You can see the full portfolio of this shoot at http://thefullframe.org/2012/05/15/rob-zombie/

As David notes about the shoot and the show:

“Unlike the simple and straight forward stage of openers Megadeth, Rob Zombie pulled all the stops with elaborate pyrotechnics, giant risers and backdrops. Between the skeleton mic stands, projected visuals and motorized monsters on stage, there wasn’t a dull moment in trying to capture the action provided by Rob Zombie and Co. Even the detail of Rob Zombie’s costume was something of a spectacle if you look closely enough.”

Enjoy!

God Told Me To By: Johnny Price

JOHN 5 has just released his newest solo album and as always, he is keeping his fans on their toes. This is a musician who continues to peel away creative layer after creative layer, almost re-inventing himself each time. God Told Me To is his newest solo effort and it’s a feast for the senses. If you think you knew everything about this guy, this album will prove you wrong.

The album was produced by John 5 long with Chris Baseford (Rob Zombie/Tommy Lee) and Bob Marlette (Sebastian Bach/Black Sabbath). It’s is an all instrumental effort with John 5 playing all instruments with the exception of drums. The first track, “Welcome to Violence”, opens with a lady saying “Play the guitar, play it again my Johnny” and then the crash of the strings as the assault begins. How does a mere mortal riff like this without peeling the skin away from his fingertips? What a way to open the album!

His cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” is up next and was released digitally about a year ago, so I am sure a lot of people are already familiar with it. John 5 pays tribute to the great Eddie Van Halen but laying down a spot-on recreation of his solo on that song. I thought it was a very nice touch by John 5 to do so, instead of re-working the classic solo and taking away from its legacy.

The first surprise comes on track three entitled “Ashland Bump”, as it’s an acoustic, bluesy number. A great change of pace and styles and is one mother plucker of a song. “The Castle” is another acoustic number and shows that John 5 can shred acoustically just as he does electrically. I don’t think I have ever heard a musician play an acoustic guitar so fast.

“The Hill of the Seven Jackals” head back to familiar ground for fans and the shredding is back at full force. One of more interesting tracks on the album is the Spanish flavored “Noche Acosador”. I almost felt as if I was watching a Quentin Tarantino and a bunch of outlaws were sitting around a table, exchanging stories with this music being the accompanying track. I love this track and two major thumbs up for John 5 stepping outside of what is probably expected on a solo album of his and do this song.

The last two tracks, “The Lie You Live” and “Creepy Crawler”, are acoustic numbers that are the complete antithesis of songs such as the album’s opener. Each of these tracks show a side of John 5 that is such a drastic departure from the kabuki faced axe warrior that we see alongside Rob Zombie on-stage. These tracks are beautiful, somber compositions that show the diversity of a truly gifted artist whose guitar is an extension of himself. These two tracks totally blew me away and just added another layer this insanely talented and gifted artist.

So, this new solo effort one half acoustic and half electric and switches back and forth on here. John 5 is becoming one of the guitar greats of this time. He is influencing a whole new generation of guitar players and this album will be a great eye and mind opener for many of them. Don’t be afraid to try new things and expand yourself as an artist. It’s a key in maintaining longevity in the industry today. This album tapped into several new keys in his guitar arsenal. What will he do next?

Enjoy!

JOHN 5 on His New Solo Record and More! By: Johnny Price

JOHN 5 is one of those artists that you don’t know what to expect before your first meeting. He’s obviously an insanely talented guitarist with a resume a mile long. He’s worked with Marilyn Manson, David Lee Roth, Meatloaf, Paul Stanley of KISS, Saliva, k.d. lang, Salt-N-Pepa and many more. His job for the past few years has been with Rob Zombie and the two of them have something magical going on.

In between touring with Rob Zombie and writing songs for other artists, John 5 even finds time for a solo career. His new solo effort God Told Me To just came out and we had the chance to sit down and talk to him about it.

Bare Bones Music: Hey John, thanks for working us into your busy schedule. I guess this is media day for you. I know you have a lot on your plate today, so let’s jump right into the questions here. Let’s talk a little bit about this new solo album and the new direction that you chose for some of the songs.

