John 5<\/strong> Rating:<\/strong> <\/strong>Reviewed by:\u00a0 Antonio Marino Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s been 20 years since John Lowery, a wirey metal-head from the well-to-do community of Grosse Point, MI, packed his guitar and headed to Hollywood. He shared the dream of countless other guitar players growing up in the late 80\u2019s –\u00a0\u00a0 move to Hollywood and \u201cmake it big\u201d.\u00a0 Unlike the countless others, he\u2019s still standing. \u00a0Along the way John Lowery became John 5 and that outcast kid from Michigan has flourished as a musical chameleon.\u00a0 As the guitar player in Rob Zombie\u2019s band he\u2019s afforded the platform to shred; to be the guitar player kids in basements around the world aspire to be. However, it\u2019s on John 5\u2019s solo releases that we get to see a different side of him. There are always ample doses of shred for all of the guitar-heads and he sprinkles in a healthy dose of non-shred that usually includes county-style guitar licks that remind us that the time he spent in K.D Lang\u2019s band was time well spent.<\/p>\n So when \u201cThe Art of Malice\u201d kicks off with \u201cThe Nightmare Unravels\u201d it\u2019s clear that the guitar-pyro we\u2019ve come to expect is here.\u00a0 Jangly horror movie styled guitar chords give way to long lighting fast runs that revolve around the central theme of the song, standard fair for a \u201cguitar record\u201d (not that that\u2019s at all bad).\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll Will or Spite\u201d, \u201cPortrayed as Unremorseful\u201d, \u201cWayne County Killer\u201d also fit the niche of songs that will satisfy the guitar players out there.\u00a0 As with his previous releases, John does his fare-share of shredding but the record never falls into a rut of endless wailing. \u00a0In fact they don\u2019t even butt up against each other. The album\u2019s second song \u201cThe Art of Malice\u201d is John noodling around with a clean guitar tone. The noodling is of course impressive but more importantly it segues from the album\u2019s ripping first song into a totally different kind of song.<\/p>\n John takes a few sonic trips down memory lane. The first being a very faithful cover of Ace Frehley\u2019s Fractured Mirror \u2013 church bells and all.\u00a0 The almost note for note interpretation of the song is intriguing. You\u2019re left anticipating a new wrinkle or variation and as the song comes and goes and you realize it is what it is. In fairness, considering the fact that most people who listen to this song will be experiencing it for the first time, it\u2019s an endearing tribute to the guitarist that inspired John to pick up the guitar.\u00a0 A slightly less obvious tip of the hat goes to Jimmy Page on the song \u201cPortrayed as Unremorseful\u201d.\u00a0 Classic Page riffs are woven into a song that doesn\u2019t at all resemble a Led Zeppelin type song, making for a fun ride.<\/p>\n John\u2019s ode to country-jazz, ala Chet Atkins, provides some of the best moments on this release. \u201cJ.W.\u201d starts off like the theme song to a 60s TV show and progresses into a song that could have easily been recorded by guitar greats Danny Gatton or Les Paul. \u00a0It\u2019s not a song by a \u201cmetal dude\u201d who misplaced his distortion pedal. \u00a0His masterful ability to change gears through out the song makes it a standout track which brings us to the defining moment of this record, and perhaps John 5\u2019s career thus far, the song \u201cCan I Live Again\u201d. \u00a0We know that John 5 can play. He can play lightning fast licks, he can play clean, nimble banjo rolls but \u201cCan I Live Again\u201d shows a guitar player willing to set that aside and focus on something far beyond technique.\u00a0 This soulful, almost mournful song never breaks off into a virtuoso moment. Like a desert landscape it moves on without any distractions. It lets you sit back, reflex, contemplate \u2013 simply think.\u00a0 Most guitarists wouldn\u2019t dare include such a song on a \u201cguitar record\u201d. It represents a maturity in John\u2019s playing that refreshing and hopefully a window into the direction he\u2019s heading as an artist.<\/p>\n The guitar world is cluttered with players that can play a million notes a minute. John 5 established that he can hold his own with them a long time ago.\u00a0 Each release has illustrated why he\u2019s not just another guy who can shred. With \u201cThe Art of Malice\u201d he\u2019s taken another step in showing the world that he\u2019s not just a famous sideman with some solo albums to peddle.\u00a0 Fact is, he\u2019s an artist who\u2019s kind enough to share his taken with big name acts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The guitar world is cluttered with players that can play a million notes a minute. John 5 established that he can hold his own with them a long time ago. