Having just finished an opening slot for Motörhead on their 40th anniversary tour earlier this year, Anthrax saw firsthand the intelligence and debauchery of late Motörhead singer-bassist Lemmy Kilmister. Guitarist Scott Ian was heavily influenced by the group and shared his favourite memories of the rocker in a letter posted at Rolling Stone. An excerpt follows:

“Motörhead were arguably one of the most important bands in the history of rock music. They were an amazingly hard-working band. They were out there touring every single year. There's nobody else like that out there. It's hard to think about a world without Lemmy. It's been a constant in my life since 1980. It leaves a giant hole that will never be filled.

“I was sitting on the couch watching Fargo the TV series, and I hadn't looked at my phone in a while. I get a text saying they were going to announce tomorrow that Lemmy had terminal cancer. What?! That was brutal. And I thought if anyone is going to beat terminal cancer, it would be Lem.

“Then in the midst of an email chain with my manager and other guys in Anthrax, our manager Todd Singerman, wrote: "I just got a call. He passed two minutes ago." It was shocking. My heart just sank into my stomach. It's just something you never think you're going to hear, no matter what.

Read Scott’s full letter at Rolling Stone.

Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee told Sweden’s Expressen: ”Motörhead is over, of course. Lemmy was Motörhead. But the band will live on in the memories of many. We won’t be doing any more tours or anything. And there won’t be any more records. But the brand survives, and Lemmy lives on in the hearts of everyone.”

Read more at Expressen.

Motörhead’s 22nd and final studio album, Bad Magic, was released on August 28th, 2015. The album is featured on BraveWords’ BravePicks 2015, ranking at #18.

Bad Magic tracklisting:

"Victory or Die"
"Thunder & Lightning"
"Fire Storm Hotel"
"Shoot Out All Of Your Lights"
"The Devil"
"Electricity"
"Evil Eye"
"Teach Them How To Bleed"
"Till The End"
"Tell Me Who To Kill"
"Choking On Your Screams"
"When The Sky Comes Looking For You"
"Sympathy For The Devil" (Rolling Stones cover)