John 5: Well, thanks for wanting to talk to me. You know, the whole key to putting out instrumental solo albums is to keep the fans on their toes. I’ve done heavy rock to country and it has gone really well for me. So, I asked myself what I could do to change it up and make it new. That’s where the acoustic stuff came into play.

Have you been a fan of acoustic music already or was this something that you just wanted to explore?

I absolutely love electric guitar, but some of my favorite (Led) Zeppelin stuff is their acoustic stuff. It’s absolutely amazing! I love all types of guitar playing. When I put my iPod on shuffle, it has so much diversity, but that’s just who I am.

Did you work with anyone on this album?

No, I pretty much did everything on it. I played all the instruments with the exception of drums. My producer Chris Baseford helped me out. Other than that, it’s all me!

What’s the appeal of going out and doing a solo album after getting off the road with Rob Zombie?

It’s a great outlet for me and almost therapeutic. Crazy, instrumental guitar music is close to my heart and so very important to me. It allows me a canvas to paint on and to do things I can necessarily do with Rob. He doesn’t want every other bar on his song being a solo.

Will your fans ever have a chance to hear any of this live?

I don’t think I will be doing any live dates, but you never know. It’s tough because a lot of my fans are really young and they can’t get into some of these clubs. It’s really late when we go on, sometimes close to midnight and there’s beer everywhere. My younger fans can’t always be a part of that. I will probably go more guitar clinics. They seem to be the best way to go. My younger fans can come to them and I have more time to meet people there and sign autographs.

I have to ask you about the title of the album. Is there any hidden meaning there?

I love the title and it can be taken many ways. When I was really young, I would only go to church once or twice a year, like on Christmas Eve, and I would pray for God to make me a successful guitar player. So, in one way, when I’m asked on why I picked up a guitar, it’s because God told me to. On the other hand, I just love it in one of those creepy movies where a guy murders a bunch of people and they ask him why and he says “God told me to”.

The cover is really cool! So, did you ask Rob to paint it for you or was it something that he offered to do?

I actually approached him asked him what he thought about painting the cover to the new solo album. He said that he’d love to do it. It’s as simple as that!

Speaking of Rob, how was it scoring his film The Lords of Salem? Was that your first score?

That’s the first full length movie that I have scored. I’ve actually done pieces of other movies. It was actually very challenging for me. It’s so different to create music using so many different instruments, but I loved it. It pushed me as an artist.

That’s a great transition for my next question. Your first solo album called “Vertigo” came out in 2004. How does the artist who created that album differ from the artist that created “God Told Me To?”

Wow, that’s a really good question. I remember when I starting recording Vertigo, I wanted it to be all instrumental, but I was very careful. I held back from doing things at times, but now if I want to put in a crazy solo or two, I will. I think there are some really good songs on Vertigo; very well structured.

Where did the fascination with horror and the face makeup come from? I know you’re a big KISS fan and especially Ace Frehley.

Well, I have loved classic monsters since I was really young. You know, Dracula, Frankenstein and stuff. I remember buying KISS’ Love Gun album just because of the cover. That was the first album that I ever bought. It was awesome! That picture reminded me of those monsters that I loved.

I’m a huge KISS fan too and I wanted to ask how you ended up working on the last Paul Stanley solo album “Live to Win?”

I’ve known Paul and Gene for quite a while now, as well as Peter and Ace. Paul was working on his solo album with Desmond Child and I had worked with Desmond when he was recording with Meatloaf. He suggested to Paul that we write something together and we did. KISS has definitely been a major influence on me. When an artist goes on stage to entertain, then they need to go all out and make sure that they entertain the crowd completely. Those guys are just about the best example of how to do that correctly!

One last question for you John and we’ll wrap this up so that you can get back to work. Do you have any guilty pleasures that may surprise your fans?

Well, I’m not sure how much it will surprise them, but I do love those old horror movies with Frankenstein and Dracula and all those guys. I always watch about 20 minutes or so of one of those old movies before I go to bed, each and every night.

That wraps up our time with you John. Thanks again so much for taking time out of your very busy schedule to talk with us. We plan on being at Rock on the Range in Columbus this year covering the show, so we will see you there. We also want to remind fans that your new solo album “God Told Me To” is out and to go buy it!

