With incendiary and powerful lyrics by Lemmy Kilmister, this song takes on different but related topics in each of the three verses, all written from the first-person perspective.
The first verse is about organized religion, which he calls “obsequious and arrogant” and a “sadistic, sacred whore.” The second verse deals with politicians, who twist the truth and “revel in your pain.” The third verse is about war, which speaks of valor but leads to death. In this verse, Lemmy takes the voice of Mars, the Roman god of war.
The Orgasmatron is a device that is in the 1973 Woody Allen movie “Sleeper”, but according to Phil Campbell, that had no bearing on the song. “It had nothing to do with Woody Allen,” he told Songfacts. “Even though we did love Woody Allen – he made us laugh.”
This is the title track to the group’s seventh album, their first album of new material since Another Perfect Day in 1983 and their first with guitarist Phil Campbell. It was produced by Bill Laswell, who had previously worked with Herbie Hancock (Sound-System, 1984), Mick Jagger (She’s the Boss, 1985) and Yoko Ono (Starpeace, 1985).
“Orgasmatron” by Motörhead
Orgasmatron (1986)
Not names that bring Motörhead’s sound to mind. According to Phil Campbell, the band wasn’t happy with Laswell’s production, as it wasn’t heavy enough for them. Orgasmatron was the seventh studio album by Motörhead, released 9 August 1986, on GWR, their first with the label. It is the only full Motörhead album to feature Pete Gill on the drums, although he also played on the new tracks recorded for the previous 1984 compilation album, No Remorse.
Sepultura’s version
Lemmy’s band had a big influence over Sepultura members since childhood. The band’s name is taken from the Motörhead song “Dancing On Your Grave”, because “Grave” in portuguese means “Sepultura”.
The cover version appear’s on “Arise” (1991), that is their fourth studio album. Upon its release, the album received top reviews from heavy metal magazines such as Rock Hard, Kerrang! and Metal Forces.
Arise is considered Sepultura’s finest hour among longtime fans. While the music on Arise was mostly in the same death/thrash style as their previous album, Beneath the Remains, it was clear that the Sepultura sound was acquiring an experimental edge.
A remastered version of Arise was released by Roadrunner in 1997, with added notes by music critic Don Kaye and four bonus tracks, previously released on the compilation The Roots Of Sepultura: a cover version of Motörhead’s “Orgasmatron”, a rough mix of “Desperate Cry” and two previously unreleased songs. A previously unavailable photo shoot from the Arise period was also included in the expanded CD booklet.
“Orgasmatron” by Sepultura
Arise remastered version (1997)
The album presented their first incursions with industrial music, hardcore punk and Latin percussion. The tour (1991–1992) that supported the album was the group’s longest at that time, totalling 220 shows in 39 different countries.
During this trek, the album went gold in Indonesia—the band’s first music industry certification. By the tour’s end, Arise had achieved platinum sales worldwide.
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