The mad guitarist strikes again!
John 5 is one of the many great solo guitarists out there, and while he may not be the most virtuous like Joe Satriani or Steve Vai, what he may lack in style he makes up in theatrics. Best known for his work with Marilyn Manson, his former band's association has rubbed off on his solo career for his tendency to don clown makeup and basically look like the Joker. This creepy attire, along with his affinity for heavy metal licks combined with country makes him a very enigmatic character. With his fifth studio album, Art of Malice, John 5 continues to expand on his guitar abilities and brings forth his most interesting work yet.
Unlike his the last effort, Requiem, which seemed a bit dry and chord focused, Art of Malice is back to extreme technical string picking and more a more classically driven music base. Like all his work, John 5's opening track is a blistering heavy metal hitter, catchy and intense. The following track, "The Art of Malice," is a very bluesy, even tempo track that shows his softer side. Of course, this is short lived before the album explodes into "Ill Will or Spite." The solos here are just mind numbing and, when combined with the featured drums and bass from guest musicians, makes this one hell of a rocker. "J.W." is almost a jazz track with country influence. It's slow, but there's a few points where John is able to deliver some lightning quick finger work on the frets. "Ya Dig?" has a bit thicker sound than the other tracks due to more chord work than individual solos, and while it isn't exactly heavy metal, still offers a rock vibe with each note.
"Can I Live Again" brings John 5 into new territory for its slow, romantic rock ballad pace. It isn't country and is much less dynamic than his other work, but when John performs his electric guitar solos over his acoustic ones, they sound clear and just as dynamic when he's trying to perform at faster speeds. "Portrayed as Unremorseful" brings things back up to speed as far as John constantly changing frets while also trying to deliver catchy melodies. It's a bit repetitive, but still very well performed. "Steel Guitar Rag" is a mellow country flavoured tune that eventually picks up, but it is undeniably the most country driven track on the album. On the other hand, "Wayne Country Killer" is far from country as it brings things back into rock territory. The Ace Freshly cover of "Fractured Mirror" is an excellent choice for John 5 because the classic rock style he chooses to cover it in not only brings a new kind of rock music to his album repertoire but allows him to deliver a song that is more obscure, compared to the cover he did of Guns N' Roses on The Devil Knows My Name.
"The S Lot" is slightly ambient to start out with, but has some great rock n' roll style to it similar to "Portrayed as Unremorseful." And, as usual, John closes on an epic note with the "Last Page Turned." Surprisingly, it is more country influenced than his usual closers and features more acoustic guitar than electric. However, the sound is much cleaner and again, a new attempted style for John 5. Instead of trying to be downright heavy, he shows that solo guitar work can rock just as much on the acoustic guitar just as much as it can when thick with distortion. Overall, the whole album is pretty good, with some fresh ideas and the ability to keep familiar fans happy with the intensity of his work. Whatever staleness that Requiem had is gone, and the dynamics of Songs for Sanity and The Devil Knows My Name are back in action. Keep evolving John, and we'll keep listening enraptured.
(Riot! Entertainment)
