Few bands have been as prominent and influential for British rock and metal as Motörhead, and so long after the death of the band’s legendary frontman, Lemmy Kilmister, they remain a force to be reckoned with. Lemmy made it to 70 years old, and despite passing on in 2015, in 2024, his presence is still being felt.
In August, his spirit was in full force at the Bloodstock Festival as fans were invited to pay tribute to an exhibition containing unseen memorabilia and some of his ashes. The display also featured a special bust commissioned by Bloodstock, but the centrepiece was the recreated dressing room to let fans see behind the scenes of the metal god. Now, following a convoy of 55 Harley-Davidson riders, the Lemmy Forever urn is at Rock City in Nottingham.
Yet, these events surrounding the Motörhead frontman aren’t the only headlines from 2024 that are not only enhancing the legacy of the band, but keeping them at the forefront of the genre they helped to craft.
Climbing Charts, a New Book, and Vinyl Souvenirs
In 2015, Motörhead officially broke up, and yet, the group continues to land hits in the UK. On 11 October this year, almost a decade after Lemmy passed, the release of a new EP featuring demos from the Bomber album ushered in a charge of Motörhead singles up the charts. From the EP, Lawman proved to be the all-conquering single, making it to eighth on the UK’s official physical singles and vinyl singles charts, giving them another top ten hit.
That wasn’t it for Motörhead in October 2024. On 24 October, the band announced that it’ll be releasing a new book. The limited edition release, which will only see 500 copies made, is the Ye Book of Inconsequential Scribbles of Lemmy Kilmister 1st Esq. The new book is said to feature a whole host of the frontman’s many scribbles, doodles, writings, and what are termed “Lemmy-isms.”
Despite Motörhead Day being five months prior, yet another release arrived in October. This time, it was in the form of new vinyl souvenirs. What makes this release unique is that the We Take No Prisoners: Singles 95-06 45rpm vinyl discs are made up of CD singles. Plus, it all comes nicely packed in a special edition box. The collection of singles is available as a 2CD box or digitally, but easily the most collectable version is the 7’’ vinyl box set.
An Imperious Legacy Only Grows Stronger
Motörhead is easily among the most instantly recognisable rock and metal bands of all time, with their pioneering efforts credited for ushering in the new wave of heavy metal through the 1970s and 1980s. Ace of Spades, Bomber, and Overkill all helped to cement them among the very best, with these tracks and several others across their 23 studio albums still being incredibly influential on modern metal and the rise of thrash and speed metal.
The sheer prominence of the band has allowed Motörhead and, in particular, Lemmy to transcend music and become pop culture icons. You can see it from the influence of their albums to the iconography that’s inspired other entertainment mediums to lean into the aesthetic and music, which is why Motörhead stands just as proudly among online slots as they do classic metal album stacks.
Naturally, to make the most of being a Motörhead game, the slot features many legendary tracks. Fans can enjoy the likes of Ace of Spades and Overkill as well as a feature based on the hit song Bomber. Fittingly, it’s almost always Overkill that’s held up as the most legendary and influential of their work, which is why it’s used so often, from cover artists to the main inspiration of other entertainment products.
Humble as ever, in a 2015 Rolling Stone interview, Lemmy said that, while he knows many metal bands over Overkill, he doesn’t think much about how the band has influenced music. After Overkill, though, came Bomber, an even heavier album, with outstanding guitar solos coupled with slow blues riffs to offer an incredibly diverse experience. Overkill and Bomber alone would have been enough to cement Motörhead as legends of music.
As it turns out, 2024 was surprisingly busy for Motörhead despite it being almost a decade since the band’s official break up, further showcasing just how important they remain.
