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Nikki Sixx has effectively closed the door on a new Mötley Crüe album. Speaking to Joann Butler in an interview published by Louder on August 9, the band’s bassist and chief songwriter said he doesn’t believe in making full-length records anymore — the workload doesn’t justify it, and listeners only hear one song off a record regardless. Mötley Crüe’s last studio album, Saints Of Los Angeles, came out in 2008. That’s eighteen years ago, and by Sixx’s own logic, the number isn’t going to stop climbing.

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Scott Penfold breaks down the Nikki Sixx album bombshell on today’s Metal Breakdown Daily — why the math he’s using actually adds up, why it still stings coming from the guy who wrote Shout At The Devil, and what it says about where hard rock is heading. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play and get it every weekday morning.

The math Nikki is doing

Sixx’s argument isn’t emotional. It’s arithmetic, and honestly, it’s hard to poke holes in.

To get ten songs on a record, he says, you have to write twenty. Then you’d better hope five of them are actually great. That’s a mountain of lyrics, chord changes, notes, and studio hours — none of which he complains about, for the record. He’s very clear that the work itself is the job and the band works hard.

What bothers him is what happens afterward. You write twenty songs, you demo ten, you release ten, and the audience hears one. That’s the part he can’t get past.

So his preference now is what he calls lightning strikes. Something happens — heartbreak, joy, rebellion — he calls the guys, they write it, they cut it, it goes out. No twelve-month album cycle. No fourteen songs nobody streams.

He points to two precedents. The five songs the band cut for The Dirt, and the three-song “Cancelled” EP from 2024, which was the first Crüe release featuring John 5 after he replaced Mick Mars. That’s the model going forward. Whenever something hits, they’ll record it.

Radio’s changed, he says. Streaming keeps changing. He’s adapting.

Here’s the problem with that

He’s right. That’s the annoying part.

Everything Sixx just described is a completely accurate read of the modern music business. Album tracks four through eleven really do get skipped. The streaming economy really does reward singles. Nobody in 2026 is arguing that the traditional album cycle is a healthy investment for a legacy band with a catalog people already love.

But there’s something a little deflating about hearing this particular argument from this particular guy.

Because Nikki Sixx didn’t build his legend on singles. He built it on Shout At The Devil and Dr. Feelgood — records that were experiences, that you lived inside for forty-odd minutes, that had a shape and a sequence and a personality. Those weren’t twelve songs and a hit. They were statements. The whole reason a band like Mötley Crüe still fills stadiums in 2026 is that they made things worth committing to.

The lightning-strike model produces songs. It doesn’t produce Dr. Feelgood.

And when a band this size opts out of album-making, it signals to every act underneath them that the format is finished. That’s the part that actually matters here — not whether we get a tenth Crüe record, but what happens to the idea of the album when the guys who perfected it stop bothering.

He’s earned the right to work however he wants. He’s been doing this for forty-five years and he doesn’t owe anybody a concept record. I just wish he wanted to make one.

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Where this leaves the Crüe

For anyone keeping score: nine studio albums, the most recent in 2008. One EP in 2024. John 5 on guitar. Mick Mars gone from the lineup and, at last check, not on speaking terms with the band.

What they do have is the live business, and that’s still enormous. Mötley Crüe have a substantial North American run lined up for next summer, reported as the Carnival Of Sins tour with Tesla and Extreme along for the ride.

Which is really the answer to all of this. The album isn’t the product anymore. The show is. Sixx figured that out before most of his peers, and this interview is just him saying the quiet part into a microphone.

It’s not the first time he’s been blunt about aging in this business either — he’s gone after rock stars still acting twenty-five and fired back hard at Godsmack’s Shannon Larkin over backing-track accusations earlier this year. The man says what he thinks. Sometimes that’s a gift. Sometimes it’s this.

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TL;DR

• What he said: Nikki Sixx no longer believes in making full-length albums, and told Louder that fans hoping for a new Mötley Crüe record shouldn’t hold their breath.
• His reasoning: ten songs requires writing twenty, and listeners only hear one of them anyway. He’d rather cut songs as inspiration hits.
• How long it’s been: Saints Of Los Angeles, the band’s ninth album, came out in 2008 — eighteen years ago.
• What they’ve done since: five songs for The Dirt, and the three-track “Cancelled” EP in 2024, John 5’s first release with the band.
• What’s actually coming: a large North American tour next summer, reported as Carnival Of Sins with Tesla and Extreme.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nikki’s not wrong about the business — but the man who made Dr. Feelgood telling you the album is over still lands like a punch. Where do you sit on it? Drop a comment and let us know. And keep it locked on the Loaded Radio stream — follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post Nikki Sixx Says Mötley Crüe Are Done Making Albums Because Nobody Listens Past The First Song Anyway appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Suzi Quatro has announced an Australian tour.

Michael Antelope deliver a beautifully understated folk song with Bridge Over My Head, blending intricate acoustic guitar, intimate harmonies, and quietly powerful storytelling. Beneath its tender surface lies a deeply bittersweet exploration of loving someone who ultimately causes emotional harm. The bridge becomes a striking metaphor for comfort turning into confinement, reflecting the complicated pull between feeling safe and feeling trapped. Recorded with an organic live-off-the-floor approach, the performance retains an effortless warmth and human quality, while the understated bass adds emotional depth. Gentle, vulnerable, and quietly devastating, Bridge Over My Head leaves a lasting impression.

