MICK MARS
The Other Side Of Mars
1313 MRI 2024
We've been anxiously awaiting Mick Mars' solo album for a while. There was talk of the album as far back as 2015 when MOTLEY CRUE went on their 'farewell' tour. The band disbanded, got back together, toured again and still had no album. I for one started to wonder if the album would ever surface. Mick's former bandmate John Corabi was linked to the project, when a tune surfaced online of the two teaming up with producer Michael Wagener and then things went quiet again. The one thing that the music wasn't, it wasn't 'industrial' as it had been rumored to be, it wasn't 'bluesy' like we assumed it would be. The music is contemporary riff driven rock.
Fast forward to the fall of 2023 where Mars found himself a few months removed from MOTLEY CRUE. Months before that it was revealed that the songs that Mars and Corabi had collaborated on had been shelved. A surprising collaborator is WINGER keyboardist/guitarist Paul Taylor who was instrumental on the songwriting and arranging side, along with engineer Chris Collier who has worked with bands like PRONG that are on the heavier side of things. On The Other Side of Mars, Mick handles guitar duties, something that was shared with ghost musicians in his previous band since Generation Swine. Rounding out the band on The Other Side of Mars are Paul Taylor on keys, Jacob Bunton and Brion Gamboa on vocals, Ray Luzier on drums, and Chris Collier on bass.
The highlights on the album include "Loyal To The Lie", a rocker that's at times chaotic and eerie. "Broken On The Inside" is a modern metal that has a slow sludgy start before it picks up the pummeling pace. "Killing Breed" is another slow but pounding tune that really hits the mark. "Right Side of Wrong" could have been lifted from a STONE TEMPLE PILOTS album. "LA Noir" has a retro 50s ambient vibe to it, but it totally works as an album closer.
Mars has put together an eclectic, modern, powerful collection of songs that have been brilliantly executed by Mars and his supporting cast. Mars has already gone on record that he has been working on music for a follow up album. I can't wait.
4.0 Out Of 5.0
