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MICK MARS
The Other Side Of Mars

1313 / LLC / MRI (2024)
Rating: 7.5/10

Legendary ex-Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars has provided some of the greatest riffs ever; slick, crunchy yet criminally underrated metallic creations that became the soundtrack to my teenage years and beyond. After escaping the circus of his former band, Mars has finally got round to releasing a solo album that has been in the works for some time. Believe me, this is the kind of album that should have been released in the mid-to-late 90s because it has that aching grunge vibe, something which the Crüe attempted on their brace of 90s releases.

To an extent I can live without that era where bands who initially started out as raw and hungry individuals sucked up to trends and labels and muddied their sound for want of an apparent coolness, although Mötley Crüe did succeed with their 1994 self-titled opus fronted by John Corabi. So, Mick Mars follows suit with a dark, brooding beast of a record that is head and shoulders above the solo outputs of Vince Neil and Tommy Lee (although to be fair, Lee’s rapcore was an abomination), and it’s also a far better record than those sanitised Sixx:A.M. releases. However, in my opinion, not as rock ‘n’ roll as the sleaze-edged and riotous Brides Of Destruction.

The Other Side Of Mars showcases exactly that, another side of the axeman while not necessarily veering too far away from some of his former band’s chunkier, shadier grooves. Mars teased us initially with the track ‘Loyal To The Lie’, a seemingly vengeful cut slithering with a menacing riff and Gothic horror video. Strangely, I drew comparisons with some of Ozzy Osbourne’s videos and even post 90s crunch, so in reality the actual other side of Mars is what I’ve always expected; industrial-tinged (‘Ain’t Going Back’), seething (‘Right Side Of Wrong’) and the poignantly stark (‘Broken On The Inside’).

All of these noir-crafted songs (except two, sung by Brion Gamboa) are led by vocalist Jacob Bunton. Meanwhile, the rest of the ensemble consists of bassist Chris Collier, who has worked with Fear Factory and Prong, drummer Ray Luzier (Korn) and keyboardist Paul Taylor, who co-wrote many of the tracks with Mars and has worked previously with Alice Cooper and Winger.

While many may be surprised by Mars’ output I actually find it somewhat predictable at times even through its quality. The Alice In Chains-esque moodiness, the haunting storminess and the reflective despondency from Mars as a result of being a chronic pain survivor of spondylitis; all this from a figure who has broken the shackles of a previous existence, but almost regrettably too late in his 72 year old life.

‘Undone’ – with Gamboa – epitomizes the album as Mars, adorned in black and somewhat cadaverous in form, unleashes a far reaching yet despairing riff before the grunge-soaked chorus of this ominous ballad. The same could also be said for ‘Killing Breed’, which also features Brion, and the plodding ‘Alone’, but I do have some major issues with these types of tracks because their dynamics are common in their glossy Gothic-ness, see also Alice Cooper’s nu-metal chugfest Brutal Planet (2000). In fact, an abundance of bands were opting for this sound in the 1990s and into the 2000s; a contemporary frost crossed with a glinting, almost soulless grunge which Crüe opted for on songs like ‘If I Die Tomorrow’ and ‘Afraid’. Thankfully, Mars does mix it up on ballad ‘Memories’ and the deep blues on instrumental ‘LA Noir’, but I do find that this album is somewhat unfocused at times, and doesn’t actually benefit from having two vocalists.

I still think a majority, if not all reviews for this record will be positive, as is this one, but that grunge-fuelled air of pristine white in contrast with a sparkling blackness opens up too many old wounds for me. Yes, Mick Mars still rocks, he always will, but that dark melancholic side I saw coming a mile off among those long shadows, icy riffs and chattering bats feels and sounds a bit obvious.

Neil Arnold

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