I ordered the new Marilyn Manson album off iTunes a week ago and even though I'm sure I'll change my mind ever so slightly about a song here or there, after listening to the album three times through, I think I'm finally ready to review it.
For the record, I've been listening to Marilyn Manson's music since their 1996 album, "Antichrist Svperstar," hit the shelves at music stores. I've always found the band to be quite fascinating on multiple fronts, through their stage presence, their lyrics and also their music. Some fans have been quite turned off with the band's direction in recent years, their last two albums in particular - "Eat Me, Drink Me" and "The High End of Low". While I'd agree that the two albums weren't as grand of efforts as the triptych, I still think these critics were being too harsh. One thing I've always enjoyed about Marilyn Manson's music is the differences in sound, perhaps coinciding with the changes in character and/or theme, with each album. Manson's sound was kind of a "spook-rock," I'll call it, on "Portrait of an American Family," Rob Zombie-like. The band then went industrial metal on "Antichrist Svperstar". The sound changed drastically on their next disc, "Mechanical Animals," as they went from industrial metal to space rock. The sound was more gothic on the following disc - "Holywood (in the shadow of the valley of death)". The beats and even some of the sung/spoken words were more rap/hip-hop on "The Golden Age of Grotesque". The band then went with a more classic rock sound on "Eat Me, Drink Me," before seeming to throw all the previous sounds in a single album on "The High End of Low". With their latest disc, "Born Villain," the sound has changed yet again, to more of a punk rock, and in my opinion, from a sound standpoint, the album is another very satisfactory one, surpassing the quality of the previous couple albums and perhaps even those previous to them.
I think what I was most disappointed about in Manson's previous two efforts were the lyrics. Sound-wise, I thought the music was very solid. However, those clever doses of wordplay and thought-provoking lyrics were much less consistent than they had been on previous records. That was especially the case with "Eat Me, Drink Me," which played like a relationship-diary for Manson. Sound-wise, I thought the album was very good, with their being only three of the eleven songs I didn't much care for - "The Red Carpet Grave," "Are You the Rabbit?" and "You and Me and The Devil Makes Three". The lyrics, though, made me think I was listening to an actual '80s rock album and not a Marilyn Manson-version of an '80s rock album. Lyrically, the band seemed to slowly get back on track with "The High End of Low," with there being songs such as: "Arma-Godd**n-Motherf**kin-Geddon," "WOW" and We're From America," that made it appear as if while Manson still sang from his relationship-diary much more than he had prior to "Eat Me, Drink Me," he was starting to sing from other diaries as well. Sound-wise, it too appeared that Manson was slowly going back to his roots. There were a few classic-rock-sounding songs, but once again, it kind of felt as if it was a transition record on that front, between the Manson-classic-rock-love-song album and traveling back to his sound of old.
That brings us to the most recent album - "Born Villain" - where I think it's safe to say that Manson is back to his former self as far as lyrics and music goes, even evolving on the sounds of the past. While there is definitely a punk-rock edge to this record, it still sounds like Manson. Here's a track-by-track rundown of the album with my thoughts and grades on each song:
1. "Hey, Cruel World" (9/10): A great starting-track, which starts off kind of slowly, before cranking things up a notch and setting a great tone for the album. This sounds like a song that would be featured on a punk-rock version of "Holywood".
2. "No Reflection" (9.5/10): This is the first single from the album and is quite possibly the most catchy. With the early beats and riffs, it sounds like "evil" disco to me. Just thinking about the song now, I've got it stuck in my head.
3. "Pistol Whipped" (7/10): A very different track than the first two. The song during the verse-portion isn't my favorite on the album, but the chorus is very catchy, which carries it through. It's a slight drop-off from the first two songs, but still a quality tune, definitely inspired by punk.
4. "Overneath the Path of Misery" (6.5/10): I'd heard more praise about this song than any other from critics and fans alike. For some strange reason, I just can't get into it very much. I'll listen to it a few more times and see if it grows on me, but for the time being, it's one of my three least favorite tracks on the album. It sounds too monotonous to me during the verses and the wails during the chorus just don't do it for me. What I really like about this song is the beat and lyrics. In what other heavy metal song can you hear a Shakespeare quote, the word persephone and Oedipus? None that I know about. I hope that the music grows on me, because the lyrics definitely bring back memories of Manson pre-"Eat Me, Drink Me".
5. "Slo-Mo-Tion" (7/10): This sounds like a tune which could have come off "Mechanical Animals". It was my least favorite song on the album after first listen, but each and every time I hear it, it begins to grow on me a bit more. It's a pretty easy-going track, which would be nice to cruise to and almost reminds me of Uncle Cracker and "Follow Me" with the kind of vibe it gives. I do like the title of the track and how Manson plays off of that in the song. One has to hear it to understand what I'm talking about. Pretty cool if I do say so myself (and I suppose I just did).
