Mötley Crüe Saints of Los Angeles (Eleven Seven Music)
The Deal: The classic Crüe line-up is back together on an album for the first time since 1997’s
Generation Swine. With songs inspired in part by the lurid tales of excess documented in the Los Angeles heavy metal heroes’ wildly popular oral history,
The Dirt, Saints of Los Angeles is a throwback to the group’s vintage Sunset Strip sound. The title track has already become a hit on both Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Bassist
Nikki Sixx says, “I think it’s one of the best Mötley Crüe albums that we’ve made. Me and Mick [Mars] were very clear on what we wanted to do musically in the beginning process of writing. It’s raw, it’s dirty, it’s theme-based, which was to loosely base it on the concept of
The Dirt. It’s the story of our life.”
We Say: What could be better than having Vince, Tommy, Nikki, and Mick back together in the studio? How about hearing them embrace their reputation as the world’s most notorious rock band by actively recreating the shredding, glass-shattering sound that dominated the Hollywood hair-metal scene in the late ’80s? Having been on the road together on and off since 2004, the quartet sounds especially tight here as it reflects―but not too profoundly―on the good old days with glam-fueled stompers like “Down at the Whisky” and “Face Down in the Dirt.” Vince Neil is hitting the high notes again and following his recent hip replacement surgery, you can virtually hear Mick Mars get his swivel on. Meanwhile, Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx bring in new influences as a result of all their extra-curricular musical ventures, making sure the album isn’t just an empty exercise in nostalgia. Although a little more leather and warrior face paint wouldn’t have hurt.
They Say: “Contemporary radio rock creeps in on the angsty Staind-style ballad ‘The Animal in Me,’ which seems to concern Nikki Sixx’s heroin addiction. But to show they’re still bad boys and horndogs at heart, they also deliver the teenage-rebellion anthems ‘Face Down in the Dirt’ and ‘This Ain’t a Love Song’.” ―
Rolling Stone Rip: “Saints of Los Angeles,” “Down at the Whisky,” “M*********er of the Year”
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