, bluesy version of 'Iron Horse'."

Wino continued: " MOTÖRHEAD is sort of like SAINT VITUS. It's more about a feeling. It's a feeling. The music is there, it's raw, it's great. The early shit was great. Philthy's [former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor] meter count came apart there for a while, and Mikkey Dee, of course, stepped in. But, to be honest with you, I never bought anything after 'No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith'. I mean, after that it became too much of the same shit. I wasn't the biggest 'Fast' Eddie Clarke [then-MOTÖRHEAD guitarist] fan, really, of his style or his stuff at all. I think he was pretty limited. And Lemmy, to a point — Lemmy was so rich and stuff, but after a certain point, Lemmy just kind of like… I can't listen to any of that 'Hellraiser' shit. My wife likes a lot of that shit, but I can't listen to any that shit, man. The only song I like from the newer stuff after, after 'No Sleep'... It's not on 'Ace Of Spades', but it's my favorite MOTÖRHEAD song. It's that song 'Just 'Cos You Got the Power'. Two guitars, man. Würzel [former MOTÖRHEAD guitarist] — honestly, I think Würzel was a better guitar player than Phil Campbell [MOTÖRHEAD guitarist]. I spent some time with Phil Campbell personally, driving around, trying to score speed for him and shit, getting high with him. And he was really jealous of Würzel, man. That was funny."

Weinrich released his fourth solo album, "Create Or Die", in October via Ripple Music.

"Create Or Die" was produced and engineered by Frank Marchand and Wino. Mastered by Alan Douches, it was issued on vinyl, CD and digital formats.

Wino formed his first band THE OBSESSED in 1978, starting the reign of "heavy and slow" decades before doom grew into a flourishing worldwide genre unto itself. A few years later, he moved to California to join SAINT VITUS, with whom he released the seminal "Born Too Late" (1986),one of the most powerful statements in doom's early history, with Wino's raspy, heartfelt and punk-charged vocals booming loudly above the crowd of howling, gimmicky Ozzy Osbourne copycats.

Following a reformation of THE OBSESSED and a brief major-label flirtation in the early 1990s, which included a piledriving update of BLACK SABBATH's "The Wizard" alongside Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Rob Halford, Wino formed yet another influential outfit, SPIRIT CARAVAN. The new band fused his trademark sludgy churn with an increased soulfulness, beginning to lay the groundwork for his eventual exploration of acoustic and expansive songwriting. During this time, Dave Grohl also invited Wino to join his all-star PROBOT project alongside Lemmy Kilmister, King Diamond, Max Cavalera and other notables.

Numerous world tours with his various bands later, the creative source remained inexhaustible as Wino embarked on a new direction with the release of his solo debut, "Punctuated Equilibrium", quickly followed by a second solo LP, "Adrift", in 2010, a series of collaborations with German folk songwriter Conny Ochs, and "Forever Gone" in 2020. Wino embarked on extensive European and North American tours as a solo act, continuing to maintain his thriving solo output even with the arrival of a much-heralded and welcomed re-constitution of THE OBSESSED formed for the third time in 2017. THE OBSESSED, now a four-piece, has toured extensively since 2020, and released its latest studio album, "Gilded Sorrow", to great acclaim in 2023 on Ripple Music.

Today, Wino is respected all over the world as the godfather of doom and one of underground heavy music's most revered lifers. Worldwide festivals like Roadburn, Hellfest, Psycho Las Vegas, Desertfest, Maryland Deathfest, Rock Hard Festival, Monolith On The Mesa and countless others keep inviting Wino back through his various sonic incarnations year after year.

Photo courtesy of Purple Sage PR