It's official: Mötley Crüe is back in the studio recording new music, but without Mick Mars . The guitarist is currently suing his former bandmates and has been replaced by John 5 .
In social media posts, Nikki Sixx shared photos from sessions with Tommy Lee and John 5, who, it seems, is definitively taking over as the band's guitarist.
“We’re writing. The creative process of songwriting has always been the heart of our band. We’re going into the big studio next week and we’ll see what happens. We don’t have a definite plan right now. We’re just letting the songs guide us,” Sixx wrote about the band’s current state. “Everyone is inspired right now. That’s good.”
Mick Mars' absence from the recordings was confirmed shortly after the guitarist filed a lawsuit for financial damages against Mötley Crüe. According to Mars, his bandmates kicked him out in a "unilateral decision," apparently ignoring the agreement in which the musician "could still record in the studio and do limited performances." In 2022, Mick Mars retired from touring due to health issues.
In March of this year, Nikki Sixx spoke about Mötley Crüe's future plans and the possibility of touring until 2031. “We just finished those four songs for The Dirt . We’re pretty isolated at the moment. But we have these conversations beyond 2023, what would 2024 look like in terms of touring for us? Regarding new music, I think that always comes about when the band is getting along. And we get along really well now, we have a lot of fun. We spend time together, we go out to dinner,” he said at the time. Read more here .
READ ALSO: Mick Mars on Mötley Crüe: “I’ve been carrying these bastards on my back for years”