{"id":9608,"date":"2008-06-24T00:00:57","date_gmt":"2008-06-24T00:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=9608"},"modified":"2013-06-01T15:09:57","modified_gmt":"2013-06-01T15:09:57","slug":"album-review-motley-crue-saints-of-los-angeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-motley-crue-saints-of-los-angeles\/","title":{"rendered":"M\u00d6TLEY CR\u00dcE – Saints Of Los Angeles (2008) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

M\u00d6TLEY CR\u00dcE
Saints Of Los Angeles<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nM\u00f6tley (2008)<\/span>
Rating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

I think it\u2019s fair to say that despite the soap opera lifestyles of the M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce<\/a> guys, this band has stood the test of time, from the glam metal era, right through to the hazy grunge invasion and to the modern. It\u2019s also fair to say that Saints Of Los Angeles<\/em> is probably the bands best record since the classic Dr. Feelgood<\/em> in 1989.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s amazing just how many of these types of bands have managed to evolve with the times, especially when you consider how derided the so-called \u201chair metal\u201d era was all those years ago. The mid-to-late 90s was a taxing time for bands that made their money in the 80s and everything had become so serious and bereft of image, but the true musicians shine through with great songwriting prowess.<\/p>\n

M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce 2008 is a truly metallic beast pumped up to the nines and taking no prisoners. This time round bass god Nikki Sixx has enlisted the help of not just fellow band members, but friend and all round great guitarist DJ Ashba (Guns N\u2019 Roses), Sixx AM vocalist James Michael and songwriter Marti Frederiksen to stir this cauldron. The result is 12 solid balls of rock, fronted by the inimitable Vince Neil, whose nasal whine, although mocked over the years, has remained as distinctive and somehow charming as it almost cracks under the high note pressure.<\/p>\n

M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce have always had the songs, but at times lacked the camaraderie to be the respected band they have finally managed to be. Even so, the friction has somehow kept the band on their toes, and Saints Of Los Angeles<\/em> is proof that nothing is better than an original Cr\u00fce line-up.<\/p>\n

And so, after a brief intro (\u2018L.A.M.F.\u2019) we\u2019re hit full in the face by the bruising \u2018Face Down In The Dirt\u2019, which whispers itself across the floor under Vince\u2019s hushed tones of: \u201cIt\u2019s a dirty job but someone\u2019s gotta do it\u201d<\/em>, before we are molested by Mick Mars\u2019 killer riff which walks hand in hand with Tommy Lee\u2019s battering ram of a drum. Mick Mars is probably metal\u2019s most underrated guitarist, a man who despite illness has churned out memorable riff after memorable riff over the years, backed by partners in crime Lee and the imposing Sixx.<\/p>\n

One thing I immediately notice about this album is the raw energy and almost 80s-style lyrics. Maybe these were songs written in the 80s, as there seems to be a reflective feel to them, especially on \u2018Down At The Whisky\u2019 and the joyous bubblegum rock of \u2018Chicks = Trouble\u2019 which sounds like it\u2019s been plucked from 80s.<\/p>\n

Even so, despite the almost cheesy pomp of said tracks, the band shines most on the fantastic \u2018What\u2019s It Gonna Take\u2019 which features one of the finest metal riffs I\u2019ve ever heard on that chorus. Mars\u2019 guitar just rolls from the speakers, as once again the lyrics are reflective, with Neil commentating on those early days when the band struggled to get a record deal. It\u2019s an infectious track with a truly gnarly vocal, but it\u2019s the mid-section of the album that cements Cr\u00fce\u2019s place in metal history as such a formidable rock \u2019n\u2019 roll act.<\/p>\n

The title track creeps in on a menacing bass line and then rushes headlong into the bastard offspring of \u2018Wildside\u2019 from 1987\u2019s Girls, Girls, Girls<\/em> opus. Neil\u2019s choppy raps lead to a chanted, anthemic chorus that sticks in the ears, but it\u2019s the brutishly titled \u2018Mutherfucker Of The Year\u2019 that stands alone. It shuffles in on a grunge-infested guitar and Tommy\u2019s wildebeest stampede of a drum before lurching into a staggering, arrogant chorus. Mars is truly electrifying on this, the album\u2019s heaviest moment that drifts into what can only be described as a hair metal ballad for the modern day.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Animal In Me\u2019 is a dark, brooding masterpiece featuring some lustful lyrics which delivers with sleazy aplomb. \u201cLying in my bed with their hands tied up, I knew it all along that it wasn\u2019t enough\u201d<\/em> sounds like the words of a serial killer, the track exploding into a crescendo of booming drums and sweeping guitars. \u2018The Animal In Me\u2019 seems to exist as the more menacing relative to the punkoid jerk of \u2018This Ain\u2019t A Love Song\u2019.<\/p>\n

The band shift effortlessly between darkness and light, always remaining ragged in between, especially on the maniacal chug of \u2018Just Another Psycho\u2019 and the more uptempo \u2018Welcome To The Machine\u2019 and \u2018Goin\u2019 Out Swingin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Saints Of Los Angeles<\/em> really is a slab of a record, well produced by James Michael who gives it a polished feel. The glint of the guitar blinds the eye and it\u2019s fair to say I\u2019ve never heard the band sound so fresh. I just hope we don\u2019t have to wait too long for the next one, but what with Nikki Sixx\u2019s various projects and the usual dramatics one would expect from a bunch of multi-millionaires, Saints Of Los Angeles<\/em> could well be, like so many other Cr\u00fce records, the rumoured last word. If it is then it\u2019s a storming way to go out, but I think they\u2019ll be back because without M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce, and countless other so-called \u201c80s bands\u201d, music just wouldn\u2019t be the same.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

M\u00d6TLEY CR\u00dcESaints Of Los Angeles M\u00f6tley (2008)Rating: 8.5\/10 I think it\u2019s fair to say that despite the soap opera lifestyles of the M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce guys, this band has stood the test of time, from the glam metal era, right through to the hazy grunge invasion and to the modern. It\u2019s also fair to say that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[485],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-motley-crue"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9608"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12150,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9608\/revisions\/12150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}