Motley Crue is working on new music with longtime producer Bob Rock.
Bassist Nikki Sixx detailed the ongoing process in a recent Instagram post. “I’m sure you all know how important lyrics are to me. This new set feels more personal since we haven’t recorded anything new in a while,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself writing on a notepad. “The studio is a highly creative space, and with us recording, I thought I’d try to get a creative head start on some of these for Vince [Neil]. I got one done and gonna try to wrap up the next one and show it to the guys.”
Sixx also spoke highly of Rock, who began working with Motley Crue on 1989’s chart-topping Dr. Feelgood and has helmed several successive projects. “Bob Rock is pushing us hard and bringing out the best in us,” Sixx enthused. “Tommy [Lee] is playing his ass off. Jesus, these drums sound huge. [I’ll] probably lay down my final bass tracks in the next few days. John [5] is so fast I’m sure he will get all the songs done in just a few days. But then again, Bob Rock loves those huge walls of guitars so it could take a moment.”
John 5, who became the band’s touring guitarist following Mick Mars‘ retirement from the road last October, also expressed his excitement over the new material. “What you have written so far completely blows my mind,” he commented on Sixx’s post. “Really amazing work, buddy.”
Motley Crue released their last full-length album, Saints of Los Angeles, in 2008. Their most recent batch of new music arrived in 2019 when they recorded three original songs and a cover of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” for The Dirt soundtrack. Rock produced the new material.
Sixx tempered fans’ excitement about a prospective new Motley Crue album by adding that he had no release date in mind. “When will it come out? Not sure,” he said. “We haven’t thought that far down the line. Just letting the music guide us.”
This news arrives amid Motley Crue’s public feud with Mars, who sued his bandmates earlier this month for allegedly ripping him off financially and trying to fully remove him from the band following his retirement from touring. Mars insisted that he remains a shareholder in the band and is thus entitled to earn money off their future endeavors, whereas the rest of the band interpreted his move as a full-fledged retirement.
Ironically, a new Motley Crue album contradicts the argument put forth by the band’s legal team. ”Retiring from touring is resigning from the band,” litigation attorney Sasha Frid recently told Variety regarding Mars’ lawsuit. “The band’s primary function is to tour and perform concerts. And as you saw from the amendment, if a shareholder resigns, he cannot receive any compensation from touring — which is what Mick is trying to get. It’s clear-cut that Mick is not entitled to any more money.”
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