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Nikki Sixx just marked 25 years of sobriety, and true to form, the Mötley Crüe bassist didn’t phone in a generic milestone post. According to a message the 67-year-old shared on Instagram Thursday, July 2, sobriety didn’t just get him clean — it built him a family, a marriage, and a creative life he says he never thought he’d get to have. This is a guy who once wrote an entire book about the darkest years of his addiction, so when Sixx talks about a quarter-century of staying clean, the rock world listens.

Progress Over Perfection: Analyzing the Crüe Bassist’s Raw Message

Sixx has never been shy about the ugly parts of his story, and that’s exactly what makes this one hit different. This isn’t a guy doing a victory lap. In his post, he made clear he’s not out here celebrating a finished product — he’s celebrating the daily work. “Twenty-five years later, I don’t celebrate perfection,” he wrote. “I celebrate progress.”

The bassist walked through what sobriety actually rebuilt for him: presence with his family, honesty in his relationships, and a creative engine that he says only got louder once the chaos quieted down. He specifically credited recovery with fueling his writing, his photography, and his songwriting — decades of work that includes his bestselling memoir “The Heroin Diaries,” which chronicled the addiction years in unflinching detail.

From Combat to Gratitude: How the Rocker’s Tone Has Evolved

If you’ve followed Sixx’s sobriety posts over the years, you know he doesn’t always keep it this gentle. When he hit his 22nd anniversary back in 2023, the tone was sharper — he called out the people who never checked on him while he was kicking heroin, and pushed back hard on anyone who treated his sobriety like a cute pat on the head. This year’s message leans more reflective, more grateful, less combative — but the throughline is the same: recovery is daily, unglamorous work, and he wants that message to actually help somebody.

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Facing the Ghosts of 1987: The Heart Attack That Changed Everything

That message carries real weight given where Sixx started. He’s previously discussed being declared clinically dead for roughly two minutes after a 1987 heroin overdose stopped his heart — a detail that’s become part of Mötley Crüe lore right alongside the band’s infamous run of chaos in the ’80s. He’s also spoken candidly with outlets like The Guardian about drug-induced psychosis during his using years, describing the kind of paranoia that makes “The Heroin Diaries” as unsettling as it is essential reading for anyone trying to understand addiction from the inside.

Breaking the Cycle of Rock Excess

Sixx isn’t the only member of Mötley Crüe whose history includes addiction and its consequences — singer Vince Neil’s 1984 drunk-driving crash, which killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley, remains one of the darker chapters in the band’s history. Against that backdrop, Sixx choosing to keep talking about his recovery publicly, year after year, isn’t just a nice Instagram moment. It’s part of a longer pattern of the bassist using his platform to normalize the conversation around addiction and mental health in an industry that hasn’t always made room for it.

Also – The 13 Cringiest 80s Hair Metal Videos Ever Made

 

 

 

 

 

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TL;DR

• Nikki Sixx announced 25 years of sobriety in an Instagram post on July 2, 2026
• He credited recovery with giving him his family, his marriage, and a renewed creative career
• He referenced his past struggles, including a 1987 heroin overdose that stopped his heart
• His message echoed but softened the tone of his more combative 22nd-anniversary post from 2023
• Sixx has long used his platform, including his memoir “The Heroin Diaries,” to speak openly about addiction

FAQ: Nikki Sixx’s Sobriety Journey

How long has Nikki Sixx been sober? As of July 2, 2026, Nikki Sixx has been sober for 25 years.

What did Nikki Sixx say about his sobriety anniversary? Sixx posted on Instagram that sobriety gave him a life he never thought possible, crediting it with his family, his marriage, and a renewed creative drive across writing, photography, and songwriting.

Did Nikki Sixx overdose? Yes. Sixx has spoken about a 1987 heroin overdose that reportedly left him clinically dead for roughly two minutes before he was revived.

What book did Nikki Sixx write about his addiction? Sixx detailed his years of substance abuse in his bestselling memoir “The Heroin Diaries.”

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Twenty-five years is no small number in this business, especially for a founding member of a band whose entire mythology was built on excess. What do you make of Sixx’s evolution from the guy who once needed people to just leave him alone about it to the guy actively trying to hand his story to someone still in the fight? Drop your take in the comments, and hit that follow button so you don’t miss how Loaded Radio tracks this story as it develops.

