Iron Fist

Crusader, Born in America, Metal Heart, and Iron Fist. What do all these albums have in common, besides the fact they all sound like hashtags on a Fox News Tweet? They're all albums released by talented bands, early in their career, in a time when heavy metal was at its peak popularity. And yet they all suck. (I'm talking about Riot's Born in America, in case there was any confusion.) There appeared to be a bizarre, sweeping epidemic of incompetence afflicting veteran metal bands, with symptoms ranging from nagging coughs (Point of Entry) to vomiting black blood (Crusader), and even Motörhead, a band routinely celebrated for their godlike consistency, wasn't immune.

To my ears, Iron Fist is their worst 80's album without any close competition. The banality and bone idleness of forgotten bupkis like 'Speedfreak' and 'Shut it Down' was not due to an X-Files-esque "auditory sickness", of course, but rather the result of a group resting hard on their laurels after the massively successful sleeper hit Ace of Spades. Which is an album you may have heard of. And if you also happen to be familiar with its title track, you may get acute deja vu from the thrumming bass riff that introduces 'Iron Fist', followed by its entire copy-pasted song structure. This is among the more egregious examples of Motörhead's penchant for self-quotation, which, contrary to the hearts and minds of most fans, will become a very bad habit throughout their career. Iron Fist's notable lack of creativity, not to mention lack of finesse and completion, was by Lemmy's own admission, by the way. Iron Fist was, in fact, his least favorite album.

If you're wondering why nearly every composition ends with an unceremonious fadeout after two minutes and some change, it's because these songs were indeed incomplete. Literally unfinished. Not only that, but the riffs that propel them are considerably less bluesy, soulful and imaginative than what I'm used to, with most getting the job done in the same way a paperboy "gets the job done" by flinging the newspaper through your front window. While stiff, chunky rock riffs roll across the floor through a shower of broken glass, you get the feeling most songs were penned with a decidedly British "That'll do" punctuating every bar. No rewarding crescendo, hardly a noteworthy setpiece to be found. Even Fast Eddie's solos just can't be assed. '(Don't Need) Religion' is one of the worst culprits, with a handful of slow, messy, tuneless licks that make themselves known for all of fourteen seconds.

And speaking of messy, the sloppy kiss of death is an awful production that plunged almost every decibel into a hollow, tinny chasm that wholly contradicts the album's nomenclature. Every decibel except Philthy's, of course, whose drums sound like they're echoing from some distant, Eldritch plane. I'm not the first person to say this and I won't be the last; Iron Fist, due to its production and slothful approach to a genre they had just finished perfecting, should have been an EP. Take a listen to 'I'm the Doctor' and 'Bang to Rights', two of the more competent, thrashy sleaze-fests this album casually boasts, and you've officially strip mined all the value out of Motörhead's very first clunker.

For some reason this is considered a disappointment by some Motorhead fans but why? Honestly, I can hardly imagine music getting better than this. Top notch playing, energy, lyrics, and almost nothing but perfect 5 star hits from front to back. If there's one Motorhead album I want to be buried with, it wouldn't be this one but man on a stick this is great music. Motorhead made a name for themselves for their intensity and speed and in no album is that more evident than in Iron Fist. Fast, loud and (for their first time ever) clearly produced effort. Sure it sounds cleaner than Ace Of Spades and earlier albums, but it also sounds mean as hell. Fast Eddie's guitar sound never sounded this good (too bad, for the last time!). This album is for people who like fast and loud Motorhead. Hardcore punks and proto thrashers are also welcomed to love this album because it's got everything for them. Compared with previous releases, Motorhead toned down their bluesy overtones, so people expecting the "bluesier" side of the band might be a bit disappointed.

Drop in quality some say. How stupid a comment like that is! Fast Eddie Clarke produced this and, Phlithy Phil's drumming exceeds everything he had done up to that point. Lemmy's bass is ever present, as evident in his great bass intros for Iron Fist and Don't Need Religion. Fast Eddie's guitar sounds sharp and more incisive and, of course, his solos lose none of their great tendencies.

