In a new interview with Rockklassiker, Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe opened up about the mixed reactions to the band’s latest single, “Dogs of War.”
“We like the fact that there was kind of a knee-jerk reaction, because at least people were listening,” Nikki said. “It’s a very strange time now where, whether it’s a news cycle or socials, everybody has turned into a critic. And I always say, they’ve never erected a statue of a critic. It’s never happened, right? It’s always the artist. But now everybody’s a critic. So within a short amount of time, we get, ‘We love it.’ ‘We hate it.’ ‘You’re over.’ ‘You’ve reinvented yourself.’ ‘It sounds like ‘Shout At The Devil’. ‘It sucks.’ And we just kind of sit there and go, ‘That’s cool, guys, but we didn’t really ask for any input from you.’ We’re just artists writing music, and we’re pretty cool. I’m happy with it. I like it.”
Mötley Crüe unveiled their latest single, “Dogs Of War,” on April 26, under their new collaboration with Nashville’s Big Machine Records.
More than a year ago, Mötley Crüe teamed up with their longtime producer Bob Rock to record three new tracks, including “Dogs Of War” and a cover of the Beastie Boys‘ “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!).”
In an earlier interview with Desert Sun, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee talked about the three new tracks that he and his bandmates had worked on.
“Wait until you hear it. It’s insane,” he said. “It’s not a full album, but that might be down the road a bit. We’re always writing and doing stuff, so that’s always a possibility down the road. But we just went to the studio not too long ago and recorded three insane tracks and one of them is called ‘Dogs Of War’. We’re just finishing up the video for it. For those jonesing for some new CRÜE, people are going to bug out. [New Mötley Crüe guitarist] John 5 is playing on it, the guitar work is incredible and it sounds sick.”
“Dogs Of War” marks the debut studio performance of John 5, who replaced the longtime guitarist Mick Mars in 2022.
In April 2023, Mars filed a lawsuit against his Mötley Crüe bandmates, claiming he was wrongfully dismissed by his “brothers of 41 years.”
Mick‘s lawsuit alleges that after he announced his decision to stop touring, the band reduced his share of earnings from 25 percent to just 5 percent. He also claims that the band’s lawyers implied he should be grateful for even this reduced amount, suggesting they owed him nothing.
Moreover, a complete band meeting was held where they chose to exclude Mick from the band without any consent. Mick also asserted that Nikki Sixx‘s segments were all pre-recorded, and he did not “play a single note on bass” throughout the tour, as mentioned by the guitarist.
Writer and extreme metal devotee, Ialdagorth has spent over a decade covering the darkest corners of heavy music. A black metal lifer, he spends his free time wandering the Carpathian Mountains, likely humming blast beats to the trees.
