On his first solo album, former Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars leaves his glam-metal discography in the rearview, instead going full beast mode with epic themes, dense production, and exceptional guitarmanship.

Gothic soundscapes, hard-charging riffs, soaring solos, and tortured ballads permeate an album with co-writes by keyboardist Paul Taylor. Team Mars also includes Chris Collier on bass, Ray Luzier on drums, and vocalists Jacob Bunton and Brion Gamboa, who handles two tracks. Producer Michael Wagener sits in the ringmaster’s chair, delivering bona fide metal atmospherics. Out-of-the-box ditties like “Broken On The Inside” mix skull-punishing riffs with clever use of stutter effects, while “Alone” sounds like the best metal ballad Queensrÿche never recorded.

The 72-year-old riffmeister conjures unadulterated guitar intensity on the intro to “Killing Breed,” his tone blistering and savage. “Right Side of Wrong” chugs mightily as a respite from the triple-thick epic ballads; its lead is pure Mars melodicism. On “Loyal to the Lie,” Mars solos like a boss.

In all, The Other Side Of Mars is a work of fine metal craftsmanship.

This article originally appeared in VG’s March 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.