6. "The Gardener" (10/10): This is definitely my favorite song off the album and may be one of my favorite Manson songs of all-time. I have a feeling some aren't going to like it at first, but it will grow on them after several listens. For me, though, I liked it immediately! Manson speaks the verses, as if he's reciting poetry, before softly singing the refrain and then belting out the chorus. While he's speaking, Twiggy is playing a very catchy, funky bassline and Manson follows that very lead. The chorus features a great lyric - "I'm not man enough to be human" and a great beat and riff as well. This is my current addiction on the album. I honestly can't get enough of it. The lyrics are quite clever as well.
7. "The Flowers of Evil" (8/10): I've heard some complaints about this song. Now, I'll agree that it doesn't sound like genuine Manson, but once again, this is one of the reasons I've liked the band so much through the years. This song has a very punk-like flavor to it, especially during the quick-tempoed and catchy chorus. Manson's voice isn't all too appealing during the verses, but more than makes up for things during the chorus, I think anyway.
8. "Children of Cain" (10/10): This is my second favorite song off the album, next to "The Gardener". It's not a ballad by any means, but is slower tempoed than all of the previous seven tracks and perhaps darker than any of them as well. Manson goes after religion again in this song, of which I'm almost always a proponent. This song is dark, clever, very Manson. It comes across sounding like a hybrid of "Portrait of an American Family" and "Holywood" to me. Manson's wails in the chorus sound top-notch here.
9. "Disengaged" (5/10): This is by far and away my least favorite track on the album. Things get kind of heavy during the chorus and just following the chorus is a hard-hitting and crunchy riff, but it's not enough to make up for the song's weaknesses. Of all the songs on the album, this is the only one that doesn't really stand out at all on any level for me. I don't think it's an awful song, but definitely the weakest of this album.
10. "Lay Down Your Godd**n Arms" (7.5/10): This is an interesting sounding tune, where it sounds like a punk-rock song from "Mechanical Animals" at parts before going slow, dark and heavy during the chorus like on a hybrid of "Portrait of an American Family" and "Holywood". Due to this drastic disparity in sounds, the song doesn't seem to flow quite right at times. However, the song is still quite catchy and a good, quality song overall. Manson sounds great in the chorus, as well.
11. "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" (6.5/10): I think this is the second most-talked about song on the album from fans, next to "Overneath the Path of Misery," but it's probably my second-least favorite on the disc. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and am not quite as fond of extremely heavy metal as I used to be, but I don't think that's it. This reminds me a bit of "Little Horn" from "Antichrist Svperstar," with a punk-rock edge to it. The beat is great and the guitar solo at the end brings a smile to my face, yet the verses leading to the screams in the chorus just isn't doing it for me. It's amazing that three of the hardest songs on the album are my three least favorites. Once again, I think it's a decent song, but in my opinion, pales in comparison to most others on the disc.
12. "Born Villain" (8/10): This is a very interesting sounding track. I really like how this song continues to build until an explosive ending. In that respect, it reminds me of some songs from "Mechanical Animals," while having an "Eat Me, Drink Me"-"Mechanical Animals"-punk rock sound to it. This is a song that is continuing to grow on me and I believe may work its way up my album ladder. It's a bit of a slower song, especially in comparison to the previous track - "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" - but a very good one and perfectly placed on this album.
13. "Breaking the Same Old Ground" (7.5/10): This is the final track of the album and yet another quality one. It's the slowest track on the record and the perfect closing one, where Manson's wails sound more personal and heart-felt on this track, before inducing chills up the spine when he quietly utters "Shhhh" toward the very end. Very well done and like with "Born Villain," this song is sounding better to me with each and every listen.
(bonus) "You're So Vain" (featuring Johnny Depp) (6/10): I don't believe this is Manson's best cover song, but it's another very fun one. He doesn't stray too far away from the Carly Simon version, but tweaks it just enough to make it sound like Marilyn Manson. Actor Johnny Depp plays guitar and provides vocals in the chorus. If this were an actual song on the album, I may say it's one of the weaker ones and be slightly disappointed in that respect, but with it being a bonus? I think it serves that purpose perfectly.
