Legendary guitarist and solo artist, JOHN 5, has announced his highly anticipated new solo album, SINNER. Arriving just in time for the spookiest of holiday celebrations, the album will be released on Friday, October 29th via Big Machine Records. Pre-orders are available here.
Today’s album announcement is highlighted by the release of the first track from the album, the epic “Que 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. Watch the official music video below!
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 “Que Pasa. It was such a joy to have him on this track.”
As evidenced by the latest slab of sinister sounds, JOHN 5, who moved to Hollywood as a teen to pursue his rock n’ roll dreams, follows his artistic muse wherever it leads. SINNER is ten tracks of pure JOHN 5, summoned with the same mix of vibrant energy and passionate emotion beloved by fans of his work as guitarist for Rob Zombie, David Lee Roth and many more. SINNER is ten tracks full of hooks, melody, and thick guitar-driven groove. “Que Pasa” is just the first taste of what’s to come from the legendary guitarist on his latest full-length.
JOHN 5’s ‘SINNER’ TRACKLISTING:
1. Welcome To The Island
2. For I Have Sinned
3. Euphoria (feat. Carla Harvey)
4. Que Pasa (feat. Dave Mustaine)
5. How High The Moon
6. Creepshow
7. Land Of The Misfit Toys
8. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
9. This Is How I Do It
10. Georgia On My Mind (feat. Peter Criss)
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.
ABOUT JOHN 5
When Guitar World convened their State of Guitar in 2021 all-star summit, JOHN 5 appeared on the magazine’s cover, right alongside Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Tool’s Adam Jones. Without a doubt, his reputation as a guitar-slinging troubadour and top-notch shredder is well-earned, recognized by friends, peers, and collaborators like Slash, Paul Gilbert, and
Steve Vai over the years.
But the man whose passport reads “John William Lowery” is more than a postmodern guitar hero. An eclectic showman and horror-obsessed pop culture maverick, JOHN 5’s tastes and talent are as vast and diverse as his renowned collection of guitars and as robust as his expansive discography.
While his solo band and work with Zombie generally keep him otherwise engaged in recent years, he’s continuously called upon to cowrite, collaborate, and lay down leads for rock and pop music’s biggest names. It’s a huge list that includes Scorpions, Rod Stewart, Halestorm, and Alice Cooper.
John owes his love of the guitar to the long-running variety TV show Hee Haw, which he’d watch with his father at the young age of seven. KISS and Jimi Hendrix came after. His band Dirty Trixx won a Battle of the Bands in middle school. Vampirella came next, in high school, when he adopted his now-signature theatrical makeup look. At 18, he moved to Los Angeles to become a session player, performing with Lita Ford, Randy Castillo, K.D. Lang, 2wo (Two) with Rob Halford, David Lee Roth and Marilyn Manson, who gave him the “John 5” moniker.
After a chance encounter with the legendary Les Paul, John began work on his first-ever solo album, Vertigo in 2004, laying the groundwork for several records to come.
Rob Zombie recruited John initially to perform as a live guitarist only on the 2006 Ozzfest tour. But the chemistry between them proved so electric that they began work on 2006’s Educated Horses. As guitarist and co-writer, he appeared on all subsequent Rob Zombie albums and scored 2013’s The Lords of Salem. JOHN 5’s fifth record with Rob Zombie, The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy, became the hard rock icon’s first No. 1 album. The debut single from L.A. RATS, “I’ve Been Everywhere” saw John and Zombie paired with Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe) and Tommy Clueftos (Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie) and cracked Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Top 40.
Now comes SINNER, the sum total of all that’s come before, a perfect snapshot of where JOHN 5 has been and where he’s headed.
