Mötley Crüe -- 'Saints of Los Angeles' [review]

Mötley Crüe - Saints of Los Angeles
Eleven Seven Music (6/24/08)
Hard rock

It might have taken upwards of 19 years to do, but the original members of Mötley Crüe finally got together and crafted the album no one thought they had left in them—a proper follow-up to Dr. Feelgood.

Some are talking about the autobiographical nature of the album; the "concept" nature of proceedings. But truthfully, this is the album fans were waiting for back in '91 or '92. And that's not to say this is a retro album, or that it sounds out-of-place in today's musical landscape. It's quite the contrary. Crüe bassist and mastermind Nikki Sixx has always continued to grow and develop over the years, from his work with the Brides of Destruction to the Sixx A.M. project, and has strived to remain relevant over the years. If anything, it was that, coupled with the fact singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee stayed busy through the years, too, that made the band able to slip back into a comfortable situation. Mick Mars might have had his own problems (health, etc.), but it's not like the Crüe was lying dormant, either.

One Way Mirror -- 'One Way Mirror' [review]

One Way Mirror - One Way Mirror
Metal Blade Records (7/22/08)
Hard rock / Metal / Industrial rock

Side projects and super-groups are nothing new. It's usually just a bunch of friends drawn together by the desire to create a certain type of music that might not necessarily fit into what the individual members do in their respective bands. In this case, One Way Mirror looks to combine metal and rock into a fiery concoction, turgid with melody and anything else into which the band seems willing to sink its teeth.

A super-group of sorts, featuring members of Soilwork (drummer Dirk Verbeuren), Lyzanxia (guitarists David and Frank Potvin), Scarve (Loic Colin on bass) and Mnemic (frontman Guillaume), the band tackles this rock-metal goliath blending the best of both genres, leaning toward the heavier end of the spectrum.

Of course, it's not an entirely new approach, and throughout this self-titled album, One Way Mirror draws similarities to the likes of Atreyu or older Powerman 5000 (without the funk) and a bunch of turn-of-the-millennium one-hit wonders more than a few times while also throwing in hefty doses of industrial influence, heavy (as hell) metal and other melodic nuances for good measure.

There are plenty of killer guitar solos (check out the ending of "ReDream" or "Danger Calling"), and the band isn't afraid to let the bass work take center stage (opener "Destination Device" or "Sockracer"). One Way Mirror is happy to attempt to recast itself as an industrial beast, even if only for a few moments (check out the aforementioned opener or “Keeping Me Away”), though that usually means using distorted singing techniques more than anything else.

One Way Mirror also isn't afraid to infuse plenty of melody into the tracks, creating some truly catchy tunes in the process. The aforementioned "ReDream" is instantly infectious, and could probably find a home on plenty of modern-rock radio stations. The same goes for "21st Century", though it's refreshing to see a band take that approach without turning its back on what got it to the dance, so to speak—with plenty of screams, double-bass drumming and chunky riffs splattered throughout this album to keep metalheads happy.

In fact, the only misfire on the disc would have to be the questionable cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax". If ever there was a song that was not screaming for a do-over, it would be this one. And you can't even enjoy it from a "wow, that was unique" standpoint since Powerman 5000 did the same thing several years earlier. They try their damnedest, but the entire track falls way short.

Of course, one out of eleven ain't too bad—the other ten tracks are raucous affairs that are sure to satisfy plenty of metal and rock lovers out there. One Way Mirror isn't trying anything new, but you don't always have to reinvent the wheel to make a good album.