Mick Mars unleashes heavy solo single 'Loyal to the Lie' and announces debut album
Watch the Halloween themed music video
Former Mötley Crüe guitarist and co-founder Mick Mars has unleashed his debut solo single ‘Loyal to the Lie’ and its accompanying music video.
Much heavier than his output with Mötley Crüe, ‘Loyal to the Lie’ centres on crushing riffs from Mick Mars and powerhouse vocals from Jacob Bunton.
The track is Mick Mars’ first musical output since he exited Mötley Crüe in highly acrimonious circumstances in October 2022. Mars later launched legal action against his former band sparking a war of words in the media.
‘Loyal to the Lie’ comes complete with an aptly scary music video for its Halloween premiere that’s packed with images of serial killers and nods towards many classic horror movies.
Watch Mick Mars’ ‘Loyal to the Lie’ video:
‘Loyal to the Lie’ is the tantalising first taster of Mick Mars’ debut solo album ‘The Other Side Of Mars’, which is released on Friday 23rd February 2024 via his own label 1313, LLC, in partnership with MRI.
Explaining the album title, Mick Mars say: "When it comes to my playing, there's the Mötley side and the Mars side. Either way, I always have a very clear vision of what I want to do."
Commenting on the musical direction of the 10-track album, Mars adds: "There's a lot of ideas that I have that, I don't want to call them 'left,' but they are, you know what I mean?
"My feeling has always been, I might gain some fans, I might lose some fans. But what they're hearing, it's all me."
A key contributor to ‘The Other Side of Mars’ was Winger and former Alice Cooper keyboardist Paul Taylor, who, in addition to performing on the record and assisting Mars in co-writing many of the tracks, introduced the guitarist to powerhouse vocalist Jacob Bunton.
Mars says of Bunton: "Jacob came into the studio and it was like, bam! And I just said, 'Yeah, he's the guy.' And most of his vocals were one take."
Together with Mick Mars, Jacob Bunton and Paul Taylor, the band on ‘The Other Side of Mars’ also includes Korn’s Ray Luzier on drums, bassist Chris Collier and singer Brion Gamboa, who contributed lead vocals to two songs.
Mars reflects, "those required a little bit more of an angsty, desperation kind of thing. And Brion really came to the table with that."
Alongside playing bass on all songs recorded, Collier mixed and mastered the debut solo album.
Despite just announcing ‘The Other Side Of Mars’, Mars has also revealed he’s already started work on the follow-up record.
"I'm trying to keep growing," Mars says. "Because if you stop learning new things, if you stop playing new things, if you close your mind, you're done. You have to keep moving and creating. Next!"
Mick Mars’ ‘The Other Side of Mars’ track-listing:
Loyal To The Lie
Broken On The Inside
Alone
Killing Breed
Memories
Right Side Of Wrong
Ready To Roll
Undone
Ain't Going Back
LA Noir
The real names of 100 rock stars, including Mick Mars:
Cozy Powell’s real name: Colin Trevor Flooks
Alex Lifeson’s real name: Alexandar Živojinović
'Lifeson' is a semi-literal English translation of the Yugoslavian surname Živojinović, which means 'son of life'
Ginger Baker's real name: Peter Edward Baker
John 5’s real name: John William Lowery
Yngwie Malmsteen’s real name: Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback
Rudy Sarzo’s real name: Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont
Eric Carr's real name: Paul Charles Caravello
Vinnie Vincent’s real name: Vincent John Cusano
Tina Turner’s real name: Anna Mae Bullock
King Diamond’s real name: Kim Bendix Petersen
Joey Tempest's real name: Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson
Michael Monroe’s real name: Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm
Mikkey Dee’s real name: Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou
Jonathan Cain’s real name: Jonathan Leonard Friga
Nikki Sixx's real name: Frank Ferrano
Steven Adler’s real name: Michael Coletti
Axl Rose's real name: William Bruce Rose
Bon Scott's real name: Ronald Belford Scott
Fish’s real name: Derek William Dick
Eddie Vedder's real name: Edward Louis Severson III
Peter Criss’ real name: George Peter John Criscuola
Freddie Mercury's real name: Farrokh Bulsara
Flea's real name: Michael Peter Balzary
Perry Farrell's real name: Perry Bernstein
Geddy Lee’s real name: Gary Lee Weinrib
Mick Mars' real name: Robert Deal
Tré Cool's real name: Frank Edwin Wright III
Courtney Love's real name: Courtney Michelle Harrison
Pat Smear's real name: Georg Albert Ruthenberg
Gene Simmons' real name: Chaim Klein Witz
Spike’s real name: Jonathan Gray
Iggy Pop's real name: James Newell Osterberg, JR.
