John 5 is an American guitarist who sometimes flies under the radar. Highly underrated for his skill, invention, and overall energy on guitar, he has been making music since 1987, been a part of Marilyn Manson’s band during their golden era, played with David Lee Roth, and has been a part of Rob Zombie’s band since 2004. And amidst all his work with countless other acts, he still has found the time to pump out a slew of solo material including his most recent, Sinner, out on Friday, October 29th through Big Machine Records.
John 5’s thirteenth overall studio album and a direct follow up to 2019’s Invasion, Sinner is complete with ten songs, most of which are instrumental, but some featuring brief, cool guest spots from outsiders. Flying by at a quick thirty-four minutes, each song is complete with astounding musicianship. The song which feature some vocals include “Euphoria,” compliments of Butcher Babies’ Carla Harvey and “Que Pasa,” which features the legendary Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. Minimal in the category of words spoken, the moments in which Harvey and Mustaine do speak certainly add a dynamic to the mood.
Moving on, like any John 5 album, you are going to get some off-the-wall stylistic approaches thrown in there. This is heard with “How High The Moon,” a ditty which is fun, traditional, and something you can’t help but smile hearing. A song that could almost be mistaken as elevator music, later on, another intriguing moment comes with “Georgia On My Mind,” featuring iconic KISS’ Drummer Peter Criss begins it all with a spoken word story.
There are also some other really cool moments mixed into it all such as John 5’s instrumental take on Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” plus the Horror-inspired “For I Have Sinned,” “Creepshow,” and “Land of the Misfit Toys,” all which are a perfect match for the Halloween season.
All in all, Sinner is a diverse album featuring an array of different styles that John 5 is known for. Simply put, John 5 is a superb guitarist with fingers of gold who is building a catalog of solo material that deserves everyone’s attention. A must have for all guitar lovers, Cryptic Rock gives Sinner 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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