SIXX:A.M. Members JAMES MICHAEL And DJ ASHBA Launch PYROMANTIC

SIXX:A.M. members James Michael (vocals) and DJ Ashba (guitar) have launched a brand new project called PYROMANTIC.

The "American songwriting duo" is putting the finishing touches on an album's worth of music, to be released later in the year.

PYROMANTIC will film a video for its debut single "in a couple of weeks" in Las Vegas.

Michael and Ashba announced their new collaboration via a Facebook Live chat earlier today (Saturday, February 10).

Speaking about the musical and lyrical direction of PYROMANTIC, Michael said (see video below): "Lyrically, it is very deep, but it's different from SIXX:A.M. in the sense that I think that we are choosing different subject matter to talk about. Sonically speaking, it's heavy as fuck, but it's also got these really, really pop melodies. So all I can say is I know you're gonna dig it. It's some of the most special stuff I've ever heard. We've been in this business a long time, and we're very excited about that."

Added Ashba: "When we sat down to do PYROMANTIC, the one big thing [we said to ourselves] was, 'Let's create something so new and fresh and create a sound for PYROMANTIC,' so when you PYROMANTIC, it has a very distinct sound. And it's pretty much… What we went after is a great blend of dance, rock and pop, and you kind of throw that in a blender, and I would say that's pretty much what PYROMANTIC sounds like."

Michael continued: "It's definitely very, very song driven. As artists, we've been driven by songs."

Regarding PYROMANTIC's touring plans, Michael said: "The neat thing about this music is that it's not going to be limited to just a rock audience, so there is a much broader spectrum of audiences that we can play for and a much broader spectrum of bands that we can actually tour with. That's very exciting to us."

As for the rest of PYROMANTIC's touring lineup, Michael said: "That's funny. Even with SIXX:A.M., we were kind of always undefined. We never had a drummer in that band until the very end. And I like that, because I think that as soon as you start establishing those things, you can get locked in very easily." Ashba added: "Put it this way, we have a touring band already pretty much locked in, but we won't announce that yet till we have a tour."

Ashba and Michael also talked about the status of SIXX:A.M., which was formed in 2007 by MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx. DJ said: "We're basically on an indefinite hiatus. SIXX:A.M. has always been from day one — it's been no secret — it's always been a side project for all three of us. We did an extensive amount of touring and when we got off, we all felt like, 'You know what? Let's take a good break here and it gave everybody time to kind of go do their things, the separate things that we wanted to do."

Sixx has hinted in recent interviews that SIXX:A.M. was over, explaining that he was planning on pursuing a number of different projects in 2018, none of which involve playing in a group.

PYROMANTIC's debut effort will mark Ashba and Michael first collaboration since the release of SIXX:A.M.'s latest album, "Vol. 2, Prayers For The Blessed", which arrived in November 2016 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc was written and recorded at the same time as "Vol. 1, Prayers For The Damned", issued earlier that same year, and it acted as a companion piece to the first chapter.

"It took a lot out of us making a double album," Ashba said. "That was a lot of work, so we were pretty much drained from that. I mean, we had a lot of fun making those albums, but it was a ton of work. So, yeah, we just kind of decided, 'Let's take a little break,' and blah blah blah, and kind of all went our own ways."

SIXX:A.M. embarked on its first North American headlining tour in support of the band's third album, "Modern Vintage", in 2015.

The 10th-anniversary editions of SIXX:A.M.'s "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack" was made available in October.

More information about PYROMANTIC can be found on the band's Facebook page.

Photo credit: Michael Pool