Motörhead Albums Ranked

Motörhead (/ˈmoʊtərhɛd/) were an English rock band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, who was the sole constant member, guitarist Larry Wallis, and drummer Lucas Fox. The band is often considered a precursor to the new wave of British heavy metal, which re-energized heavy metal in the late 1970s and early 1980s.^[ Though several guitarists and drummers have played in Motörhead, most of their best-selling albums and singles feature the work of Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor on drums and “Fast” Eddie Clarke on guitars.
Motörhead is typically classified as heavy metal, and their fusion of punk rock into the genre helped to pioneer speed metal and thrash metal. Their lyrics typically covered such topics as war, good versus evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, substance abuse, and, most famously, gambling, the latter theme being the focus of their hit song “Ace of Spades”.
Motörhead has been credited with being part of and influencing numerous musical scenes, thrash metal and speed metal especially. From the mid-1970s onward, however, Lemmy insisted that they were a rock and roll band. He has said that they had more in common with punk bands, but with their own unique sound, Motörhead is embraced in both punk and metal scenes.

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10. Inferno (2004)

“An amazing pedal to the metal album. Highlights include ‘Terminal Show’, ‘Whorehouse Blues’ and ‘In the Year of the Wolf’.”

9. Motörhead (1977)

“A solid debut from top to bottom that nevertheless isn’t quite Motorhead, yet. Their recognizable melange of Punk and Metal had not quite coalesced into Speed Metal, yet; only the final track approaches it. The first two tracks are arguably straight Punk, the five tracks between straight-up Metal, albeit a bit more brutal than a Black Sabbath or a Judas Priest. Nevertheless, the template is there, and is rockin’, ready to be streamlined into their creation of Speed Metal in subsequent releases.”

8. We Are Motorhead (2000)

“”We Are Motorhead” is a great album, and frankly, I don’t know of a bad Motorhead album. This time around, they speed things up and burn like hell. Phil Campbell and Mickey Dee are probably better known and even more loved than the classic original line-up, given their years of working with Lemmy. Gone are the days of sloppy blues based swing, which was wonderful in its own right, and replacing it is a tight ferocious band that takes no prisoners”

7. 1916 (1990)

“Hard chargin’ rawk-n-roll ! The One to Sing the Blues, I’m So Bad, Angel City, Make My Day, and Shut You Down stand out for me. Love Me Forever is a killer ballad. The most interesting track is Nightmare/The Dreamtime, which is a throwback to The Watcher with Lemmy singing lead, off the Hawkwind – Doremi Fasol Latido album. Awesome heavy psych in both cases. Overall a must have for Motorhead fans.”

6. Sacrifice (1995)

“This Album ROCKS! I have about 6 Motorhead albums and this one does not disappoint. Get it and rock out!”

See More: Poison Albums Ranked

5. Ace of Spades (1980)

“However Ace of Spades is a true classic among all the rest and should be the start of any beginning collection of Motorhead’s albums. Every song here is a tried & true classic, even the one filler song at the end of the album is still special. Why you may ask, for no other reason except this was Motorhead’s first most important album, a well known classic & the line-up is made up of the original members. This power trio created the tightest, most frenetic energy and definitely the loudest, hardest blackest, heavy rock n’ roll (and a bit of punk, thrash, blues & even went on to inspire much metal music).”

4. Another Perfect Day (1983)

“Excellent turning point in the band’s career at the release of Another Perfect Day. The album is filled with rock ‘n’ roll roller coaster rides in its entirety. The album is notable for being the first with Brian Robertson on guitar after the departure of Fast Finger Eddie with the band’s previous release, Iron Fist. Brian had showed off his exceptional guitar skill in the album which proved him to be a great replacement for Eddie and fit the band well though.”

3. Bastards (1993)

“This is the best album Motörhead ever made. It’s not merely music, it’s an experience. Even Lemmy himself agreed it was one of the band’s finest achievements. Fast & ferocious, dark & thunderous, Lemmy growls more viciously than ever before. This was also Mickey Dee’s first album as a member of the band and his incredible drumming really shines through here, more than on most albums thereafter.”

2. Orgasmatron (1986)

“”Orgasmatron” proves once again that Motorhead is one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever to have graced the planet! This is rock and roll stripped down to its raw essentials, pumped full of steroids and firing on all cylinders! The extended, remastered, double CD version contains the 9 songs from the original record remastered in all their glory and a second CD featuring a blistering live concert from 1984 with Lemmy, Phil Campbell, Wurzel and Pete Gill. Although Motorhead has traditionally been a three piece power trio, I love the monolithic sound of the two guitar lineup.”

1.Overkill (1979)

“”Overkill” is the seed that gave birth to 100’s of bands down the road with this double bass style that hits you in the face straight from the first track. As a kid I remember buying “No sleep “till..” and “Iron Fist” at the record store ( when they came out) . I have just bought myself this newly revised edition along with the “Bomber” edition for my 50th birthday. The price is really good for what you get here. This is a classic album that needs to be in everyone’s music library. “