Mötley Crüe’s New Album: A Sound That Should Probably Be “Cancelled”

Using the word cancelled might feel dramatic when talking about Mötley Crüe’s latest release, but if they keep making music like this, maybe cancellation isn’t such a bad idea. This album is a bloated, uninspired mess, filled with weak songwriting, lifeless performances, and production that does the music no favors. From the overlong runtimes to the lackluster energy, it’s a release that feels like it should have been scrapped and reworked from the ground up if the band hopes to stay relevant in today’s metal scene.

One of the biggest issues is the sheer length of the songs. Nearly every track drags on past the four-minute mark, yet there’s hardly anything interesting happening within those extended runtimes. Instead of developing fresh ideas, the band falls back on repetitive structures, looping the same dull verses and lackluster choruses to the point of exhaustion. The worst offenders are tracks like Cancelled, which already struggles with uninspired songwriting, and their cover of Fight for Your Rights, which somehow manages to be even more lifeless than their original material.

A major reason for this album’s downfall is the band’s apparent lack of enthusiasm. From the drums to the vocals—and even the riffs at times—it feels like no one actually wants to be playing these songs. The drums lack any real punch, feeling limp and robotic, completely failing to drive the songs forward. Meanwhile, the vocals, when they can even be heard through the muddy mix, sound flat and unconvincing. It’s as if the vocalist doesn’t believe in the words he’s singing, just coasting through the material without any passion or grit. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the band somehow sounds even more disengaged on their Fight for Your Rights cover. The gang vocals—intended to be anthemic and rebellious—are so weak and lifeless that they suck any energy out of the track. An aging band covering an old song can work in the right hands, but here, it just feels awkward and downright sad.

And where is the bass? Seriously, was it even recorded? If it was, the mixing completely erased it from existence. The production on this album is so underwhelming that it actively works against the music. Vocals are buried in the mix, and everything else sounds flat, as if all the raw power has been stripped away. If a metal album is going to lack energy, the least it can do is have solid production to make up for it—but this record fails on both fronts.

If there’s one small saving grace, it’s the guitar work. At times, the riffs carry some grit and weight, with a heavy tuning that occasionally injects a little life into the songs. But even this comes with its own issues. The guitar solos, while technically competent, often feel self-indulgent and unnecessary. Do we really need two solos in one song? When the guitars stick to delivering thick, crushing riffs, they work well—but when they overextend, they become just another symptom of the album’s lack of focus.

At the end of the day, no band deserves to be cancelled, but if Mötley Crüe keeps releasing albums this subpar, it won’t be surprising if their audience starts to cancel them on their own.