LP Review: "Season of the Witch" by John 5 and the Creatures

Season of the Witch

Let's ignore the elephant in the room. That elephant is an annoying hipster and will go away if drink enough American Lagers.

Being a fan of an artist, in some ways, feels like being their parent.

Personally, I'm always hoping for what's best for the folks whose records I buy, spin, review, etc. The better they do, the better the world is for their music.

It's hard to watch some of them stumble and fall while making the same mistakes they have made in the past. Fans can only stand on the side mute while the choices are made.

In the end though, for me, it's important to watch these people grow and change. Granted, I'm a bit different in that regard. There's a reason why Carnival of Souls and Music From The Elder are my favorite Kiss records and why AC/DC barely merits a notice in my music library....

John 5 sans The Creatures

John 5 has been a part of my musical life for a few  years now going back to his solo record, God Told Me To.

Then a few  years later he followed that up with Careful With That Axe.

What I didn't like about the former was well represented on the latter. Both of these releases were uneven.

This wasn't in terms of quality, but in terms of music. The back and forth between acoustic and electric and shreds and chicken picken just made for uneven listening experiences. In context of the man's career, it makes total sense. That doesn't make it easy to hold this worldly context in my brain when listening to music.

Season of the Witch doesn't have the extreme diversity of the earlier albums. This makes the experience that much more enjoyable for me. Now, here's where it gets weird.

John 5 hasn't left out these types of music. The chicken picken is even buttressed by blue grass banjo. You're probably wondering if I've lost my mind.

The difference is that instead of writing a wing of pictures in a museum, these elements are a panel here or a panel there in an X-Men comic book. There's an overarching story rather than a series of ten short ones.

His writing is the only thing improved over previous works, but his playing now has that Steve Vai vocal quality to it.

Season of the Witch fixed the problems I had with both his earlier solo work and improved upon the man as a player as well. All in all, a home run.

Release: Out Now
Genre: Heavy Metal
Label: DIY
Formats: CD/Digital
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