Phil Campbell

Best-known as the guitarist of Motörhead for the majority of the band's career, Phil Campbell was born in Pontypridd, Wales in 1961. Inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin, he started to play guitar at the age of ten. After stints in a couple of pub rock bands while still in his early teens, he formed the metal act Persian Risk in 1979, which released a smattering of singles. He joined Motörhead in 1984 at the same time as Würzel, winning the audition to replace the departed Brian Robertson, and remained in the group for the rest of their career. Following the death of Lemmy in 2015 and the subsequent inevitable disbandment of Motörhead, Campbell announced he was working on a solo album, recording with a plethora of guest artists including Rob Halford, Joe Satriani, and Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn. Around the same time, he formed a new band, Phil Campbell & the Bastard Sons. Alongside former Attack! Attack! vocalist Neil Starr, the combo featured Campbell's three actual sons: guitarist Todd, bassist Tyla, and drummer Dane. While still very much in an old-school rock vein, the new band's material was more stylistically varied than Motörhead's. Their eponymous debut EP appeared in 2016, and their debut full-length, The Age of Absurdity, was released in 2018 on Nuclear Blast. Campbell returned in 2019 with the release of his proper solo debut album, Old Lions Still Roar. Recorded with his son Todd, the LP saw him joined by a who's who of the rock world, including the likes of Alice Cooper, Rob Halford, Joe Satriani, and Dee Snider. The following year, Phil Campbell & the Bastard Sons issued their sophomore full-length effort, We're the Bastards. ~ John D. Buchanan