The post Nikki Sixx Hits 25 Years Sober, Gets Real About What Recovery Actually Gave Him appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Our 10 best Sammy Hagar songs from the ’80s looks at the part of Sammy Hagar’s catalog that played a major role in him becoming a household name during the big-hair days of the 1980s. I first became a Sammy Hagar fan in the late seventies when I saw him open up for Boston in 1977. I was still in high school at the time, and after the concert I went out and bought his Red album. Although it was actually just called Sammy Hagar, everyone referred to it as the Red Album. Two days later, I bought Nine on

The post 10 Best Sammy Hagar 80s Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Hollywood Vampires, the rock supergroup consisting of Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen, have announced At Montreux Jazz Festival, an impressive live recording of their legendary performance at the 2018 Montreux Jazz Festival. The album features several cover versions that have not previously been released by the Hollywood Vampires, including a standout… Continue Reading →

Ren has shared the latest in his long and unique line of collaboration with Chris Webby and JP On Da Track, and it’s yet another curveball.

Titled ‘Madhouse’, is it accompanied by the sort of beat that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Disney film from the 1920s. It has swing, swagger and a timeless quality that perfectly captures a mood. Set against lyrics about reaching breaking point and letting the madness take over, revelling in the chaos and carnage, it’s sensationally catchy and unashamably brash. Another colourful feather in the hat of this project that keeps on offering up new textures, influences and ideals.

Have a listen to it below:

It follows on from the last Inpatient offering, which was ‘Smoking Gun’ and sounds like this:

The post Ren & Chris Webby Share Timeless New Track ‘Madhouse’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

Welcome to Four Records! Each episode, we feature one guest as they discuss the four records that helped shape them at four different times in their life. This week, we are doing something a little different. Forrest has gathered a round table of past guests to go over their favorite movie soundtrack. Jennie Cotterill (Reckoner, Jennie Bakes), Andy Bechdolt (The Rad Skulls), Jason Stone (Dying Scene Editor) and Forrest talk about the movies themselves and how the music formed them. 

Four Records Soundtrack Roundtable choices:

Forrest Gaddis: Grosse Pointe Blank

Jennie Cotterill: Tank Girl

Andy Bechdolt: Songwriter

Jason Stone: Singles

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www.DyingScene.com

Opening song: Rad Skulls – Loud as Shit

Closing song: Lucas Perea – Underneath Ashes

CoreLeoni led by Gotthard founding member Leo Leoni, have announced the release of their new studio album Generection, set for release on September 11 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Marking the band’s fourth album since its formation in 2017 and the second featuring vocalist Gent Bushpepa, Generection sees CoreLeoni returning to their roots with their heaviest and hardest-hitting record to… Continue Reading →

Twenty years after its historic Eurovision Song Contest victory, Lordi‘s iconic anthem “Hard Rock Hallelujah” is returning to dancefloors worldwide in explosive fashion. Swedish DJ and producer J.O.X has teamed up with DJ Ganté to transform the legendary 2006 Eurovision-winning track into a peak-time hard dance weapon designed to ignite dancefloors in clubs and parties…. Continue Reading →

What began on July 13, 2001, in Eislingen an der Fils with their very first performance is today one of Germany’s most enduring, successful, and at the same time most likable punk rock institutions. With boundless energy, plenty of humor, and an unmistakable knack for great melodies, Itchy worked their way up from their first… Continue Reading →

In 2004, nu metal was dead and the scene craved something new. Nobody needed seven-string chugging in their lives anymore, giving rise to a generation of balls-out, screaming, technical metal bands like Killswitch Engage and Lamb Of God. It was the perfect context for Blood And Thunder to grab people by the balls.

Mastodon were still cult prospects when they recorded the third single of their second album, but the song quickly propelled them to heavy music’s top tier. With its immediate riffing, roaring yet catchy hook and disorienting music video, it became the Atlantans’ signature track. It also affirmed that what the world wanted from metal had completely changed. To this day, it closes every one of the band’s concerts, and the near-100-million streams it has on Spotify prove its enduring popularity.

The story of the song starts in 2003. Mastodon were signed to Relapse Records and had attracted critical notice with their fire-spewing debut, Remission, the previous year. Drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor had to take a flight from Hawaii to London, and looking for something to ease the impending hours of boredom, he grabbed a copy of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick from an airport bookshop. By the time he landed, he wanted to centre his band’s next album around it.