Interesting to point out is that this album is probably Motorhead's fastest album. You have to remember that it was released at a time when the british hardcore bands were basically aping Motorheads sound, so I'd like to think that Motorhead was not oblivious to this going on so they pushed up the sonic ante with this album. Songs like Sex & Outrage sound like all-out hardcore blasts, and what's wrong with that?Remember that this is the band that both punk and headbangers dug alike. It's sad that this was the last album with the classic line up, and although its follow up (Another Perfect Day) was decent, it is nowhere near this gem. If you don't have this record in 2018, try and rectify this.

Today it is exactly a year ago that Lemmy left us in order to look what's going on in heaven. In view of this date, I want to pay tribute to the one who became an icon of heavy metal. Of course, he does not need to be honoured by an ordinary metalhead from Germany, but I'll just have to do it for my inner hygiene. "Iron Fist" was my first album of the band and the second metal album I ever bought. (The first was "Let there be Rock" and I still think that AC/DC deserve a place on this site. However, here is not the place to discuss this.) To be honest, "Iron Fist", the song as well as the entire album, is nothing else but the afterburner of "Ace of Spades", but come on, who gives a f**k about that? Even more than 34 years after its publication, the full-length has its charm, both the music and the lyrics ("You feel much better when you take these little pills / I'm gonna give you 60 bottles, I believe in overkill... I'm the doctor"). What I like the most about Motörhead is the way how they established two things in heavy metal: the dark, sometimes cynical humour and the dirty, coarse element that formed the basis for their compositions. Of course, their sixth album presents these features.

There are some things that all tracks of "Iron Fist" have in common. They rely on conventional patterns and they are short without redundant parts. Ballads are not included. Back in 1982, an emotional lament like "1916" would not have been possible. Nevertheless, the best songs of the album, which are placed at its beginning, do not only celebrate the triumph of intensity and brutality. In addition to these traits, they welcome the listener with surprisingly catchy elements. Fast Eddie pulls the strings for the last times and the succinct yet concise melodies indicate that Motörhead had more to deliver than absolutely simple tunes, although their rather primitive image spoke another language at the beginning of the eighties. The title track with its alarming chorus ("You know me, evil eye, you know me, prepare to die") alone is worth the money, but the unfriendly "Go to Hell", the fatalistic "Loser" and the patronising "Heart of Stone" leave some deep cuts as well. They all have this aforementioned iota of catchiness that separates great songs from ordinary noise. In addition, I must mention "I'm the Doctor" one more time, because its casual approach adds this sarcastic element which reflected Lemmy's personality very well (as far as I, who never met him, know).

Yet besides all these advantages of "Iron Fist", one cannot hide the fact that the trio runs out of ideas during the second half of the album. Somewhere I have read an honest statement of Lemmy who said that three of the twelve songs were actually not finished at the time of their recording and this lack of inspiration shimmers through titles such as "(Don't Let 'Em) Grind Ya Down". If the truth be told, I never have put the album on my turntable in order to listen to the pretty average tracks of the B side. Songs like "America" or "Speedfreak" do not score with the same amount of liveliness and belligerence that ennobles the outstanding title track or the further highlights.

One might be of the opinion that the guitar sound is too loud and polished, but I beg to differ. Lemmy's roughshod vocals ensure the necessary degree of ugliness and the album conveys this specific outlaw feeling that made, in combination with the thundering guitars, early heavy metal so unique. Thus, I cannot say that "Iron Fist" belongs to the most appreciated items of my collection, but it documents the metallic spirit of the early eighties very well. With regard to the better and more famous "Ace of Spades", "Iron Fist" is the outsider in the community of outsiders and, to a certain extent, the same applied for Lemmy, Philthy Animal and Fast Eddie back in 1982. Even in the metal society, they had a shady reputation. However, Lemmy, we all know it very well, made his way and reached the terminal station on the 28 December 2015. Rest in peace, Mr. Kilmister, and celebrate a good time with Philthy Animal and all the other guys in the celestial (or hellish?) sanctuary. Have a drink on us, unforgotten comrade, and rest assured; those you have left are trying to keep the flame burning.