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[13,621,20,28],"class_list":["post-105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-review","tag-john-5","tag-review","tag-the-art-of-malice","tag-they-will-rock-you","tw-post-no-content"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1qFj4-1H","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":304,"url":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/2010\/04\/20\/backstageaxxess-reviews-the-art-of-malice\/","url_meta":{"origin":105,"position":0},"title":"BackstageAxxess reviews The Art of Malice","author":"Dillon - Team John 5","date":"April 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The next track, \"J.W.\" has a Junior Brown-esque rockabilly feel to it. That rockabilly flavor comes back later on \"Steel Guitar Rag\" with hints of Stephen Foster's bluegrass classic 'Oh! Suzanna' at the beginning of the track. \"Wayne County Killer\" brings back the hard rockin' riffs and is followed up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Review"","block_context":{"text":"Review","link":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/category\/review\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":310,"url":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/2010\/07\/15\/life-music-media-reviews-the-art-of-malice\/","url_meta":{"origin":105,"position":1},"title":"Life Music Media reviews The Art of Malice","author":"Dillon - Team John 5","date":"July 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The Art of Malice is a dynamic record that peaks and troughs well throughout its 12 tracks. Just as you get comfy immersing yourself within the drama of slower tracks like \u2018Can I live Again\u2019 and the tension of \u2018Fractured Mirror\u2019, you\u2019re beaten over the head by thrashy outbursts and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Review"","block_context":{"text":"Review","link":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/category\/review\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":307,"url":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/2010\/05\/15\/mind-over-metal-reviews-the-art-of-malice\/","url_meta":{"origin":105,"position":2},"title":"Mind Over Metal reviews The Art of Malice","author":"Dillon - Team John 5","date":"May 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"ohn 5 is an artist determined to flourish in the music world. By continuously challenging himself, he has shared the stage with musicians as disparate as Marilyn Manson and k.d. lang. On The Art of Malice, his signature sound (by way of Fender Telecaster) becomes all the more recognizable.","rel":"","context":"In "Review"","block_context":{"text":"Review","link":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/category\/review\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":300,"url":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/2010\/05\/11\/hall-of-the-mountain-king-reviews-the-art-of-malice\/","url_meta":{"origin":105,"position":3},"title":"Hall of the Mountain King Reviews The Art of Malice","author":"Dillon - Team John 5","date":"May 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s almost insane how quickly this record goes from crushingly heavy to groove to twang, yet somehow it all flows. \u201cThe Art of Malice\u201d proves John 5 to be as much a shredder as any of the guys that came out of the style\u2019s 1980s heyday, but also a bit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Review"","block_context":{"text":"Review","link":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/category\/review\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":302,"url":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/2010\/06\/10\/number-of-the-blog-reviews-the-art-of-malice\/","url_meta":{"origin":105,"position":4},"title":"Number of the Blog reviews The Art of Malice","author":"Dillon - Team John 5","date":"June 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The album starts off with a blast with \u2018The Nightmare Unravels\u2019, as atmospheric guitar sounds give way to an explosive riff and lightning-fast soloing. This track truly exhibits what John 5 does best, pairing lead pyrotechnics with catchy melodies. \u2018The Art Of Malice\u2019 is a shorter track of bluegrass picking,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Review"","block_context":{"text":"Review","link":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/category\/review\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":103,"url":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/2010\/04\/08\/john-5-video-teaser-for-%e2%80%9cthe-art-of-malice%e2%80%9d\/","url_meta":{"origin":105,"position":5},"title":"John 5 Video Teaser For \u201cThe Art Of Malice\u201d","author":"Dillon - Team John 5","date":"April 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The brand new teaser for The Art of Malice out May 11 2010","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/john-5.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe Art of Malice
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"star](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theywillrockyou.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/xavins-review-ratings\/default\/star.png?w=800\" "\\"5\/5\\"")
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