Singles Roundup: Mick Mars, Lucifer, Sister Shotgun, & Exit Eden

Let's dip into the ol' jukebox to see what we have this week.

Mick Mars - Loyal To The Lie

After at least a decade of being teased, we finally have the first song from Mick's first solo album. After all that talk, and his status as a 'legend', it's odd to see he's working with the guy who was mostly responsible for the shockingly good one-and-done album put out by Steven Adler's band just called Adler. Sadly, this song is not nearly on that level, as the sound Mick is going for is darker and dare I say more grunge, which I don't think plays well into the construction. It's heavy, yes, but the riff is more of the grinding kind that doesn't scream great guitar playing, and the tone doesn't leave as much room for a strong chorus. It's fine, and I don't think the other members of Motley Crue can do any better without serious help from outside songwriters, but I expected far more for as long as this has been in the incubator.

Lucifer - At The Mortuary

One of the albums we already know will be rolling out in the early part of next year is "Lucifer V", from which this latest single comes. Lucifer dares not stray from their formula, and I don't blame them. They've mastered the sound of old black-and-white horror-noir, and so long as they deliver good songs, there's no need to change. The issue has always been that no matter how much I like them, something about the delivery has a bit of that old white noise to it, and it doesn't stick in my memory. I'm feeling the same thing about this song, but when it's playing, I'm always charmed by another dose of their occult rock fun.

Sister Shotgun - Fin Du Monde

I still regularly listen to Sister Shotgun's album, "Fragments", so seeing them return is a nice boost. That record was modern and heavy, but packed with hooks, all delivered with Chloe's powerful and unique voice. I wish I could say this new song lives up to that standard, but they have leaned even harder into being modern, so much so that it has very little trace of the classic metal they were updating the last time we heard them. This is even more precise and robotic, and it saps the life right out of the song. It isn't bad, but it doesn't have the same power as their previous work. The talent is there, but it's pointed slightly off the target.

Exit Eden - Run

Why? Why? Why did this project that was a fun symphonic metal take on hit pop songs have to decide to write their own original material? I'm not sure who was clamoring for it, but it doesn't make any sense to me, because generic symphonic metal like this song doesn't feel or sound anything like what that first record gave us. And the fact they are apparently going to have the new record be roughly half original and half covers is only going to make it even more difficult to put the pieces together in my mind. I have wondered over the years if they were going to ever grace us with another record, and I would have liked to hear more metal pop covers, but I can do without this kind of song. Sorry.