After releasing the mighty "Ace Of Spades" and having won critical praise with their live album, how on Earth could Motörhead top themselves? Easy! By releasing a relentless, no holds barred album in the shape of "Iron Fist". Released in 1982, "Iron Fist" sees Motörhead fully grasping their place in the hard rock/heavy metal world.

By this time, hardcore punk and the very first seeds of thrash were already evident in the British music scene. Bands like GBH, The Exploited and Discharge weren't afraid to show their loyalty to Motörhead and Venom wanted to be just like them with a Satanic angle. It's no coincidence that "Iron Fist" was the band's most intense, brutal and fastest album to date.

The production (done by Fast Eddie) was intense and gave a better balance to all the instruments. The sound is considerably more modern than on "Ace Of Spades" and by the same token, slightly cleaner. The title track is truly intense and other songs such as "Sex And Outrage", "Heart Of Stone" and "Speedfreak" could easily pass by as hardcore punk tunes due to the sheer brutality and speed. Slower songs such as "Don't Need Religion", "Loser" and "America" are just as intense.

I still have trouble reading reviews that say this album's a "let down". Let down in what way? This was the last album done by the "classic" line-up of Fast Eddie, Phil Taylor and Lemmy. Their next album, "Another Perfect Day", although quite good, was a much more tamer affair than this. It's true that "Ace Of Spades" gets all the accolades and recognition but very close to it I'd put "Iron Fist".

If you want pure, undiluted Motörhead in their primest of primes, do yourselves a favor and buy this classic album!

The general consensus is that Motörhead hit something of a slump right before revamping their lineup and cutting ties with long time guitarist Eddie Clark. A lot of it hinges on the fact that Eddie produced the album, and as a result, aided in putting forth an inferiorly realized product that sounded almost like a throwback to their 1977 sound, but with the hindsight of “Overkill” and “Ace Of Spades” in the songwriting. In a sense, this is the correct way to view “Iron Fist”, though the actual sound of this album isn’t terribly out of character for Motörhead, nor is it something that really takes too much away from the album.

For those who might only be casually aware of how the 1977-82 era of the band sounds through the regular radio play of “Ace Of Spades”, the format is ruggedly simple and drenched with enough attitude to tattoo the listener without need of human hands. Pile on the bluesy rock riffs, played at tempos just a tad bit too ridiculously fast for most harder edged punk rock outfits, a bass sound that is as raunchy and guitar-like as they come, and a voice loaded with rasp and cigarette tar and it all becomes crystal clear. In essence, this album offers a sense of newness only in the respect that the party has gotten just a little meaner.

The usual strong points that typified this album’s immediate predecessors follow suit here in a solid collection of fast paced speed metal and slightly less speedy metal. The album just sort of starts off at a sprinting pace, slows down to a moderately fast stride from time to time, and then kicks the afterburners on yet again. The obvious favorite of the pack is the title song and the near equally intense “Speedfreak”, both of which are heavily reminiscent of “Ace Of Spades”, though loaded up with about twice as much bluesy solo guitar work and slightly more edge. “Sex And Outrage” kicks it up to almost the same level, but just passes by a tad bit too quickly, hinting at perhaps being one of two songs that were put on the album in an unfinished state according to Lemmy.

Despite generally smashing skulls with the power of a pair of tempered steel knuckles, “Iron Fist” kind of descends into retro-rock territory on a couple songs and plays it a little too safe. Slower rock anthems like “Loser” and “America” sound like they were literally lifted out of the dregs of early 70s clichés and given a slightly rougher exterior. Likewise, the tediously repetitive “(Don’t Need) Religion” just hangs onto this riff that sounds like it was partially lifted off of Ted Nugent for way too long. Generally Lemmy’s scratchy shouts don’t work well on songs like these as they have a more consonant character to them that he hasn’t proven able to replicate. Essentially, these songs are not nasty enough to fit his voice, not to mention that the riffs come off as a little stagnant and recycled.