Enjoy!

Guitarist John 5 Talks Solo Disc, Rob Zombie + Marilyn Manson by: Mary Ouellette

Guitarist John 5 has just unleashed his new solo disc ‘God Told Me To.’ The CD/DVD combo offers up one part acoustic, one part electric, in addition to a behind the scenes DVD, delivered in retro-horror type style with his very own ghoulish host.

John 5, an integral part of Rob Zombie’s band, has been working on the new Zombie disc, as well, and will spend most of May out on the road as part of their co-headlining tour with Megadeth. One stop includes the Rock on the Range festival at the end of the month where John 5 will play the headlining slot with Rob Zombie while his former bandmate Marilyn Manson plays right before them.

We recently caught up with John 5 to talk about ‘God Told Me To,’ life with Rob Zombie, and how he ended up in one of Skid Row’s videos.

Your solo release ‘God Told Me To’ is not just a CD, it’s also a DVD. Can you tell us what we can expect from the DVD and how you’ve combined your love for horror movies?

I don’t even know the last time I actually bought a CD because you can just purchase them on iTunes so easily. This isn’t a revolutionary idea but I thought if you’re going to buy a CD why not get a little something more, have a DVD with it, so you’ll buy the physical CD instead of downloading it. I thought I’d put a ‘Making Of’ DVD with it and then I thought, instead of just a boring ‘Making Of’ as I got more into it, I thought, let’s put some tour footage, and what goes on in the day to day life of mine.

When I grew up, they would play old, old horror movies like ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Wolfman’ and they would have horror hosts, probably one that most people would remember would be like Elvira. We had really campy horror hosts back in the day like Sir Graves Ghastly, so I thought what kind of horror host could host my DVD and put a theme around it like he was trying to destroy me, to really give the audience a little bit more. I really wanted to put a lot into this and I think it turned out pretty cool. It is really entertaining, you don’t have to be just a guitar player to get into this, you can watch this thing and have a sense of humor behind it and a little fun with it.

You’ve said the album title ‘God Told Me To’ kind of comes from a few different ideas; do you want to tell us about that? Does any of that play into the diverse nature of the tunes and all the different styles you’ve covered?

What I wanted to do, I’m trying to keep the audience fresh and excited about each CD so it’s not the same thing over and over. I thought, I never did a real acoustic track, instrumental stuff; I just wanted to keep it very fresh for the audience because it’s for them. I’m doing this for the audience and to hopefully inspire people on some different styles of music. It’s been working because I’ve done so many instrumental CDs, it’s really working.

Not that any part of your playing ever sounded lacking, but the acoustic songs – ‘The Castle’ and ‘The Lie You Live’ – sound amazing. Did the acoustic guitar take a new focus for you on this disc?

I’ve always played acoustic my whole life and appreciated acoustic music. For an example, the Led Zeppelin that I like is all their acoustic stuff. That’s my favorite before ‘Whole Lotta Love,’ or ‘Rock and Roll’ or ‘Immigrant Songs,’ or even ‘Kashmir.’ I love all their acoustic work – ‘Going to California’ and all that, I loooove the acoustic stuff. I think that when you’re listening to a CD, especially something like an instrumental, you need a little variety and a breath of fresh air. Even if it’s for three to four minutes and then you go back into the crazy stuff. I think it’s a lot easier to listen to a whole CD of music when there’s a variety of sound for someone’s ear, to take it all in.

The production on ‘God Told Me To’ is a bit more lush and full sounding than past discs – was there a different approach to recording the songs?

With acoustic music you can get a lot more depth I think, because nothing is as pure as an acoustic instrument. You’re probably right on the money with that. I spent a lot of time on this one with the DVD and the CD, especially in the studio, I wasn’t in such a rush. I recorded it over the time I was on tour, and took a long time with the writing, production and the DVD. You are right, I think the production is a lot better on this CD.

Talk to me about the tribute to both Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen on your rendition of ‘Beat It,’ why was it important for you to salute those guys?

