Pekka
It can safely be said that the last Mötley Crüe album that received any kind of respect and/or commercial success was 1989's Dr. Feelgood. After that they fired their vocalist, made a flop of an album, re-hired the old singer and made an album that flopped even more, and then lost their drummer and made an album that nobody noticed. And now 19 years after their last triumph Vince is there, Tommy is there and Nikki and Mick are obviously still where they always were. But are the songs?
Yes. Written mostly by Nikki Sixx with a group of helping hands including the newest Gunner DJ Ashba and producer James Michael the album includes many pieces that challenge their very best material from the 80s. Much like Shout at the Devil in 1983 the album begins with a short, atmospheric intro build up, though this time about the perils of Los Angeles rather than the children of the beast, which then kicks into an infectious rocker called Face Down in the Dirt. That chorus will stick in your head for a long time.
Down at the Whiskey, the title track, Animal in Me, Goin' Out Swingin'... Many more quality cuts to carry the album proudly to the finish line, but just like the Devil 25 years ago, this album has its share of weaker tracks, like What's It Gonna Take and This Ain't a Love Song. Not necessarily very weak, but weaker than the best of the selection. Anyway, after almost two decades of experimentation or just casually being lost at sea, the band is back with a vengeance, tackling the high energy glam metal of the glory days.
But in addition to the creepy nippleless chicks on the cover, one major flaw of the album is the very compressed sound, which can be pretty hard on the ears at least in headphone listening. In the louder parts, and I presume nobody is surprised by the fact that that's pretty much all this album has, it feels like everything is squeezed though a tiny tube and then blown on the eardrum. Somebody should have brought their 1994 self titled album to the studio to check how proper heaviness is achieved without sacrificing sound quality.
I believe many old time fans to be satisfied with this one, at least a newcomer like me spins it pretty much just as often as the early works. Recommended.