574. Motörhead / Iron Fist. 1982. 3.5/5

It had been a heady five years for Motörhead by the time 1982 rolled around. Four excellent studio albums, each which had grown their fan base with their release, followed by a live album that showcased just what they brought to the stage when they were out on the road. Sometimes it would be easy to rest on your laurels, but the band still had plenty in reserve. Following up two albums such as Ace of Spades and No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith would have been a daunting task for many bands, but Motörhead just take it in their stride and pound out another release full of the songs that make them who they are.

From the beginning of Iron Fist it is undeniably a Motörhead album. The signature “NENG-A-NENG-ANENG, NENG-A-NENG-ANENG” of Lemmy’s bass rifles through the songs, along with the voice of a man who must have sandpaper on his vocal chords – unique and unreproducible. The guitaring and drumming from Motörhead alumni ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke and ‘Philthy’ Phil Taylor is also at its best here. The musicianship of the album is top shelf and once again the production brings out the best in the songs. The difference between the early recording of their debut album and now is actually quite astonishing. Whereas it was punky and distorted on those first recordings, the tracks here are really quite polished but lose none of their power and aggression.
There are songs on this album that for me are as good as anything that Motörhead has written, but there are also a couple of songs that if they aren’t considered as filler material then they are just not very good. The opening title track of “Iron Fist” is a perfect start, strong in music base and lyrically. “Heart of Stone” continues in the same vein with Taylor’s fast paced 2/4 drumming and a great riff from Clarke driving the song. The tongue-in-cheek “I’m the Doctor” still sounds great, and while I like “Go to Hell” it is a bit generic and repetitive musically. “Loser” is much the same, while “Sex & Outrage” and “America” contribute to this middle part of the album which does noticeably affect the flow of the album.
Still, it picks up from here, as “Shut it Down” and “Speedfreak” are just sensational, played at a speed that I believe produces the best material that Motörhead plays. This is followed by the hard fighting “(Don't Let 'em) Grind You Down” and “(Don't Need) Religion” which leave nothing to the imagination. “Bang to Rights” is the perfect closing track to the album, continuing the vibe of the second half of the album with power and pace to the very end.

Iron Fist continues to be one of my favourite Motörhead albums. Though it may not get the accolades of some of their other releases, this still has the ingredients and the personnel to make it stand up against other releases. This was the final album that these three played on together as Motorhead, with Fast Eddie Clarke moving on during the tour following its release. I still fail to see or hear why the band was so disappointed in this album. There are certainly a couple of tracks that could have either been reworked or dropped altogether, but the great moments generally outweigh these dead patches.

Rating: “Words are cheap and talk is free”. 3.5/5