Mick Mars – The Other Side of Mars – 2024
The Other Side of Mars might be one of the most anticipated albums in a long time. We have all followed the feud between Mick Mars and his former bandmates in Mötley Crüe. I’m not sure if I got all the latest and greatest details in the story. Apparently, he quit touring with the band due to health issues. I’m pretty impressed he managed to keep going for so long with his ankylosing spondylitis – a chronic, inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis [source Wikipedia]. The band then fired him altogether and Hired John 5 to replace him. Following ing that Mick Mars sued them and claimed that they weren’t performing live, that Nikki SIxx tried to gaslight him etc. It’s a really long story and I don’t think that it has come to an end when I write this.
As far as I understand it, the album, The Other Side of Mars has been a rumor going on for several years. In fact, so many years that it has started to become a myth among the fans. A few weeks ago a single turned up though – Loyal to the Lie. I don’t know what it’s really about but I interpret it as not telling about all the bullshit going on behind the closed curtain of the money machine called Mötley Crüe. It goes together with all things going on. But the lyrics are pretty general so it could be about anything really. it could be about any part of the culture of silence that is so popular to criticize these days. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a good thing to bring to the surface.
The Other Side of Mars is perfectly titled. It’s a play with words of course. First of all, meaning the other side of Mick Mars’s musicianship. Something else than the typical sound of Mötley Crüe. And it really is, this is music that wouldn’t fit a Mötley Crüe album. Hence, it’s another side of the guitarist. It’s not those easy glam metal melodies and riffs. This is more adult-orientated Metal or Hardrock. There are ballads, distorted voices, and a more modern sound altogether. It’s also has a lot of bass on it. I’m talking about the frequency and not the instrument. Of course, there’s the instrument as well and it’s easy to follow the basslines.
But I’m not a fan of really dark bass sounds. I think it ruins the experience a bit for me. It’s clear enough to work. If it were too blurry I would ruin it totally for me. It’s really on the edge here. Sometimes I feel like it’s a disaster and sometimes I think it works. But overall, the sound is a bit too dark for me. Funny really, I don’t mind a really dark guitar sound. It’s just when the low end of the bass is a bit too loud I get problems. With that said I think that The Other Side of Mars is pretty well produced. There’s no doubt that Mick is a great guitarist. Maybe this will grow a bit on me when I listen more to it but the first impression is that it has a little too uninteresting melodies for me.
