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John 5 speaks to Metal Obsession: “We’re treating it … as a big Zombie party”

While out on tour with Rob Zombie in Australia for the Soundwave Festival, Metal Obsession grabbed a chat with John where they spoke about the new Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor album, the forthcoming Live DVD/Blu-Ray and even a little about the next John 5 solo album.

John 5 Metal Obsession

While out on tour with Rob Zombie in Australia for the Soundwave Festival, Metal Obsession grabbed a chat with John where they spoke about the new Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor album, the forthcoming Live DVD/Blu-Ray and even a little about the next John 5 solo album.

Enjoy the following excerpt and follow the links for the full interview >> 

Interviews : “We’re treating it as a big Zombie party” – an interview with John 5 By Amber Rose

Rob Zombie has been a cult favourite in music and film for over a decade. Romancing a mix of horror and metal is definitely a seductive trait that has created a ravenous yet loyal following. With the recent release of their fifth studio album Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor and their second Soundwave Festival now under their belt, Rob Zombie embark on a US/UK tour and prepare to release their first tour DVD Zombie Horror Picture Show.

During the recent Melbourne Soundwave Festival, Metal Obsession had the pleasure of kicking off a day of interviews with Rob Zombie guitarist John 5; a legend in his own right who also has a very distinguished solo career.

Metal Obsession: How are you enjoying the Soundwave festival?

John 5: I love Soundwave. Look at all these people, there’s rides, there’s bands playing, there’s food, there’s everything you could ever want. You know I’ve said it before, but it’s like a heavy metal summer camp. All your friends are here, it’s a blast, the weather is amazing. There’s not one bad thing about it.

MO: Has anything of note happened so far?

J5: Last night was fun. We all went out to eat then we went to watch Devil’s Rejects. They had a big movie premiere thing.

MO: The Q&A?

J5: Yeah the Q&A, not the premiere. That was really fun.

MO: Rob Zombie released their fifth studio album Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor in April of last year, how would you describe the record to people who might not know much about your music?

J5: I would say it’s a very live aggressive record but it’s got a lot of really good songs and I think that’s what’s most important. You have to have good songs, that’s what keeps us doing what we’re doing. It’s got a really cool cover of “American Band” on it. The album has been very well received by the public, we’re just having a good time. We’re not all mean and grouchy and yelling at the crowd, we have a lot of crowd interaction and they really like that. We’re treating it as a big party, you know, as a big Zombie party. People love it. The crowd is just going crazy for it and we’re loving it too.

MO: You recorded in 2012, any plans for a new album yet or are you taking a bit of a break from recording?

J5: What we’re doing, which is really cool, and for the first time in Rob Zombie history, we’re putting out a concert DVD. It comes out in May and I’m so excited about it. It looks amazing. It looks so good; Zombie Horror Picture Show. It is so cool, it captures all the craziness of a concert. And then a couple of months ago I went to Rob’s and we recorded a bunch of new ideas, so we’re always working. There’s always stuff going on.

MO: How much input did you have in the writing process?

J5: Well I was a writer on all the songs except for American Band. So what we’ll do is we’ll get together and I’ll play Rob some stuff and he’ll say, “yay or nay”, or “do this change that”. We really work really well together. It’s been nine years now, it’s crazy to say that.

MO: That’s great that you have such a good relationship.

J5: Yeah it is rare. I talk to him everyday, I’d talk to him everyday if I wasn’t in the band, we just get along so well together. I wouldn’t change it for the world. The grass is not always greener that’s for sure.

Read the full interview here: http://www.metalobsession.net/2014/03/14/were-treating-it-as-a-big-zombie-party-an-interview-with-john-5/