I think everything is taken from your childhood and when that song was out it was so huge and so massive. With Michael Jackson’s passing I wanted to pay tribute to him and also one of my favorite guitar players, Eddie Van Halen. It’s such a great song and it’s known worldwide, anybody in the world knows this song, and I thought, how can nobody out of this whole huge world have ever covered ‘Beat It.’ I just wanted to cover it and do it up! I’m really happy how it turned out, I think it turned out really well.

And this isn’t the first time you’ve written or performed tributes to other musicians that have inspired you from ‘Fractured Mirror’ for Ace Frehley to ‘Ya Dig’ for David Lee Roth and now this Eddie Van Halen tribute. Even though you’re so successful, you seem to still be such a huge music fan at heart – is that what drives these tributes?

I am a huge fan of music in general but I think again it all comes from my childhood. Like ‘Fractured Mirror,’ I loved KISS when I was a little kid, and I loved that song. I also did a cover of Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Welcome to the Jungle,’ that’s the song that made me move out to California and give this whole music thing a try and that’s why I covered that. There’s a lot of reasons behind the covers.

Rob Zombie created the album art for you; it looks like an actual painting – was that the medium? Also, did he have free range with that or did you give him any ideas going into it?

Yes it’s a painting. I just kind of begged him. I said ‘Hey Rob, would you mind painting a album cover for me’ and he’s so busy but he did it. That was all I said, I didn’t give him any direction, I didn’t say anything, I just told him the name of the album and that’s pretty much it, which is amazing.

So what was your response when you saw it for the first time?

I was blown away. It’s so weird that this guy can do so much. He’s so talented from art to making movies to making amazing music, what can he not do, it’s incredible what he’s capable of.

You seem to be selling yourself short here though, aren’t you scoring the new Rob Zombie movie ‘The Lords of Salem’?

I am, we’re almost finished with it and it’s come out really well. I’m very proud of it and I’ve been working very hard on it.

How do you approach something like that compared to other projects? Do you tackle it differently?

It’s approached completely differently, it’s a whole new animal. It depends on the scene and it depends of the mood of the movie. It’s a lot of unorthodox bits and pieces which one would not normally do in a song. Sometimes there’s no time signature or even a key. When you’re doing a theme, it’s a whole different story. It’s a challenge but I love challenges and they’re really happy with what has been happening, so that makes me psyched.

I noticed that for Rock on the Range, you’re playing with Rob Zombie the same night as Marilyn Manson, any chance you might join him onstage for a song or two?

I don’t think so, but I just want to make it known, I have nothing against Manson. I think he’s great, I think his new music is great, and I wish him nothing but the very best. We have acquired Ginger Fish to play drums with us now, he’s been in our band for a little while now, so it’s really cool.

I was a fan of Manson before I was in his band and I’m a fan after, so I wish nothing but the best. I think he’s so talented.

You’ve said that you’re psyched to go to work every day with Rob Zombie, which is something not too many of us can say, can you tell us what it’s like to work with him, he’s got such a brilliant mind, so it must be an exciting day job.

It is very exciting. I think if you do your job and you do your job well, and have good ideas and be on time and be professional and efficient, I think in any job, you’ll be okay. If I was late and come in and not know what I was doing, it would probably be a nightmare but I have such respect for the band and Zombie that I pay close attention at doing a great job and it’s been a dream gig. I wouldn’t leave it for the world.

Your last solo disc was kind of a reflection back on your life and the people and things along the way – are there any songs on the new disc that call out to home?

There’s a song on the disc called ‘Ashland Bump.’ I grew up in Grosse Pointe, Mich., in such a secluded little suburb, you were not allowed to go into Detroit – Detroit was considered dangerous. So we’d sneak over there when I was in my teens, but you would have to go over this street called ‘Ashland’ and that was sort of when you crossed over onto the bad side of the tracks. There was this big hill and you’d have to go slow, but you didn’t want to go slow going into this neighborhood, so we would call it the ‘Ashland Bump.’ I’ll take things like that because they have a neat story, it’s part of my life. Same thing with the ‘Beat It’ cover, things like that are deep inside, and they’re stories. As a kid, when I knew that certain song titles had a story to them, I would think of that story every time I heard the song.

‘God Told Me To’ kicks off with ‘Welcome to Violence’ which is a song that kind of explodes in your face – did you want that to set the tone for the rest of the disc?