“I basically said, ‘Hey, I think it would be cool if we did a concept album loosely based on Moby-Dick,’” Dailor told Metal Hammer in 2024. “‘You guys don’t have to read the book to participate.’ I just thought it would be cool aesthetically, first and foremost.”

The album, later christened Leviathan, would become a concept piece, and Blood And Thunder would be the song that dealt most directly with the source novel. The lyrics assume the perspective of the central character Captain Ahab, expressing his obsession with finding and killing the white whale Moby-Dick. ‘White whale! Holy grail!’ singer/bassist Troy Sanders and guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds cry during the yell-along chorus.

As for the music, like the rest of Leviathan, Mastodon wrote and refined the track on a tour supporting US stoner rock stars Clutch. The band were playing to unfamiliar audiences night in and night out, so they used the shows as an excuse to jam and rehearse as-yet-unreleased songs – no one in the crowd would know! That on-the-road energy fed into the material, with Leviathan still standing as one of Mastodon’s most to-the-point albums, and Blood And Thunder being its most to-the-point song.

Dailor told Knotfest: “When the first riff of Blood And Thunder came together, and we had everybody in the room, we started locking in and playing it. We played it for 100 hours because it was so badass! And it’ll never be heard like that by anybody else.”

The iconic, thudding riff that opens the song was written by Dailor, despite the drummer barely knowing his way around a guitar at the time. Guitarist Bill Kelliher told Guitar World: “[Brann’s] about as good at guitar as I am on drums – which is to say, terrible – but he comes up with a lot of riffs, and puts them into my hands.”

He added: “The thing is, he thinks of rhythms differently than I would. He was playing the beat to it [after explaining the riff], but we kept getting off time. He was like, ‘No, dude, it doesn’t go “ban-na, ban-na, ban-na”, it goes “BANT, ban-na, ban-na”.’ That simple little change… It was like learning new math.”

Mastodon stepped off of their tour bus and immediately went into the studio with producer Matt Bayles. Blood And Thunder’s middle section – ‘Split your lung with blood and thunder! When you see the white whale!’ – was sung by Neil Fallon, the frontman of Clutch. The two bands had just toured together for six weeks, but Mastodon were such fans that they still struggled to find the courage to ask Fallon to appear on the song. They also made accommodations that the singer never even asked for.

“We had two motel rooms at the Extended Stay, two guys to a room,” Dailor told Decibel. “But when Neil came to stay to do his part, we all kind of huddled in one room and let him have one of the rooms to himself. Both rooms were next to each other and you could hear him through the wall saying, ‘Guys, can you come over here?’ A couple of us went over and he was like, ‘You don’t have to do this. Someone can stay in here. I can sleep on the floor or something. It doesn’t matter.’”

Leviathan came out in August 2004 and swiftly intensified the critical acclaim surrounding Mastodon. Rave reviews came from every corner of the globe, and from there the floodgates opened. The band got a manager and were added to the bill of a Slayer tour, then they played with Slipknot. Blood And Thunder came out as a single in 2005, accompanied by a fever dream of a music video that depicted the band playing in fezzes in front of a crowd of clowns. Dailor likes clowns; the fezzes, meanwhile, were courtesy of Brent Hinds.

“My grandfather was a Shriner,” thew guitarist told Invisible Oranges. “He drove the go-karts, he wore the fezzes. When I was a kid, we would go watch parades and see him driving the go-kart in the get-up. It was super awesome. He died when I was about seven. That image just stuck with me.”

As unhinged as it may have been, the Blood And Thunder video popped up everywhere, sealing Mastodon’s ascent. Also in 2005, the song appeared in the films The Cave and Alone In The Dark, as well as the videogame Need For Speed: Most Wanted. It was inescapable.

“It was a little bit of a slow burn,” Dailor told Hammer, reflecting on the period between Leviathan’s release and Blood And Thunder blowing up. “It took maybe a year, and then really levelled the band up. A big level-up.”

Blood And Thunder remained omnipotent for the rest of the 2000s, appearing in titles in the Saint’s Row, Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises. All the while, Mastodon played the song tirelessly on tour (setlist.fm claims that it’s been performed more than 800 times). As the tides of metal turned in the mid-2000s, Blood And Thunder made an indelible mark, and it still packs an all-adrenaline wallop more than 20 years on.

Mastodon’s new single Your Ghost Again is out now.

The Polish heavy underground has consistently been one of the most fertile, unforgiving, and fascinating landscapes in European