All things considered, “Iron Fist” could be seen as something of a disappointment in that it has found itself caught between two utterly fantastic albums from two completely different eras, and as being the last offering with the guitarist that put all those signature riffs to their late 70s offerings and the rightly heralded “Ace Of Spades”. But speaking in terms of the album in itself, it is a solid studio achievement that deserves some praise in that it shows a band capable of getting the job done without a professional producer. A few songs on here are utterly essential, and most of the rest are solidly good, so like with most of Motörhead’s extensive library of empty beer cans and bad breath, the smart money was spent procuring this at the local music exchange.

As one of the most celebrated and long-lasting metal bands around, Motorhead has an extensive discography. Not counting the unofficial first album and the eccentric Another Perfect Day, there are primarily three eras ofMotorhead: the '76-'82 Eddie Clarke era, the '84-'95 Würzel/Phil Campbell era and the '95-current day solo Phil Campbell era. Most tend to associate the Clarke era as "classic Motorhead" due to albums such as Ace of Spades, who's title track may be the most well-known Motorhead song there is, and Overkill. All of the albums are well-regarded metal classics to most while some involving Campbell can be be a bit hit or miss though Clarke's 6 year tenure is short compared to his (sort of) successor's 25 year long stint. Iron Fist is the end of Clarke's time in the band and he'd depart soon not doing much of note afterwards. While Iron Fist is regarded as one of the weaker albums of the Clarke period, I still find it to be very good.

Bearing a lot of similarity to it's predecessor two years earlier, it's typical Motorhead rock 'n rollish metal. Lemmy rumbles along on his bass and spits out lyrics on various subjects with his usual rasp. Eddie blazes on his guitar with bluesy solos and leads while Phil accompanies Lemmy on rhythm and pounds his drums into the ground. Production-wise, the album is clean and clear, a much better job than the following album with Robbo, but the guitar is a bit thin compared to earlier records. Not to say it vanishes like on Orgasmatron, but a crunchier sound probably would have helped it retain a fonder memory in fan's heads. The songwriting is similar in approach to Ace of Spades, but I feel is better done. I never could get into that album for reasons beyond me. It's enjoyable, but I'd much rather listen to almost any other Motorhead album released before or after. Iron Fist improves almost in all areas and is a much more enjoyable ride.

‘Iron Fist’ was and is all things considered a bit of a let down. The previous 3 Motörhead records were thoroughly excellent, particularly ‘Overkill’ and ‘Ace of Spades’ which set a new standard for loud, fast and Philthy rock ‘n’ roll. Lemmy admits that the band got way too complacent after the success of ‘No Sleep Till Hammersmith’ which to this day remains the bands only number 1 album, well in the UK at least. As such ‘Iron Fist’ is a weaker album, directionless and features a couple of unfinished songs. But as it's Motörhead its still quite good.

‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke handles production on what is his last Motörhead album. This has been a point of contention for many fans, people absolutely despise this production. However, a slightly thinner sound is not ‘Iron Fist’s real problem and in actual fact this “raw as a badgers arse” sound is very much suited to Motörhead. Although many the line up of Eddie, Phil and Lemmy is widely recognised as the classic Motörhead line up from the sheer lack of development (yes, Motörhead do actually change and develop just their too good at it, so you don’t really realise) and sonic stagnation on display here I feel it was a necessary step for Eddie to leave.

