KELSIOGRAPHY #1

KELSIOGRAPHY: In which I make my brilliant 14-year-old fellow writer sister-cousin Kelsi Rivera review albums of her choice for this blog. I pay her $0, in an attempt to give her a real-world experience and acclimate her to the music-reviewing lifestyle. Edition 1: The Devil Knows My Name, third album from former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5. – JSHEP

above: kelsi as john 5, wearing the pink plastic diamond ring i gave her when she was visiting
John 5
The Devil Knows My Name
(60 cycle hum records)
Another metal CD may seem like another snow flake in Alaska, but I can promise you this CD is worth buying, and not just downloading for free off the internet.
John 5 really shows off what he can do on this album, but did you expect less from ex-Marilyn Manson and Rob zombie’s (current) guitarist? The first track, “First Victim” might seem hard to get into (unless you have true passion and respect for everything metal), but by the second track I guarantee that you will be shredding on your air guitar, not only with John 5 but Joe Satriani. The third track, “27 needles,” is bound to impress and thrill. You can expect the rest of the album to do the same.
The guest guitarists on this CD make the album all the more ear candy. John made an awesome choice having not only Joe Satriani, but Jim Root and Eric Johnson, guest guitarists. On the track “Black Window of La Porte,” Jim Root and John play together and truly make the song magnificent. John 5 also does an instrumental version of Guns And Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” showing off how he can make even a cover of a song sound so original he could claim the whole thing to himself. I must enlighten on how I love the way “Harold Rollings Hymn” (track 7) and “Dead Art in Plainfield” (track 8) blend together so well they sound like they could be the same track. This album definitely will delight not only all you metal and / or heavy guitar fans, but heavy drum and computer programming fans too. However, if you’re not in the mood to thrash to any face melting guitar, but still crave something that will impress and please you, “Bella Kiss” and “Young Thing” will undeniably hit the spot. These bluegrassy songs – compared with some of the heavier and amazing riffs like in “The Washing Away of Wrong” featuring Eric Johnson – show off not only this album’s versatility but worth. John 5’s unique guitar style, like his behind-the-nut bends will supply you with music like you have never heard before. The CD closes with beautifully with “July 31st (the last stand)”. Try to hold back from putting it on repeat and wearing out the CD the first day. John 5’s “The Devil Knows My Name” Is certainly not another snowflake in Alaska. By the end of this album you will want to BE John 5. – KELSI RIVERA
By the end of this review, you will want to BE Kelsi Rivera. – JSHEP