A short film that Motörhead screened onstage during their tour in support of 1982’s Iron Fist has been restored to coincide with the 40th anniversary reissue of the album arriving September 23rd.
The eerie clip sees the members of Motörhead — Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor — assessing the remains of a medieval battlefield. Through veils of smoke, the trio make their way with swords in hand, each donning the iconic horned Motörhead helm.
Among the carnage and remains, Taylor is bequeathed the eponymous “Iron Fist” from a maiden nursing the dead and wounded. Shot in the Hertfordshire forest by director Nick Mead, the clip could easily have been the music video for a black metal band a decade later, with its cosplay and dark fantasy aesthetics.
The film was “confined to a dodgy bootleg VHS” until it was restored and digitized ahead of the Iron Fist anniversary edition. The original was cut to Gustav Holst’s ominous piece “Mars, Bringer of War,” but now features the previously unreleased instrumental demo “Ripsaw Teardown” as its audio soundbed.
The complete 40th anniversary collection includes a remaster of the original album, previously unreleased demos and outtakes, and a full concert that was originally broadcast on Radio Clyde on March 18th, 1982. The deluxe package includes a 20-page book featuring the story of the album and many previously unseen photos.
Pre-order the Iron Fist reissue in various bundles via Motörhead’s merch site. Watch the restored short film featuring the instrumental demo “Ripsaw Teardown” below.