Sixx AM. is a hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2007 by Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba, and James Michael, and is the side project of Sixx, who is also the bass guitarist for Mötley Crüe.
- Call-Back: Some of the solos on "This Is Gonna Hurt" use some licks from Ashba's instrumental solos that he plays with Guns N' Roses. More specifically, "Live Forever" has a Call-Back to "Mi Amor", while "Goodbye My Friends" has a Call-Back to "The Ballad Of Death".
- "Stars" from "Modern Vintage" opens with a riff that in every way possible becomes a Call-Back to a song called "1 A.M" by the band Beautiful Creatures, whose Lead Guitarist was DJ Ashba.
- Darker and Edgier: Compared to Nikki's main-project, Motley Crue, Sixx AM has very few outright cheerful songs. The closest you get is "Sure Feels Right" from "This is Gonna Hurt".
- The second half of "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack" can be considered to be this too. The first half isn't all that dark. Then comes "Dead Man's Ballet", and the album gets progressively darker from there. It could only be darker, had they saved "Accidents Can Happen" for between "Girl With Golden Eyes" and "Courtesy Call".
- Dysfunction Junction: The entire premise for the "This Is Gonna Hurt" album. Additionally, this is also the premise for both of Nikki's books, which the first two albums are a sort of soundtrack for (hence, "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack").
- Ode to Sobriety: Nearly the entirety of The Heroin Diaries.
- Older Than They Look: All three members of Sixx:A.M. are over 40 years old, Nikki being about 50. Nikki looks like someone in his early 30's, James looks like his in the late 20's, and Ashba... Well, he looks like he's still only a teen!
- Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion: "Prayers For The Damned" by just doesn't deliver the rhyme:Everything is crumbling in my head
Sometimes I wish I was...