Total (excluding bonus song): 101.5-130 (78.1%):
I'm very tough in my grading usually, so a 78.1% is very solid. That'd score around 4 out of 5 stars for most people, but for me that may score even higher - 4.5 or 5 out of 5. I'll need to listen through the album a few more times before ultimately making my decision on that and also on how it ranks when compared to Manson's previous works. For the time being, I'd rank the albums as follows:
1. "Mechanical Animals" (1998)
2. "Born Villain" (2012)
3. "Antichrist Svperstar" (1996)
4. "Holywood (in the shadow of the valley of death)" (2000)
5. "The High End of Low" (2009)
6. "Portrait of an American Family" (1994)
7. "Eat Me, Drink Me" (2007)
8. "The Golden Age of Grotesque" (2003)
For the record, I've been listening to Marilyn Manson's music since their 1996 album, "Antichrist Svperstar," hit the shelves at music stores. I've always found the band to be quite fascinating on multiple fronts, through their stage presence, their lyrics and also their music. Some fans have been quite turned off with the band's direction in recent years, their last two albums in particular - "Eat Me, Drink Me" and "The High End of Low". While I'd agree that the two albums weren't as grand of efforts as the triptych, I still think these critics were being too harsh. One thing I've always enjoyed about Marilyn Manson's music is the differences in sound, perhaps coinciding with the changes in character and/or theme, with each album. Manson's sound was kind of a "spook-rock," I'll call it, on "Portrait of an American Family," Rob Zombie-like. The band then went industrial metal on "Antichrist Svperstar". The sound changed drastically on their next disc, "Mechanical Animals," as they went from industrial metal to space rock. The sound was more gothic on the following disc - "Holywood (in the shadow of the valley of death)". The beats and even some of the sung/spoken words were more rap/hip-hop on "The Golden Age of Grotesque". The band then went with a more classic rock sound on "Eat Me, Drink Me," before seeming to throw all the previous sounds in a single album on "The High End of Low". With their latest disc, "Born Villain," the sound has changed yet again, to more of a punk rock, and in my opinion, from a sound standpoint, the album is another very satisfactory one, surpassing the quality of the previous couple albums and perhaps even those previous to them.
I think what I was most disappointed about in Manson's previous two efforts were the lyrics. Sound-wise, I thought the music was very solid. However, those clever doses of wordplay and thought-provoking lyrics were much less consistent than they had been on previous records. That was especially the case with "Eat Me, Drink Me," which played like a relationship-diary for Manson. Sound-wise, I thought the album was very good, with their being only three of the eleven songs I didn't much care for - "The Red Carpet Grave," "Are You the Rabbit?" and "You and Me and The Devil Makes Three". The lyrics, though, made me think I was listening to an actual '80s rock album and not a Marilyn Manson-version of an '80s rock album. Lyrically, the band seemed to slowly get back on track with "The High End of Low," with there being songs such as: "Arma-Godd**n-Motherf**kin-Geddon," "WOW" and We're From America," that made it appear as if while Manson still sang from his relationship-diary much more than he had prior to "Eat Me, Drink Me," he was starting to sing from other diaries as well. Sound-wise, it too appeared that Manson was slowly going back to his roots. There were a few classic-rock-sounding songs, but once again, it kind of felt as if it was a transition record on that front, between the Manson-classic-rock-love-song album and traveling back to his sound of old.
That brings us to the most recent album - "Born Villain" - where I think it's safe to say that Manson is back to his former self as far as lyrics and music goes, even evolving on the sounds of the past. While there is definitely a punk-rock edge to this record, it still sounds like Manson. Here's a track-by-track rundown of the album with my thoughts and grades on each song:
1. "Hey, Cruel World" (9/10): A great starting-track, which starts off kind of slowly, before cranking things up a notch and setting a great tone for the album. This sounds like a song that would be featured on a punk-rock version of "Holywood".
2. "No Reflection" (9.5/10): This is the first single from the album and is quite possibly the most catchy. With the early beats and riffs, it sounds like "evil" disco to me. Just thinking about the song now, I've got it stuck in my head.
3. "Pistol Whipped" (7/10): A very different track than the first two. The song during the verse-portion isn't my favorite on the album, but the chorus is very catchy, which carries it through. It's a slight drop-off from the first two songs, but still a quality tune, definitely inspired by punk.
4. "Overneath the Path of Misery" (6.5/10): I'd heard more praise about this song than any other from critics and fans alike. For some strange reason, I just can't get into it very much. I'll listen to it a few more times and see if it grows on me, but for the time being, it's one of my three least favorite tracks on the album. It sounds too monotonous to me during the verses and the wails during the chorus just don't do it for me. What I really like about this song is the beat and lyrics. In what other heavy metal song can you hear a Shakespeare quote, the word persephone and Oedipus? None that I know about. I hope that the music grows on me, because the lyrics definitely bring back memories of Manson pre-"Eat Me, Drink Me".
5. "Slo-Mo-Tion" (7/10): This sounds like a tune which could have come off "Mechanical Animals". It was my least favorite song on the album after first listen, but each and every time I hear it, it begins to grow on me a bit more. It's a pretty easy-going track, which would be nice to cruise to and almost reminds me of Uncle Cracker and "Follow Me" with the kind of vibe it gives. I do like the title of the track and how Manson plays off of that in the song. One has to hear it to understand what I'm talking about. Pretty cool if I do say so myself (and I suppose I just did).
