On December 5, 2011, lead singer James Michael announced the band would be releasing an acoustic EP entitled 7 on December 13, 2011, featuring seven new acoustic renditions of songs from the band's previous two studio albums. Michael also hinted at an upcoming surprise release from the band.
On July 18, 2013, they released a song called "Relief"' for their third album.
On January 14, 2014, the band announced via its Facebook page that the final song on the next album would be titled "Let it Haunt You (So Beautiful)." On July 31, 2014, the band announced that the title for their third album would be Modern Vintage. It was released on October 7, 2014.
In July 2015, Sixx stated that Sixx:A.M. planned to release two new albums and do a worldwide tour in 2016. Also in 2015, Ashba left his other band, Guns N' Roses, to focus solely on Sixx:A.M.
On March 1, 2016 Sixx:A.M released a single called "Rise," the details of the first of their two newly recorded albums, Prayers for the Damned, and dates for a new US tour scheduled to take place during April and May 2016. "Rise" debuted live in an acoustic format with no PA at an invite-only session at the Sanctum Soho Hotel in London, England on February 23 ("Stars" from the Modern Vintage album and "Life Is Beautiful" from The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack were also played). Pre-orders for the album started on March 4, and the album was released on April 29. The second of the two albums is, Prayers for the Blessed, Vol. 2, was released on November 18.
In October 2017, Sixx:A.M. released a tenth anniversary edition of their debut album The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack to commemorate its tenth anniversary and Nikki Sixx's biography of the same name. The re-release additionally contained three re-imagined tracks, including the songs "Life Is Beautiful, "Accidents Can Happen", and "Girl With Golden Eyes".
In March 2019, Sixx announced the band had recorded four new songs and also announced that they will release a greatest hits album. By September they released their first song in three years, "Talk to Me", in support of the #TalktoMe campaign against opioid addiction.
On August 22, 2020, the band returned with a remix of "Maybe It's Time", featuring various guest artists, for Artists for Recovery, a global recovery initiative. The song is also included on the Sno Babies soundtrack. On August 27, 2021, the band announced their greatest hits album entitled Hits, which would include a radio mix of "Talk to Me" and three unheard songs, along with remixes of two of their past album tracks. It was released on October 22, 2021.
Current members
James Michael – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, programming, piano (2007–2021); drums (2007–2011)
DJ Ashba – lead guitar, backing vocals (2007–2021)
Nikki Sixx – bass guitar, backing vocals (2007–2021)
X-Mas In Hell
Sixx:A.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Van Nuys.
Merry Christmas.
That's what people say at Christmas, right?
Except normally they have someone to say it to.
They have friends and family,
with a needle in their arm like an insane person in a mansion in Van Nuys.
They're not out of their minds, they're not writing in a diary,
And they're definitely not watching their holiday spirit coagulate in a spoon.
I didn't speak to a single person today.
I thought why should I ruin their fucking Christmas.
I've started a new diary and this time I have a few new reasons.
One, I have no friends left.
Two, so I can read back and remember what I did the day before.
And three, so if I die, at least I leave a nice little suicide note of my life.
It's just me and you, diary. Welcome to my fucking life.
Nobody would believe the shit that happens inside my head, it's haunted.
Now I've come down from the drugs
it seems like a sick play that I saw in a theater somewhere.
Thirty minutes ago, I could've killed someone.
Or better yet, myself.
The lyrics of "X-Mas In Hell" by Sixx:A.M. paint a bleak picture of Christmas day for the singer. The song begins with a specific date and place: December 25th, 1986, in Van Nuys. The singer opens with a wry observation that people generally express holiday well-wishes and greetings to each other, but in his case, he has no one to talk to. Instead, he finds himself "crouched naked under a Christmas tree with a needle in [his] arm" in a mansion in Van Nuys. The singer details his sense of isolation, lack of friends or family, and his sense of losing his holiday spirit - a stark contrast to the typical Christmas experience. He even states that he won't speak to anyone so that he doesn't ruin their Christmas.
The lyrics then reveal that the singer has started a new diary, but for different reasons than most people. He writes in it to recall what happened each day, in case he dies, to leave a "suicide note" of his life. The diary serves as his "friend" as he navigates a life of addiction and isolation. The singer then expresses the pain of his mental struggles, saying "Nobody would believe the shit that happens inside my head, it's haunted." Despite coming down from his drug use, his thoughts are still dangerous; he admits that just thirty minutes earlier, he could have easily taken his own life or hurt someone else.
