Sixx:A.M. – Modern Vintage

Following on from 2011’s ‘This is Gonna Hurt’, Sixx:A.M. have returned with their third full length album; Modern Vintage which is out now.

From the very first track ‘Stars’ the listener is under no illusion that this is a record full of big sounding choruses and catchy hooks. James Michael’s vocals are exemplary and suit the music perfectly, DJ Ashba’s guitar work is technically excellent in both his soloing and rhythm parts (check out that solo in ‘Hyperventilate’), while Nikki Sixx backs things up nicely with a steady set of bass lines that are never too flamboyant but do just enough to drive the songs on rhythmically.

‘Gotta get it Right’ is a classic example of those catchy choruses, Michael’s vocals at full stretch with an almost falsetto-opening note. This is one of those tracks that if you hear it in the morning, you end up with it in your head all day.

‘Let’s Go’ and ‘Give Me A Love’ are slightly harder edged songs and closest to being all-out rockers, though in saying that everything seems fairly radio friendly and definitely not anything that would tell you that a member of Mötley Crüe is also a member of this line-up.

When you hear that elements from Guns ‘N Roses and Mötley Crüe are coming together in a musical melting pot, in all honesty, I really was expecting something completely different from this, maybe something a bit edgier, and maybe a bit heavier too. I have to say initially I found it to sound like My Chemical Romance’s ‘Welcome to The Black Parade’, but without the swagger and attitude and I didn’t like it at all. But as I’ve listened to it for review, I realize that these are guys who have seen & done it all and are at a point that they are having fun and enjoying music away from their ‘day jobs’. So what if it doesn’t have crushing guitars and screaming vocals, it’s not meant to. The music is of such a high quality that collectively, it forms a record of hugely infectious songs that has the potential to appeal to a wide audience and achieve huge amount of airplay, and if we’re honest, what artist doesn’t want that?

Track Listing:
1. Stars
2. Gotta Get It Right
3. Relief
4. Get Ya Some
5. Let’s Go
6. Drive
7. Give Me A Love
8. Hyperventilate
9. High On The Music
10. Miracle
11. Before It’s Over
12. Before It’s Over (Piano Ballad)
13. Stars (Cinematic)
14. Gotta Get It Right (Acoustic)
15. Let It Haunt You (So Beautiful)

Band Lineup:
Nikki Sixx [bass/backing vocals] DJ Ashba [lead guitar/backing vocals
James Michael [lead vocals/rhythm guitar/keyboards/drum programming]

Band Links:
http://sixxammusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/sixxammusic
https://twitter.com/sixxam