I just wanted to do something that makes you feel almost out of control and panicked, just so crazy. That’s what I tried to make it feel like – almost losing control.

I interviewed Sebastian Bach awhile back and he offered up a bit of trivia on you saying that for the Skid Row ‘Piece of Me’ video, you’re actually in it as a music fan, stage-diving into the crowd – true?

That is very, very true.

So you were a big Skid Row fan?

Of course! Of course I was a Skid Row fan. They were shooting the video and I think we got some money to be extras. You can actually see me in the video. I was doing a stage dive. I only had like a couple tattoos and my hair was long, but if you pause it, you can see me diving and you can see my tattoos, it’s pretty funny. So if you’re reading this, go check it out.

And another piece of Sebastian Bach / John 5 history – do you remember the ‘Rolling Stone’ cover with Sebastian Bach on the cover? I don’t remember when it was, back in the early ‘90s. But inside that issue there was something called ‘Tattoos of the Sunset Strip’ or something to that effect. There’s a picture of me getting tattooed inside that issue. It’s kind of weird.

Given your history with David Lee Roth and the fact that you’re a big Eddie Van Halen fan, how do you feel about the VH reunion?

I have been a fan of Van Halen since their first record so it is great. The new record is so great and they’re just firing on all cylinders, they’re really doing so well. The record’s great, the live show is great, and they’re really changing up the set list a lot every night which let me tell ya, coming from experience, is not easy to do. You have to be very well-rehearsed to go in front of 15 thousand people and play songs and changing up the set every night. Hat’s off to them, they’re just really doing it.

So you were impressed with the live show?

Oh yeah, you will love it. If you’re a real Van Halen fan and you know all the songs and own all the records you will have the time of your life.

Review by insomniac15.

Summary: John 5′s most accessible and interesting work.
God Told Me To is a departure from the usual John 5 albums, bringing a much needed change to his solo career. This time he traded all the bluegrass with lovely acoustic numbers, thus marking John’s not only one of his most interesting albums, but also one of his most accessible work, if not the most. 5 always spiced his frenetic shredding numbers with different bluesy, bluegrass tracks, however, after five albums everything got a bit stale. So, here he approached his work from different angles while still delivering some of his finest shredding in a while.

The manic and brutal “Welcome To Violence” starts the album in style with John channeling and outdoing at the same time, Ministry’s circa 2006′s Rio Grande Blood type of trashy metal. Boasting some of his most frantic riffing and shredding in a while interspersed with short sampled lines, “Welcome To Violence” feels fun and refreshing. The next song, a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”, is a definite win, John following thesong’s structure giving it at the same time more power and groove while discretely inserting some of his musical prowess without turning this song into another virtuoso show off.

From here on, God Told Me To goes to extremes, intertwining acoustic numbers with heavy rockers, each having a sound of its own. “Ashland Bump”, for example, is a cool, dry country blues number feeling like a smooth ride through the desert, while “Killafornia” sounds as if it was taken out of a Rob Zombie album, having a heavy industrial feel with John keeping his signature shredding. However, the rockers are often gifted with short, soft melodic interludes showcasing more welcomed changes in sound. While his other albums were exhausting at one point and mostly biased, on God Told Me To, John 5 manages to combine his rich musical background to a more effective and concise result, keeping the songs under a five minute span.

After a heavier first half, the latter one tends to mellow towards the end. “Noche Acosador” is one of the album’s finest moments and a highlight in John’s career. Reportedly studying flamenco artists and techniques, he managed to create an authentic flamenco number with everything in it from the genre’s signature tapping to lovely leads. While it may not yet be in the same league with the best flamenco guitar players, it is an amazing start and addition to 5′s ever expanding palette. The song is then followed by “The Lust Killer”, which is the best example of the two combining sides present on this album. Starting again with a stomping rhythm and lots of shredding, the song grows to a melodic mid-part being slowly stripped to a short, mournful interlude, only to restart to a hard hitting finale. Of course, this is not the first time John 5 alternates styles, but here he does it with more cohesion, portraying his evolution as a guitar player. Also, last song “Creepy Crawler” is the ballad Marilyn Manson never had. The track is a sparse, melancholic number that takes its beauty from building an atmosphere around itself with faint echoed and reverbed guitar layers. It is one of most beautiful songs in John 5′s solo discography.

