The last five years have been hectic for former Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars. The year 2019 saw Motley Crue reunite for the first time since 2015. By 2022, Mars announced he was retiring from touring with the band. That would be when it all came to a screaming halt as Mars sued his former Motley Crue members. It is cited by Mars that he was removed due to a medical issue and by January of this year, Mars won his court-order battle against his former band.
In the wake of all the chaos, Mars finally released his new, long-awaited solo record, The Other Side of Mars on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. The Other Side of Mars contains 10 songs that have a total run time of 39 minutes.
Joining Mars’ on the record is Jacob Bunton on lead vocals, Chris Collier on bass, Ray Luzier on drums and Paul Taylor on keyboards.
The first song off the record, “Loyal to the Lie,” is a hard rock in-your-face track that showcases Mars’ skill as one of the best 80’s guitarists of all time. What works on this track is the heaviness of Luzier’s drums which creates that driving fast beat that can be heard on the entire record.
Throughout the record, the style of Bunton’s voice is very similar to Michael Starr of the band Steel Panther. Bunton’s voice combined with Mars’ guitar is a pairing that compliments each other very well and they both bring out the best in each other.
Track four, “Killing Breed,” is one of the heaviest songs on the record. The beat from Luzier’s drums feels suffocating and heart-pounding. I like the sound of this song because it’s not the type of sound that I would associate Mars with. It’s different, it’s unique and it’s surprisingly Mars-like all rolled up into a five-minute and 45-second track.
As listeners turn to track five, “Memories,” they are brought to a very pleasant surprise. “Memories” is a string/piano-infused track such shows Mars’ non Motley Crue side. Having “Memories” right in the center of the record does a great job of breaking the album up into two different sections.
The song that appears immediately after “Memories,” is “Right Side of Wrong.” This track is a classic meat and potatoes hard rock song that Mars has made his living on. Any metalhead can get hooked on this track’s heavy tune and can comfortably headbang to Mars’ guitar and the sweet vocals of Bunton.
One of my favorite albums on the record is track nine, “Ain’t Going Back.” This metal/hard rock tune fits Mars’ perfectly. From Luzier beating the life out of his drums to Collier anchoring the song down on bass, there isn’t much that fans can hate from this song. Mars’ provides his signature sound without getting too flashy on guitar. If there is a standout song on this album it would be this track.
Like every typical guitarist’s solo album, the last track is usually an instrumental. Track 10, “LA Noir,” is Mars’ bread and butter in terms of guitar playing. The three-minute and 43-second guitar masterpiece is melodic and beautiful and will have guitar fanatics of Mars studying each note.
What’s refreshing about Mars’ new album is that it’s different from the Motley Crue sound. Fans of Mars, including myself were gearing up to hear similar sounds of Motley Crue’s juggernaut records Shout at the Devil, Dr. Feelgood and Girls Girls Girls. Instead, fans received a harder, rawer, and hungrier record.
This record is a classic hard album with a modern-day twist that shows just how skilled of a guitarist Mars’ truly is. This album alone showed just how brilliant Mars’ is as a guitarist and how one man alone can shape the entire sound of a band and leave a lasting impact on one genre of music.
Rating:
6.5/10
Tracklist:
1. Loyal to the Lie
2. Broken on the Inside
3. Alone
4. Killing Breed
5. Memories
6. Right Side of Wrong
7. Ready to Roll
8. Undone
9. Ain’t Going Back
10. LA Noir
Mick Mars’ Band Is:
Mick Mars – Guitar
Jacob Bunton – Lead Vocals
Chris Collier – Bass,
Ray Luzier – Drums
Paul Taylor – Keyboards
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My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in New York/New Jersey and go to school in Connecticut majoring in Journalism and I am always looking for the next concert to attend.
