Bring forth the fourth, but is it forced?
Seth R | MA | 06/07/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"John Lowery's (stage name: John 5) first three solo albums vary in quality, and Requiem is somewhere in the middle. With Vertigo arguably ranked at the bottom of the ladder, and still a great album regardless, John's fourth effort probably ranks one rung above his first. There just isn't anything here that he hasn't done in his previous solo efforts. He played around with more instruments in the past, had a few guest musicians, and there was sense of a need of appreciation for his chops. Now it's like he's simply trying to throw together a solid set of songs using the same styles of old. This works, but we've heard this before. A welcomed consistency is that the songs are performed with feeling and maturity, which makes for a better album. Has John put out a fourth just because Rob Zombie was on hold? Maybe not, but it sounds somewhat forced.
With a new Zombie album on the horizon and John once again on board, Requiem should unexpectedly hold off fans for a moment. Songs such as "Heretic's Fork" and "The Judas Cradle" are dark, eerie, and sound quite similar to the new Zombie style. Obviously there are screaming solos scattered about that aren't typical in Zombie material, but the correlation in general is there. Tommy Clufetos (also of Rob Zombie) handles drums throughout the album, too.
It may not be noticeable at first, but some of the songs fit together as the album goes along. Imagine a hurricane passing overhead - "Heretic's Fork" ends with the same heavy riff it started with and sort of drags into "Noisemaker's Fife," which soon becomes calm, clean playing - the eye of the storm. Then the riff picks up again and the hurricane rumbles on. These two tracks together, which could really be one song, make up a nine-and-a-half-minute extravaganza. The very next pair of songs, "Pity Belt" and "Cleansing the Soul," offers a different approach to melding. The former is a playful banjo piece under two minutes in length, and ends in a crescendo with the latter coming in with guitar and drums.
Forced or not, Requiem is solid and certainly impressive, which is easily becoming an expectation of John. Newcomers should start with his early material, and for those who already have all of it, adding this to your collection wouldn't hurt."
Nu Shred
Roadrunner | Central Coast CA | 08/31/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is new instrumental shred at it's finest! As the guitarist for Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie , John 5 didn't have much room to show what he can really do. On his latest solo album Requiem, he comes at you with both guns blazing. It's the best "Shred Guitar" album I've heard in a very long time -- kinda like Halloween on acid and crystal meth without feeling like crap for a week afterwards!!"
John 5 has a massive arsenal of guitar playing methods.
M. L. Goodwin | Santa Rosa, CA, USA | 06/10/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great album to come out a year after Devil Knows My Name. Some musicians come out with CD's every year and only one out of three albums turns out to be good because of it. John 5 is an exception to this rule though he plays songs that are different and always utilizes his bluegrass skills mixed with alternative and metal which is VERY unique. It is also important to note to Rob Zombie and Manson fans hes worked with them and still works with Rob Zombie. My only complaint about this album is the fact that he didn't double play on all of his tracks. I understand why he didn't do it and admitted in an interview that it's a painstaking process. He still did double play in some tracks but just not as much as he did in Devil Knows My Name, his last album. All around the last few tracks were fantastic and went together really well. In one song you hear a bluegrass song and then it slowly phases into a metal song which is great. It doesn't get repetitive and is a great successor off of The Devil Knows My Name. I would recommend also purchasing The Devil Knows My Name because these two albums go together really well."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1