Overall, fans accustomed to John 5′s antiques will be pleased with the heavier side God Told Me To offers, while the acoustic side will represent a much needed change even for them, since all his previous albums were going in the same direction. It’s great how these songs end up being the best thing this album has to offer. This album is a must for any fans and newcomers alike, but also one of the most interesting and enjoyable albums of 2012 yet. Also, the CD comes with a cool DVD containing live footage and a day in John 5′s life on tour with Rob Zombie. Grab it.

Highlights - “Welcome To Violence”, “Noche Acosador”, “Creepy Crawler”, “Beat It”, “Ashland Bump”

By Aniruddh “Andrew” Bansal

Despite the plethora of heavy music releases I’ve reviewed this year, it’s been a while since I came across an out-and-out rock guitar album, and finally, I got my hands on one. Rob Zombie and ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5 is releasing his sixth solo album, “God Told Me To”, today on May 8th 2012. While I’ve honestly never been a fan of Zombie or Manson, I have always respected John 5 for his talents on the guitar, and kept an eye on his activities outside of those bands. That fact that he got to work with David Lee Roth and Paul Stanley on their respective solo albums is a testimony to his musicianship, and is an indication of the kind of admiration he enjoys in the rock music circles. One thing is for sure, this new album will only enhance his reputation, because this is quite unlike anything he has done in the past.

The 10-track album gets off to a heavy start with the opening track “Welcome To Violence”, a tune that showcases a very nicely crafted interplay between John’s riffs and solos. There is no aimless noodling here, and there’s a solid structure behind the tune. His ability to pull off solos of varying speed with equal prowess is clear. and it’s certainly not just about blistering speed, as is the case with quite a few rock guitar albums. Next comes John’s version of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”, an interesting one at that. I wouldn’t call myself a huge Michael Jackson fan, but John’s interpretation and instrumental treatment makes it an enjoyable tune, even for me.

The ‘never before’ aspect I referred to in the first paragraph is the acoustic segment of the album, which is something John 5 fans would have never heard from him, at least not on his solo albums. He has shown his real class on delightful tunes such as “Ashland Bump”, which sounds like a hybrid of Southern rock and Zeppelin-style acoustic guitar. This Zeppelin flavor is also evident on the tunes “The Castle” and “The Lie You Live” and “Creepy Crawler”, while “Noche Acosador” has a very distinct Latin feel to it. These acoustic tunes are filled to the brim with pure joy for guitar enthusiasts, but despite the multitude of such tunes, the album never loses its intensity. Heavy rock pieces such as “Killafornia”, “The Hill Of The Seven Jackals” and “The Lust Killer” are sandwiched between the acoustic segments, thus keeping the album interesting for everyone, and heightening the impact of the album as a whole, wherein acoustic music is invariably followed by a heavy tune, and vice-versa.

The album has a personality of its own, and compared to any of the albums he has released in the past, this one is the truest representation of John 5 the guitarist, because both his modern and classical traits are displayed in plenty. At merely 40 years of age, John has already achieved a lot as a musician and still has a lot more to offer, but “God Told Me To” will undoubtedly turn out to be one of the highlights of his career. A fantastic effort, highly recommended to every single rock music lover out there.

Rating: 10/10

Review by Russell Eldridge

Half of God Told Me To will appease even the pickiest of shred fans and the other half will soothe the souls of those more into the wooden tones of delta acoustic, highland melodies, and acoustic shredders

John5′s new CD God Told Me To is an exciting, scary, sexy, and twisted shred masterpiece. His playing can stand up against any of the immortal guitar gods. In fact, he might like to see a war-torn battlefield filled with blood stains. Well, as long as there are hot women in bikinis with monster heads. Some of the DVD portion of God Told Me To contains behind-the-scenes type studio footage that shows John5 is for real and is not in need of any tricks to pull off his music.

