Motörhead Logo

Motörhead Logo PNG

Motorhead’s logo looks ancient and occult, embodying primal instincts and unrestrained passions. The symbol is the band’s creativity, singing about war, drugs, and the battle between good and evil.

Meaning and History

The band’s emblem and talisman were drawn by artist Joe Petagno, who created logos for many cult rock groups. The logo appeared in 1977 and was formed according to the frontman’s wishes. The symbol expresses the band’s spirit and hints at the drugs, which are common among musicians playing heavy rock. Since its founding, the emblem has not changed.

What is Motorhead?

A famous English trio, playing rock since 1975. The final lineup was formed in 1992. It included the founder and lead vocalist Ian Kilmister, guitarist Phil Campbell, and Mikkey Dee, who plays the drums. However, Phil Taylor should be noted, with whom the most popular tracks were recorded. It ranks 26th in the list of 100 famous hard rock performers.

1979 – 2015

The logo for the band was created for the debut album with the eponymous name Motörhead. The collective’s name takes the form of a rainbow as the logo.

Ian Kilmister invented the band’s name. Before forming his band, the musician played in the group Hawkwind, and the last song he wrote for the collective was “Motorhead.” The name’s emphasis is not on the literal translation but the slang meaning – “amphetamine addict.” The choice is symbolic, as Kilmister was kicked out of the band for drugs.

The arched orientation of the inscription is related to a drawing, which most often appears together with the logo – the War-Pig talisman Snaggletooth. The animal looks terrifying. The musicians wanted a synthesis of a knight and a rusty robot, which Joe Petagno brought to life.

The performers decided to use chains on the tusks and a helmet, as they did not like Petagno’s initial sketch. The artist described the creation as a hybrid of a wolf, a dog, and a gorilla, embodying a furious rogue in a drug-induced frenzy, in line with Ian Kilmister.

Font and Colors

The black color of the emblem fully reflects heavy metal rock: heavy percussion, sharp rhythms, and dark songs. The band’s image is filled with aggression, rebellion, forbidden substances, and war.

Joe Petagno also developed the Gothic-style font for the emblem at Kilmister’s request. The frontman insists that he insisted on the presence of an Umlaut – a phonetic change in the pronunciation of vowels, marked in writing with two dots above the letter. This was borrowed from Blue Öyster Cult – a famous mid-20th-century band. According to Kilmister, the Gothic letters and dots were meant to look menacing, as they could elongate the sound like “Motuuuurhead.”

Motörhead color codes