‘Iron Fist’ does despite my criticism feature some awe inspiring songs and these make more than essential listening for Motörhead fans. The title track occupies a place in the bands encores to this day, simply because it’s a classic, too fast, dangerous and brimming with a rock ‘n’ roll attitude sadly lacking in a lot of today’s…um rock ‘n’ roll. The lyrics happen to be some of Lemmy’s finest too with a menace and darkness he rarely displays, ‘Sacrifice’ is another example of this. ‘Go to Hell’ in my mind is a Motörhead classic, some very memorable riffs from Eddie and good-love-gone-bad type lyrics…because remember children, women are bad and should not be trusted. ‘Loser’ is one of the more interesting songs on ‘Iron Fist’, the sliding riffs aren’t typically Motörhead by numbers and the song catchy on the whole. ‘(Don't Let 'Em) Grind You Down’ is a more mid paced number at which the band excel (Motörhead never really get any recognition for doing a lot of mid paced numbers…which probably felt like funeral dirges to a band who did so much speed, the drug not the tempo...but probably the tempo too).

Sadly the much of ‘Iron Fist’ is forgettable and often comes across as with a feeling of déjà vu…as the band had done it before and better. ‘Heart of Stone’ is perhaps the worst example of this, Lemmy says ‘Iron Fist’ features two unfinished songs and I’m guessing this is one of them as I’d like to believe Lem wouldn’t submit such a mediocre exercise in speed as a finished product. ‘(Don’t Need) Religion’ isn’t bad per se its just a blatant rip off of Ted Nugent’s ‘Cat Scratch Fever’ and no where near as good, Motörhead seem to have a thing for Special Ted as they covered the aforementioned track (badly might I add) on ‘March or Die’. There are some other good songs on ‘Iron Fist’ namely ‘Speedfreak’ but much of it descends into a bland Motörheady mush and that’s not something I’d like to say about one of my favourite bands.

Somewhat surprising on such a comparatively weak album (Motörhead don’t do real stinkers…well maybe ‘Snake Bite Love’) is that the performances are great and energetic. ‘Fast, but probably the slowest guitarist in Motörhead’ Eddie Clarke is a magical player, he’s so simple yet effective, Eddie generally only uses simple chords and as such when he puts an extra 5th in a power chord he sounds immense…even more so than usual. Eddie’s playing shows economic guitar playing at its best; no bollocks but all balls. Philthy Animal pre ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ as always is a great drummer the logical successor to the unrestrained energy of the late great Keith Moon. Lemmy is well just Lemmy, no surprises…everything you want.

‘Iron Fist’ is a weaker album from the band and is in the unenviable position of being sandwiched in between many superior albums, its sad that Eddie’s swansong in Motörhead is a tad patchy, ending the era with a whimper.

Motorhead's last album with Fast Eddie Clarke on guitars is an alcohol drenched, speed-fueled rampage of sex and fast living. Iron Fist my all-time favorite album by the band. And let's face it, after more than 30 years Motorhead is more than just a band: it's a way of life and I've got the tattoo to prove it.


It seems that the band itself doesn't regard the album as highly as some fans do:Iron Fist has been called "subpar" in comparison with the others. And internal relationships were strained by the time of the album's release. This is the only reason I deducted a point from my score. You simply can't go wrong with any of these songs, all of them are the classic Motorhead sound, catchy as hell and all of them kick like a mule. This is down-and-dirty heavy metal the way it was meant to be played. Songs range from midpaced heavy rockers ("America") to full-on speed assaults such as the title track and "Speed Freak," which has some awesome ovedubbed guitar work courtesy of Fast Eddie. Although the guitar riff to "(Don't Need) Religion" has been compared to "Cat Scratch Fever," the lyrics are hilarious and sum up Lemmy's (as well as my own) feelings on the subject. Make sure to get the re-release which has some essential bonus tracks and alternate versions.


Motorhead is one of the essential groups in Heavy Metal history, niched comfortably between Judas Priest and Venom in the historical scheme of things. They combined metal, punk and the blues in a way that no other band could possibly imagine, and they're still rocking today. You owe it to yourself to get this album and bang that head like a maniac. "Devils grip, the Iron Fist!," Hell yeah!