Also, there are several live performances, during what seems to be a solo spot, where John5 was allowed to spread his humming bird type wings. This makes me wonder if Rob Zombie’s next CD will include solos, or whether I have I missed them in past releases. In an interview with Jay Yuenger of White Zombie, he said Rob Zombie liked to replace typical solos with sound samples, which is something that is still prominent in Zombie’s music. The cover art was illustrated by Rob Zombie and John5 will be scoring Zombie’s upcoming release Lords Of Salem.

The movie portion of the DVD seems influenced by Rob Zombie’s House Of A Thousand Corpses and illustrated a story of what may be John5′s everyday challenge, which is being hunted by guitar shredding female monsters.

Half of God Told Me To will appease even the pickiest of shred fans with many tasty shred licks plus a tribute to Eddie Van Halen and Michael Jackson with “Beat It.” The other half of God Told Me To will soothe the souls of those more into the wooden tones of delta acoustic, highland melodies, and acoustic shredders like Tommy Emmanuel.
Some highlights include John5′s guitar stunt work like playing or bending behind the nut and altering the tunings mid song a la Adrian Legg.

The pre-orders are on their way to those who ordered one of the great packs which included t-shirt, mousemat, picks and more as well as the CD/DVD.

So now comes the time to tell John 5 what you think to the album. Fans, leave your reviews here. And if you haven’t ordered the CD/DVD yet click HERE for the store

Enjoy!

‘God told me to‘ is the sixth solitary studio album from the Rob Zombie and ex-Marilyn Manson guitar player, John William Lowery, AKA John 5. The first and remarkable impression, is the aggressive cover artwork (painted by Rob Zombie itself), where we can see John using the same kind of aesthetics as in his current band, Rob Zombie. This makes me wonder if this is a John 5 solo work, or a solo work from Rob Zombie’s guitar player. Anyway, marketing issues aside, we’ve got 10 tunes, that’s 40 minutes of instrumental songs, including a cover song.

I never doubted John 5‘s skills. Neither his career choices, nor his guitar playing techniques. With this new release, this point is crystal clear. His style is surgical, stubborn and yes, sometimes impulsive, but always remarkable. I will admit that his guitar sound, on certain moments, technique aside, can shrill a little bit. But looking on the bright side, it can be a distinctive personal trait. The next thing that caught my attention, is the importance given to the acoustic songs, as much or even more than the distorted guitars, and spread out evenly all over the track list, as John predicted months before the release date.

‘Gold told me to’ is a very addictive record, aggressive and full of emotions. But most of all, full of unique songs.

As soon as the record starts, ‘Welcome To Violence‘ makes an entrance like a missile in honor and tribute to Ministry. It has an insane riff over industrial landscapes and very fast solo parts. Perfect execution and awesome in every way. But next, we can easily get very shocked when we listen to Michael Jackson‘s cover ‘Beat it‘, which was released as a single for the 53 anniversary of the King of Pop. Extremely well performed, but really a nut breaker, after the first song. Considering that after that we get into the acoustic part with ‘Ashland Bump‘, I come to realize that probably the best thing to do, is to start to listen to the songs individually, instead of facing the cd as a whole.

Regarding the acoustic part, I only have nice words about John 5′s skills. With songs like ‘Ashland Bump‘, the country-styled ‘The castle‘, the mariachi-imbibed ‘Noche Acosador‘, or the emotive final combo of ‘The Lie You Live‘ and ‘Creepy Crawler‘, it is impossible not to surrender to his magnetism and essence. We have a great display of impressive open hand techniques, palm muting, cool percussion beats on the guitar body, and also a great ambient feeling.

Tracks like ‘The Hill of the Seven Jackals‘ sound more industrialized, like the first one, but with a huge epic touch on the solo part. ‘Killafornia‘ on the other hand, sounds more like a crossover between Quake‘s soundtrack and a 7Up ad. ‘The Lust Killer‘, brings up the 80′s teen horror movies roots to the next level of awesomeness.

Being the instrumental work of a solo guitar player, ‘God told me to‘ is a very addictive record, aggressive and full of emotions. But most of all, full of unique songs. With his refined skills, unique personality and great control over such different disciplines, I hope that John 5 will keep on working for a long time. Both as a solo artist and as part of a band. A beastly demon that knows full well what he’s doing.