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Hailing from the East Frisian Island of Spiekeroog, German death metallers Temple of Dread have been kicking around since 2017. After 2019 debut LP, Blood Carving Mantras, the illustrious Holdeneye saw fit to review their sophomore effort, World Sacrifice, in 2020. He commended them for their ferocity and adherence to the olde ways, but he would have liked to see a bit more variation in tempo and songcraft. In the intervening six years, Temple of Dread have grown from a three-piece to a fivesome and have released an additional three albums, all of which we seem to have missed. Did they take Holdeneye’s criticisms to heart, or can we expect another nonstop onslaught of old school death metal?

One thing is certain: these guys still spend most of their time extolling the early works of Death and other early scene heavyweights. Jens Finger shouts and bellows vitriol over the proceedings, lending a thrashy flair to Dreadspawn Dominion. “Artisan of Oblivion” and “Dreadspawn Dominion” see axe men Markus Bünnemeyer and Daniel Maurer setting fire to their fretboards with furious tremolos and technical riffcraft. “Born to Rot” boasts a powerful mid-paced chug, while “Blood Pyre” all but incites a circle pit through Jӧrg Uken’s muscular kit work. Uken is also responsible for production, which, while a little crowded, does allow each instrument to be heard easily. This is comes in clutch on closer “Infernal Eternity,” where Andi Bauer’s bass drips with overpowering malice. Truly a case where less is more, Bauer doesn’t perform any noodly Atheistic wankery, but ensures every note is absolutely menacing.

According to the promo material, Temple of Dread began expanding their sonic palette, as well as experimenting with cinematic elements, beginning with 2023’s Beyond Acheron. Dreadspawn Dominion continues that work. The main riff in “Death March” boasts an evil, blackened edge, bringing a gothic feel to its Nile-esque rituality. “Hybrid Horde Eternal” and “Scorched by Cosmic Fire” both employ synths—courtesy of Uken—to weave a dark, cosmic atmosphere. Potentially to Holdeneye’s delight, with the exception of barn burners like “Rites of Blasphemy” and the title track, much of Dreadspawn Dominion oscillates between fast and mid-paced, repeatedly building and releasing tension in what is objectively a more mature and nuanced compositional style. This is largely successful, except on “Hybrid Horde Eternal,” where Finger’s vocal rigidity or consistency is at odds with its doomy midpoint. Although not terribly common, this isn’t the only instance where Finger’s seemingly narrow range hampers or fails to capitalize on an otherwise poignant moment (“Death March,” “Scorched by Cosmic Fire”).

At just over 40 minutes, Dreadspawn Dominion is right in the pocket for ideal engagement. While I wouldn’t accuse Temple of Dread of bloat, there are a few moments where pacing struggles. The album seems to sag a bit in the middle—“Blood Pyre” and “Scorched by Cosmic Fire,” in particular—and struggles to clinch a solid ending. While “Infernal Eternity” sports a sick, slow gallop and its solo and rhythm section complement each other excellently, nearly its entire back half is devoted to an atmospheric and synth-laden outro that, so late in the album, blunts what could have been a strong ending. Along with “Artisan of Oblivion,” the album closer also suffers from a few riffs that last just a couple measures too long and ultimately fall flat.

Death metal is a hard genre to excel in, especially when idolizing its progenitors. Temple of Dread do an admirable job, and their forays into other genres and atmospherics help to separate them from the rest of the cesspool. While not groundbreaking, Dreadspawn Dominion is a solid record, especially for a band pumping out albums almost yearly. Temple of Dread have the beginnings of a truly killer formula here, but a little more refinement and attention to pacing could pay exponential dividends on future efforts.

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Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Testimony Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: August 7th, 2026

The post Temple of Dread – Dreadspawn Dominion Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Stand Atlantic have just announced an Australian tour.

Metalheads!

Damit alle die faire Chance haben, sich ein HARDER-TICKET zu sichern, haben wir diese Ticketkategorie für insgesamt zwei Wochen verfügbar gemacht oder solange der Vorrat reicht.

Die erste Woche des Vorverkaufs liegt bereits hinter uns. Jetzt bleiben euch noch knapp sieben Tage, um euch Tickets aus der letzten vergünstigten Ticketkategorie zu schnappen und obendrein 666 The Core Wacken Points mitzunehmen. Am Sonntag, den 16.07. um Mitternacht schließt sich die Pforte.

Danach ist dann das LOUDER-TICKET als letzte reguläre Ticketkategorie weiter erhältlich. 

Also wartet nicht zu lange und sichert euch euer HARDER-TICKET, bevor sie alle vergriffen sind!

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Euer
W:O:A Team

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On September 18th, German black/death metal purveyors Ch’ahom will put out their sophomore record dubbed Anthropic Rites Of Sublimation. Comprised of 5 new tracks, it was recorded and mixed by Ch’ahom. Mastered by Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio. To taste a first piece of the new music, give a listen to the opening track called “Cult Of Xaman”.
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Experienced death metallers from Texas, Prophecy, have recently premiered a brand new single/video, “Wolves”. The latter was produced by the band’s frontman James Parks II.
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Swedish hard rockers The Gems will play a series of shows in Germany around their appearance at Metal Hammer Paradise festival in late November.
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