Hear Fireball Ministry's Stripped-Down Cover of Motörhead's "I Don't Believe a Word" | Revolver

Hear Fireball Ministry's Stripped-Down Cover of Motörhead's "I Don't Believe a Word"

California hard rockers pay tribute to Lemmy and Co. with heartfelt rendition

Fireball Ministry are set to return early next month with Remember the Story, their first new full-length in over seven years. The hard-rock mainstays' latest effort, which hits shelves October 7th via Cleopatra, was produced and mixed by Paul Fig (Alice in Chains, Ghost), and marks the debut of new bassist Scott Reeder, who enlisted in 2014. Today, the group have linked up with Revolver to premiere one of the record's highlights: an uncharacteristically restrained cover of Motörhead's Overnight Sensation single "I Don't Believe a Word." It finds Fireball Ministry stripping Lemmy and Co.'s ripper down to its bluesy rudiments, swapping out its power-chord crunch for acoustic intimacy. Listen now, above, and pre-order the album here.

"I thought it would be a fitting tribute on this record for us to do the song stripped down to pay tribute to Lemmy, and try to show the world what a great songwriter he really was," says co-founding frontman James A. Rota. "Great songs always seem to translate no matter how you interpret them. That said, I bet he would hate this version, but hopefully not!"

Rota recalls discussing the song with the Motörhead figurehead a few years back, at — where else? — the Rainbow, Lemmy's watering hole of choice.

"A few years ago I saw Metallica play at the Wiltern Theater, and afterwards the group of us decided to go drinking at the Rainbow with Lemmy," he remembers. After a few drinks, he talked lyrics with the late legend. "[Lemmy] kept saying that '1916' were the best lyrics he ever wrote, but I told him I disagreed. He said, 'Oh yeah? Then what are the best lyrics I ever wrote?'"

Rota responded with "I Don't Believe a Word," prompting a puzzled reaction from Lemmy. "I could see the total shock on his face," says Rota. "I said, 'Why that face?', and he said 'How the hell would we ever play that live? Who would sing back ups?'" So Rota declared "Orgasmatron" his second-favorite, and the two apparently shared a good laugh. How's that for a drinking story?