Guitarist and composer John 5 has worked with a varied range of artists. He has been a guitar player for some of the biggest headlining rock bands globally and playing sessions with Paul Stanley, Rod Stewart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and more. John 5 hangs with Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson; scored Zombie’s film The Lords of Salem. His metal-glam appearance of a crypt keeper facade for John 5 is real; the subculture he projects is genuinely him, he is creative both on and off the stage, but more importantly, he can shred! That fact has allowed him to work with everyone from David Lee Roth to Meat Loaf to Paul Stanley to RED SQUARE BLACK to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Enter his new album called, It’s Alive, joined by the Creatures, which are Ian Ross on bass and Logan Nix on drums. The trio delivers an all-instrumental album of sixteen tracks from the band’s studio album, Seasons of the Witch, with some cover tunes added to round out the set. The styles include metal, hard rock, funk, blues, southern rock, country, and even a little swing. In the vein of Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Vai, John 5 & The Creatures prove that shred is not dead; it is evolving to have personality, a wide range of virtuosic skills, and a high level of accessibility for guitar freaks and casual music fans alike. That’s the short of it!
Positives:
5 is a shredder, thank God, but the tunes on Its Alive offer more than shredom; they are melodic and easy to follow and relate to. The fact that 5 is serving up impressive technical fretwork is secondary to the tune's overall statement! The result is both invigorating and enjoyable!
Negatives:
It sounds like the crowd noise within some of the tunes where enhanced, this could be for many reasons because of how the show was recorded, but it does sound unnatural. Does it matter? No! The crowd sounds real in between the songs, and while 5 is speaking to them, I have to say I was surprised when I first heard the crowd sound within some tracks. It is an unneeded distraction.
Bottom Line:
John 5 & The Creatures are taking rock instrumental music to a whole new level. This album is a welcomed listen, and 5 will amaze you with the number of sounds, personality, and high level of accuracy he can effortlessly achieve in a live setting. The music is exciting and crowd-pleasing, both then and now, It’s Alive is fun, virtuosic, and most of all, MUSICAL!