6. "The Gardener" (10/10): This is definitely my favorite song off the album and may be one of my favorite Manson songs of all-time. I have a feeling some aren't going to like it at first, but it will grow on them after several listens. For me, though, I liked it immediately! Manson speaks the verses, as if he's reciting poetry, before softly singing the refrain and then belting out the chorus. While he's speaking, Twiggy is playing a very catchy, funky bassline and Manson follows that very lead. The chorus features a great lyric - "I'm not man enough to be human" and a great beat and riff as well. This is my current addiction on the album. I honestly can't get enough of it. The lyrics are quite clever as well.
7. "The Flowers of Evil" (8/10): I've heard some complaints about this song. Now, I'll agree that it doesn't sound like genuine Manson, but once again, this is one of the reasons I've liked the band so much through the years. This song has a very punk-like flavor to it, especially during the quick-tempoed and catchy chorus. Manson's voice isn't all too appealing during the verses, but more than makes up for things during the chorus, I think anyway.
8. "Children of Cain" (10/10): This is my second favorite song off the album, next to "The Gardener". It's not a ballad by any means, but is slower tempoed than all of the previous seven tracks and perhaps darker than any of them as well. Manson goes after religion again in this song, of which I'm almost always a proponent. This song is dark, clever, very Manson. It comes across sounding like a hybrid of "Portrait of an American Family" and "Holywood" to me. Manson's wails in the chorus sound top-notch here.
9. "Disengaged" (5/10): This is by far and away my least favorite track on the album. Things get kind of heavy during the chorus and just following the chorus is a hard-hitting and crunchy riff, but it's not enough to make up for the song's weaknesses. Of all the songs on the album, this is the only one that doesn't really stand out at all on any level for me. I don't think it's an awful song, but definitely the weakest of this album.
10. "Lay Down Your Godd**n Arms" (7.5/10): This is an interesting sounding tune, where it sounds like a punk-rock song from "Mechanical Animals" at parts before going slow, dark and heavy during the chorus like on a hybrid of "Portrait of an American Family" and "Holywood". Due to this drastic disparity in sounds, the song doesn't seem to flow quite right at times. However, the song is still quite catchy and a good, quality song overall. Manson sounds great in the chorus, as well.
11. "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" (6.5/10): I think this is the second most-talked about song on the album from fans, next to "Overneath the Path of Misery," but it's probably my second-least favorite on the disc. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and am not quite as fond of extremely heavy metal as I used to be, but I don't think that's it. This reminds me a bit of "Little Horn" from "Antichrist Svperstar," with a punk-rock edge to it. The beat is great and the guitar solo at the end brings a smile to my face, yet the verses leading to the screams in the chorus just isn't doing it for me. It's amazing that three of the hardest songs on the album are my three least favorites. Once again, I think it's a decent song, but in my opinion, pales in comparison to most others on the disc.
12. "Born Villain" (8/10): This is a very interesting sounding track. I really like how this song continues to build until an explosive ending. In that respect, it reminds me of some songs from "Mechanical Animals," while having an "Eat Me, Drink Me"-"Mechanical Animals"-punk rock sound to it. This is a song that is continuing to grow on me and I believe may work its way up my album ladder. It's a bit of a slower song, especially in comparison to the previous track - "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" - but a very good one and perfectly placed on this album.
13. "Breaking the Same Old Ground" (7.5/10): This is the final track of the album and yet another quality one. It's the slowest track on the record and the perfect closing one, where Manson's wails sound more personal and heart-felt on this track, before inducing chills up the spine when he quietly utters "Shhhh" toward the very end. Very well done and like with "Born Villain," this song is sounding better to me with each and every listen.
(bonus) "You're So Vain" (featuring Johnny Depp) (6/10): I don't believe this is Manson's best cover song, but it's another very fun one. He doesn't stray too far away from the Carly Simon version, but tweaks it just enough to make it sound like Marilyn Manson. Actor Johnny Depp plays guitar and provides vocals in the chorus. If this were an actual song on the album, I may say it's one of the weaker ones and be slightly disappointed in that respect, but with it being a bonus? I think it serves that purpose perfectly.
Total (excluding bonus song): 101.5-130 (78.1%):
I'm very tough in my grading usually, so a 78.1% is very solid. That'd score around 4 out of 5 stars for most people, but for me that may score even higher - 4.5 or 5 out of 5. I'll need to listen through the album a few more times before ultimately making my decision on that and also on how it ranks when compared to Manson's previous works. For the time being, I'd rank the albums as follows:
1. "Mechanical Animals" (1998)
2. "Born Villain" (2012)
3. "Antichrist Svperstar" (1996)
4. "Holywood (in the shadow of the valley of death)" (2000)
5. "The High End of Low" (2009)
6. "Portrait of an American Family" (1994)
7. "Eat Me, Drink Me" (2007)
8. "The Golden Age of Grotesque" (2003)
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