Former ROB ZOMBIE and current MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5 will release his new solo album, "Sinner", on Friday, October 29 (just in time for Halloween) via Big Machine Records.
Today's album announcement is highlighted by the release of the first track from the album, the epic "Qué Pasa" which revolves around a distinctive vocal refrain. Originally built with a sample, John opted to have it reworked by Grammy-winning MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine.
Speaking on the release of his first new music since 2019 and the announcement of "Sinner", John 5 shares: "When people hear this record, I want them to say, 'Oh, that's John 5.' What you get with 'Sinner' is the best of me. I just want to write memorable riffs that people will enjoy. When I sit on my couch and play my guitar, I play the same things you hear on the instrumental records. It's honest. It's real. It's not a façade. This is how I play. This is what I love to do."
He continues: "I have such an appreciation for Dave and I love his voice, guitar playing and songwriting. And he kills it on 'Qué Pasa'. It was such a joy to have him on this track."
"Sinner" was produced and mixed by Barry Pointer at Riott House Studio in North Hollywood. Drums were engineered by ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke at Redrum Recording in Los Angeles.
Regarding how Mustaine came to be involved with the record, John 5 told AL.com: "We had a sample from James Brown, and the record company was, like, 'We can't use that sample. We'll get sued. Who would you want to use?' And I was, like, 'Well, I would love to use Dave Mustaine.' So I reached out and he agreed, and he really liked the song and that'’s gonna be the first video as well. It's called 'Qué Pasa'."
John 5 originally shared the news of Mustaine's appearance on "Sinner" in an interview in July with the 95.5 KLOS radio station. At the time, he said: "We have Dave Mustaine doing a little vocal thing. 'Cause we have these little vocal hooks in each song. So it's super cool. And Mustaine did it. And it sounds so good. I love MEGADETH so much, so I was, like, 'Oh my God. We've gotta see if Mustaine will do it.' And he kills it."
"Sinner" will also feature a guest appearance by original KISS drummer Peter Criss. John 5, whose real name is John William Lowery, first discussed Criss's involvement with "Sinner" during an appearance on Sirius XM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said: "Peter Criss is playing drums on the song 'Georgia On My Mind', which is the last song on the record. And I'm telling you… This guy… Barry Pointer, my producer, flew out to Peter's house, set up a couple of mics. Now, this is a jazz type of song, and Peter is known for that jazz feel he has. I shit you not, he sat behind those drums, played two takes. Barry's mouth was dropped open. Wait till you hear this. I mean, it was perfect."
John 5 continued: "It's something you can't teach, is this feel and this vibe. And he nailed it in two takes. And Barry was, like, 'Well, what do we do now?' It took him, like, literally probably eight minutes. And it was just perfect. He was, like, 'There's nothing else we can do. That was perfect.'"
"Sinner" track listing:
01. Welcome To The Island
02. For I Have Sinned
03. Euphoria (feat. Carla Harvey)
04. Qué Pasa (feat. Dave Mustaine)
05. How High The Moon
06. Creepshow
07. Land Of The Misfit Toys
08. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
09. This Is How I Do It
10. Georgia On My Mind (feat. Peter Criss)
John 5 has worked with a varied range of artists, performing as guitarist for some of the biggest headlining rock bands in the world such as ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON, as well as playing session with Paul Stanley, Rod Stewart, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and more. Slash has called John 5 "one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around," and Rob Zombie has dubbed him "a fucking shredder." John 5 has released nine solo albums to date, as well as a remix album, and has written music for the likes of Avril Lavigne, GARBAGE, Ricky Martin and others.
JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES' latest album, "Invasion", was released in July 2019.