Alice Cooper's real name: Vincent Damon Furnier
Slash's real name: Saul Hudson
Mike Dirnt's real name: Michael Ryan Pritchard
Ronnie James Dio's real name: Ronald James Padavona
Brody Dalle's real name: Bree Joanna Alice Robinson
Skin's real name: Deborah Anne Dyer
Nicky Wire's real name: Nicholas Jones
Amy Lee's real name: Amy Lynn Hartzler
Bill Wyman's real name: William Perks
Izzy Stradlin's real name: Jeffrey Isbell
Paul Stanley's real name: Stanley Eisen
Vince Neil's real name: Vincent Neil Wharton
Duff McKagan's real name: Michael McKagan
Jack Black’s real name: Thomas Jacob Black
Lemmy's real name: Ian Fraser Kilmister
John Paul Jones' real name: John Baldwin
Joan Jett's real name: Joan Larkin
Eric Clapton's real name: Eric Patrick Clapp
Siouxsie Sioux's real name: Susan Janet Ballion
Rachel Bolan’s real name: James Richard Southworth
David Bowie's real name: David Robert Hayward Stenton Jones
Little Richard's real name: Richard Wayne Penniman
Sid Vicious' real name: John Simon Ritchie
Ace Frehley's real name: Paul Daniel Frehley
Lou Reed's real name: Louis Firbank
Joe Strummer's real name: John Graham Mellor
Marc Bolan's real name: Mark Feld
The Edge's real name: David Howell Evans
Meat Loaf's real name: Marvin Lee Aday
Steven Tyler's real name: Steven Victor Tallarico
Ozzy Osbourne's real name: John Michael Osbourne
Jon Bon Jovi's real name: John Francis Bongiovi
Joey Belladonna’s real name: Joseph Bellardini
Jack White's real name: John Anthony Gillis
Bono's real name: Paul David Hewson
Sting's real name: Gordon Sumner
Billy Idol’s real name: William Michael Albert Broad
Geezer Butler’s real name: Terence Butler
Pat Benatar’s real name: Patricia Mae Giraldo
Bo Diddley’s real name: Ellas McDaniel
Muddy Waters’ real name: McKinley Morganfield
Stevie Nicks’ real name: Stephanie Lynn Nicks
Doro’s real name: Dorothee Pesch
Sebastian Bach’s real name: Sebastian Philip Bierk
Joe Perry’s real name: Joseph Pereira
Jimi Hendrix’s real name: James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix)
Zakk Wylde’s real name: Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt
Maynard James Keenan’s real name: James Herbert Keenan
Blaze Bayley’s real name: Bayley Alexander Cooke
Biff Byford's real name: Peter Rodney Byford
M. Shadows' real name: Matthew Charles Sanders
Syd Barrett's real name: Roger Keith Barrett
Chris Jericho's real name: Christopher Keith Irvine
Ginger Wildheart's real name: David Leslie Walls
Paul Di'Anno's real name: Paul Andrews
Phil X’s real name: Theofilos Xenidis
Peter Green’s real name: Peter Allen Greenbaum
Nicko McBrain’s real name: Michael Henry McBrain
Noddy Holder’s real name: Neville John Holder
Steel Panther’s real names
Michael Starr: Ralph Michael Saenz, Satchel: Russell John Parrish, Stix Zadinia: Darren Leader, Spyder: Joe Lester.