This isn’t just your mindless tremolo bar or fretboard wankery either. His shredding is well placed and thought out. He often favors adding melody and feeling to his songs over shredding constantly. Sure, the metal or industrial hits may have the insane metal guitar going for them, but on the other tracks John is creating haunting melodies, plucking away like he’s playing a banjo, or making a nice bluesy atmosphere. This guy knows his music.

For the full review from Sputnik Music click HERE

Set the CD on “random play” and you’re sure to fool others into thinking it’s a compilation of several top guitar shredders. Things kick off with a pair of tracks that are what you’d expect from a former Marilyn Manson guitarist: the over-the-top shredfest “Needles, CA” and the riff rocker “Feisty Cadavers.” But this soon proves to be a completely false assumption, as evidenced by such bluegrass ditties as “Sugar Foot Rag” and a cover of “Sweet Georgia Brown,” the square dance-esque title track, and a blues-rock track that brings to mind the “guitar duel” between Steve Vai and Ralph Macchio in Crossroads, “Pulling Strings.” Although some may automatically write off Mr. 5 due to his ghoulish makeup and attire, Vertigo will certainly please fans of such technically proficient shredders as Steve Vai and Steve Morse.

For the full review from All Music click HERE