Brides of Destruction

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx has toured the world, headlined stadiums, written anthems and sold millions of albums. He's shagged everything within reach, and he's died twice. Now he has a new band, the Brides of Destruction, and he's finally set to achieve one of his lifetime goals: playing the world's most infamous dive, CBGB, something he missed out on because of the Crüe's quick ascension. But it's safe to say he didn't miss out on much else. As the Crüe's success grew, Sixx's taste escalated from Löwenbräu (hence the umlauts in Crüe) to Jack Daniel's to heroin. Touring the world with a gorilla on his back, Sixx bottomed out in 1988, when he mainlined two heart-stopping overdoses in the same day. With the help of Alcoholics Anonymous, Sixx has been clean for years, but some things you just can't get out of your system, especially when you keep the same company. Sixx stayed in touch with Tracii Guns -- the former Guns N' Roses guitarist who went on to found glam-metal also-rans L.A. Guns -- who pulled him out of the mansion on the hill and ushered him back into a rehearsal room. The results can be heard on the Brides' debut album, Here Come the Brides, which plays like Crüe's underrated Too Fast for Love combined with the hoarse melodies and cocksure swagger of early Kiss. Mixing glam, punk and grit, the rough-and-tumble disc rocks faster and harder than anything Crüe has recorded in over a decade. You may now kiss the Bride.