Sixx:A.M.'s "X-Mas In Hell" is a song that speaks to the darker side of the holiday season. The lyrics offer a sense of the singer's emotional isolation and inner turmoil, highlighting the painful experiences of those who lack a sense of belonging or support during the holidays.
Line by Line Meaning
December twenty-fifth, nineteen eighty-six
Van Nuys.
The singer sets the Christmas story stage with these lines, giving the date and place of the events.
Merry Christmas.
The singer sarcastically echoes the common Christmas greeting.
That's what people say at Christmas, right?
The singer reflects on the typical Christmas pleasantries.
Except normally they have someone to say it to.
The artist acknowledges the loneliness of the holiday season.
They have friends and family,
The artist contrasts their situation with the typical holiday gathering.
And they haven't been crouched naked under a Christmas tree
with a needle in their arm like an insane person in a mansion in Van Nuys.
The singer paints a disturbing image of their situation, highlighting their addiction and isolation.
They're not out of their minds, they're not writing in a diary,
Drawing attention to their abnormal behavior, the singer explains that most people aren't as troubled as they are.
And they're definitely not watching their holiday spirit coagulate in a spoon.
The artist describes their drug use in graphic terms.
I didn't speak to a single person today.
The artist relays their isolation from others on Christmas Day.
I thought why should I ruin their fucking Christmas.
The artist contemplates their impact on others and decides to keep their inner turmoil to themselves.
I've started a new diary and this time I have a few new reasons.
The singer reveals their new diary and the reasons behind keeping it.
One, I have no friends left.
The artist acknowledges their lack of meaningful connections with others.
Two, so I can read back and remember what I did the day before.
The singer uses their diary as a memory aid.
And three, so if I die, at least I leave a nice little suicide note of my life.
The singer hints at their suicidal thoughts and intentions.
It's just me and you, diary. Welcome to my fucking life.
The singer addresses their diary and bitterly welcomes it into their life.
Nobody would believe the shit that happens inside my head, it's haunted.
The artist laments the darkness of their thoughts and experiences.
Now I've come down from the drugs
it seems like a sick play that I saw in a theater somewhere.
The artist reflects on the distorted view of reality that their drug use created.
Thirty minutes ago, I could've killed someone.
Or better yet, myself.
The singer describes the extreme emotional state they were in just before writing in their diary.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DARREN JAY ASHBA, DJ ASHBA, NIKKI SIXX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BetterNoiseMusic
Best Christmas Rock Songs ➤ https://bit.ly/BNMXmas 🎄🎶
@zparks0123
Here we are at Christmas yet again. Its a rough time of year for almost everyone. My thoughts go out to those who have lost the battle with addiction and those still fighting every day to over come it. Keep your head up! Don't feel like you can't get help. Theres always someone there to listen if nothing else. Happy Holidays.
@nicholasberinger8279
The best music really does come from people's darkest experiences.
@The666Miraculix
We knew we had something; you could feel it, the hairs stood up on your arms, it just felt so different. We didn't know what it was, but we liked it. I just came up with this riff for 'Black Sabbath'. As soon as I played that first riff we went: 'Oh God, that's really great. But what is it? I don't know!' Just a simple thing but it had a mood. Only later did I learn that I had used what they call the Devil's interval, a chord progression that was so dark that in the Middle Ages playing it was forbidden by the Church. I had no idea; it was just something that I had felt inside. It was almost like it had been forced out of me, these things were coming up just like that. Then everybody started putting bits to it and afterwards we thought it was amazing. Really strange, but good. We were all shocked, but we knew that we had something there. [...] We always thought there was something there that led us into this music that we were playing. I played that 'Black Sabbath' riff straight off, dang-dáng-dang, and that was it. It just came up, as a lot of my riffs have. It was like somebody was there, saying: 'Play that!' Something or somebody was providing ideas and guidance from some other dimension, like an invisible fifth band member ...
- Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
@tattoogypsy1970
Because we feed on the feeling . We all are the same
@myskatt333
My heart hurts a little every time I listen to this song. I love it because it paints a great picture of addiction for people who don't suffer from it. Helped me understand how heartbreaking the disease is.
@brandonbitsilli1232
Have you read his book "The Heroin Diaries"? If so this album will make sense and also get a deeper scarier look at what he went thru as a junkie on H. Great read great song. This song is actually the first diary entry he made.
@woodrowwoody4463
If anyone ever wondered what an addict goes through or lives each and everyday then listen to this song...what a masterpiece
@nathanepperheimer4050
One of my all time favorite albums. Listen to it end to end every single time.
@zacfossum3389
This is amazing. I'll always look up to Nikki as a role model for all he's overcome