Metal Bulletin Zine: In Remembrance of Lemmy (Motörhead)(December 24, 1945

Sunday, December 28, 2025

In Remembrance of Lemmy (Motörhead)(December 24, 1945 – December 28, 2015)

Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as Lemmy, was a former roadie for Jimi Hendrix before joining the space-rock band Hawkwind. After being fired in 1975, he formed a new band named after the last song he wrote for them: Motörhead. His objective was simple: basic and loud rock n’ roll.

The original lineup featured Larry Wallis and Lucas Fox, but the "classic" trio was solidified with "Fast" Eddie Clarke on guitar and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor on drums. Though they were once voted "the best worst band in the world" by NME, they became icons of the scene. Their self-titled debut came out in 1977, though it was preceded by the (initially) unreleased 1975 album On Parole.

In the late '70s, the band gained great recognition for a string of legendary albums:

Overkill (1979)

Bomber (1979)

Ace of Spades (1980)

The successful live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (1981) celebrates this era. It debuted at No. 1 on the UK charts—a surprising accomplishment for the so-called "worst band in the world."

The classic lineup fell apart in 1982 when Fast Eddie Clarke departed. He was briefly replaced by Brian Robertson (formerly of Thin Lizzy) for the melodic and underrated Another Perfect Day (1983), but the pairing was short-lived. In 1984, the band expanded to a four-piece with guitarists Phil Campbell and Würzel. After Würzel’s departure in 1995, Motörhead returned to the trio format with Lemmy, Phil Campbell, and drummer Mikkey Dee. This lineup became the band's longest-running and most stable incarnation, lasting 23 years.

Motörhead’s influence on extreme metal is impossible to measure; their sheer tempo and volume provided the blueprint for thrash metal and beyond. By 2013, Lemmy’s health was faltering, yet he remained dedicated to the stage, performing his final show in Berlin on December 11, 2015.

On December 28, 2015—just four days after his 70th birthday and two days after a terminal cancer diagnosis—Lemmy Kilmister passed away at home. Philthy Animal Taylor had passed just a month prior; Fast Eddie Clarke followed in 2018. As Mikkey Dee stated the day after Lemmy’s death: "Motörhead is over, of course. Lemmy was Motörhead."

To me (Metal Bulletin Zine), there are great Motörhead songs in all the eras. The two-guitar era in the 1980s specifically has songs that benefit from that extra "crunch." You can really hear that shift on the No Remorse tracks and the Orgasmatron album. Campbell and Würzel brought a great energy to the band, pushing them into heavier, at times almost thrashy, territory. For example, I like songs like "Snaggletooth," "Locomotive," and "Just 'Cos You've Got the Power" (such a great bluesy track) from this particular era.

Motörhead - Snaggletooth (Album Version)