Prayers for the Blessed, Vol. 2

The counterpart to Prayers for the Damned, which arrived earlier in 2016, Sixx AM's Prayers for the Blessed is indeed a bit brighter than its predecessor. The group still dwells upon ominous warning signs -- there is a "Wolf at Your Door" and "The Devil's Coming," things that will surely lead to a "Riot in My Head" -- but Sixx AM also acknowledge "maybe it's time to heal," while admitting they'll not go quietly. All the music is cut from the same cloth as Prayers for the Damned -- it's Sunset Strip metal tempered by glam, classic rock, and arena rock ambitions -- but the positivity of Prayers for the Blessed accentuates the group's theatric inclinations which, in turn, push the hooks to the forefront. Sixx AM still stumble -- the cover of Harry Nilsson's "Without You" feels like a misbegotten B-side -- but the achievement here almost matches the ambition. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine