Motörhead - Iron Fist (1982)

Jesus Christ, there are few bands who knows how to kick off an album better than Motörhead in their primes. With songs like "Motörhead", "Overkill", "Dead Men Tell No Tales", and "Ace of Spades", Lemmy and his crew have made sure that they blow you away every time you hit the start button. "Iron Fist" is no different, opening up with a title track that may have a lot of similarities with "Ace of Spades", but is still a kick ass track with blazing speed, fantastic riffing, and a chorus that you have to shout out. There is no bullshit here, just a knuckle sandwich coming at you straight from the start.

And that is probably the strategy the band had to have to even come close to the amazing "Ace of Spades", going balls to the wall with fast heavy metal that will melt your face. Here we have a 36 minute album that is packed with 12 songs, variating between 2 and 4 minutes in length, which almost makes this a punk album. It is obvious that Lemmy might have had too much free time to write songs here, because while the quality is even and nice, it flashes by like... well... The Flash. There is not enough time here to really appreciate the music, making it feel rushed.

Even if the ride is short, there is still lots of excitement to be had. All three band members have cranked up the volume and pushed the pedal to the metal, giving it all in an onslaught that is equally impressive as intense. "Iron Fist" also ended up to be the last we saw from guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clark (whom left the band a month after the release of the album), and while the chemistry between him and Lemmy was far from perfect during the recording, very little of that shows, with Eddie delivering some fantastic riffs all across the board. A really nice last outing from the dude.

And then we have the lyrics, which is more of what we have learned to love from the band. Everything from drugs, sex, and all of that stuff, but my favourite here might be from "(Don't Need) Religion", in which Lemmy just gives religion a good ol' middle finger. It is kind of simplistic in its structure, but with lines like "I don't need no blind belief/I don't need no comic relief/I don't need to see the scars/I don't need Jesus Christ Superstar", you simply cannot fail, even if the main riff here is clearly stolen from the Ted Nugent song "Cat Scratch Fever" (that is a parable I never want to hear again, that's for sure).

And while no song in here does not stand a chance against the title track, the remaining 11 tracks in "Iron Fist" are ranging from enjoyable to really god damn good. Both "Sex And Outrage" and "Speedfreak" are extremely fast songs that gets the blood pumping to my neck, engaging those head banging muscles. "Go To Hell" is a little more groovy, but it is still a catchy song that gets you in the right mood, and so does "I'm The Doctor" as well, while also injecting some humour to it. Yes, this album has small candies all over the place, just waiting to be discovered by you.

There is also a new Marvel show out now called "Iron Fist", and while I am sure it is good, I am also sure that it will not match up to the album "Iron Fist". While the album has some obvious flaws, it is still a kick ass record, delivering fast heavy metal that is also extremely infectious. It is a fun time all the way through its short run time, and it surprisingly also has a lot of replay value in it, even in this day and age. It is a knock out punch that have a long lasting effect, both physically and mentally.

Songs worthy of recognition: Iron Fist, Go To Hell, Speedfreak, (Don't Need) Religion

Rating: 9/10 Losers

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