★★★☆☆
Nikki Sixx, former bassist of Motley Crüe, is a tattooed primitive who once mistook the Japanese riot squad coming to arrest him for hordes of adoring fans and whose former drug dealer had a number plate that read DEALER.
Prayers For The Damned by Sixx:am, a trio made up by Sixx, guitarist DJ Ashba and singer James Michael, may feature unfashionably muscular rock complete with 80s-style guitar solos and screaming vocals, but the trio have their own mission — to ensure YouTube pays the musicians whose videos they stream — and they say it like they see it, announcing they’re feeling sick on I’m Sick and wishing they were better men on Better Man. This album may not be exactly sophisticated, but the combination of sheer metallic exuberance, widescreen stadium rock, and occasional moments of reflective balladry is fun, a touch silly, and strangely life-affirming.
(Eleven Seven)