For the longest time, I was a HUGE Marilyn Manson fan. Growing up and up until a few years ago I suffered severely from depression that put my mind through Hell. One thing that always cheered me and inspired me was the music of Marilyn Manson.
Say what??? Isn't he the reason those kids shot up Columbine? No, he was not the reason, nor do I feel that any of his music ever really calls for that.
What I went through I hid from EVERYBODY! However, once you got through the shocking tone lyrics and stylings of Marilyn Manson, I heard a man singing and screaming about being in his own pain and to stand up for myself and I was not alone.
Okay so the man wore assless chaps at the MTV Awards in 1996. Who didn't?
Chris Rock then so quotefully said "Get yo ass ta church!"
I found that performance to be very crazy and cool and was very happy to see that the band did not change who they were to be on MTV.
So, the last album of theirs (yes I refer to Marilyn Manson in the plural as that is the band, plus the frontman's name) I bought when I was halfway through my year of therapy. That album was called "The High End of Low." As I was becoming more self aware and positive, I listened closely to this album. What I heard was not what I was used to hearing from this band. I almost felt let down. Their last album had a different sound, but I just took it as a blip on the Manson radar. Nothing could compare to Holywood, Mechanical Animals, Antichrist Superstar, and Portrait of an American Family. Ever. But then I realized that what I heard was an evolution. I like when a band decides to evolve. It is usually to bad results though from the public. Nine Inch Nails did it the best, but only the hardcore fans appreciated it. Manson's evolution has been pretty good in my opinion, and this album continues the evolution.
The title is "Born Villain" - Mr. Manson, I believe it is time to stop labeling yourself as a scapegoat. I get the idea of the lyrics you have said as part of your "art" can be misconstrued by the media and made into the reason of some horrible tragedies. However, those people still have parents who should be looking out for their kids. My mom would not by my brother a Guns 'N Roses CD once because it had a song on it called "Back Off Bitch." However, the song Born Villain is one of the best done on the album. It could be a great entrance theme for a dark professional wrestler.
The music is not necessarily heavy like on Antichrist Superstar, but it is not weak like the last two albums. It is a little heavier rock than previous releases, where Manson tries to sing. Sometimes it sounds good, sometimes not, but I find that to be one of the things I like about their songs. It grows in me. The first four or five songs sound like a mishmash of music and attempts at singing. Each song has its bright spot, with the first single "No Reflection" being the best out of all of them. I actually have seen the video for "No Reflection" enough to enjoy the song completely.
One thing that Marilyn Manson was always good at, in my opinion, was using his play on words in the chorus of his songs. I know it's simple, but saying "I got an F and C and I got a K too and all I need is U" could have been created by anybody, but he said it first, and it is in a catchy part of that song. That type of song comes in on a track called "Pistol Whipped." Sounds like he is saying he gets beaten up by a girl because she is a pistol, and he is pistol whipped. Or maybe he does the beating. Either way, perhaps this song is a call for help. I would not doubt he gets beaten as I believe this is the same "shock rocker" who sued an exwife or exgirlfriend over custody of his cat.
Starting with a song called "Slo-Mo-Tion" the album and remaining songs sound more organized. His songs build up to heavier parts buffeted by some nice music/better singing.
All in all, not the best Marilyn Manson album ever. The band itself compares it to Mechanical Animals, the album critics point at as their greatest release ever. I am more of a fan of the Golden Age of Grotesque as their best album. This is in the upper half of best albums.
There is also a cover of "You're So Vain" featuring that creepy Johnny Depp. Where Depp comes in at on the song, I don't know. Thankfully I don't hear another actor trying to sing on this song. The song is probably the best cover he has done. Very well done and catchy.
If you are a big fan of this band, you should get this album. I am sure I will have it in my rotation for the next couple months, eventually it dropping off into the pile of "random shuffle". Then again, most music I have downloaded has done that. Very few bands stay as a "listen to at anytime" band for me. DevilDriver, Volbeat, Mushroomhead, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson, in that order, usually are my go to bands. Stone Temple Pilots used to be number one, and believe me STP still rules. They just only have 6 albums compared to some of these other bands, and I have listened to them for almost twenty years. Jesum Crow, 20 years ago some of my favorite bands came out. This aging thing is getting scary now.
So, I am no music critic, and I realize how snarky a lot of what I wrote came across. I assume that you wouldn't have read this far if you didn't care about my words anyways. Afterall, not many people are a fan of this guy.
Stay tuned for a guest editorial from Dave "Parents Like A Sasquatch" Bell.
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