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Marilyn Manson

The High End Of Low

Written by: PP on 15/09/2009 14:36:29

No introduction necessary here, right? Actually I'm not so sure. Everyone knows Marilyn Manson by his name and image because of the shock effect he has on certain types of people, a trait certainly not helped by the rib operation rumour among others. But how many of us actually know more than a single song by the rocker? I was hard pressed to remember anything else than "Rock Is Dead" and "Antichrist Superstar", but I guess I'm in the minority, as many of you will have listened to Marilyn Manson records throughout the 90s and early 2000 before his albums began to suck, right? We've now reached his 7th album, "The High End Of Low", which sounds more like his earlier industrial work that made him famous than the last couple of albums. But before we go on here, let me just reiterate that the only reason I'm writing this review is because nobody else wanted to in the staff - apparently Manson's name isn't as intriguing and inviting as it used to be - so don't blame me for factual inaccuracies and such, considering I haven't actually heard any full album by Manson before.

In any case, from what I've heard before, Manson still sounds like Manson, playing dark, distorted glam rock anthems meant for stadium size venues, without making a big impression on the listener though. His voice is unique, however, as you'll always recognize it for being his, thanks to the desperate wailing that's paramount to creating the intriguingly dark - shocking? - atmosphere to each song. One thing I noticed straight away though was the breakdown on "Pretty As A ($)", which made me think if the band is now targeting a new demographic of listeners, after most of their old fans have moved on and grown up from the early 90s. The tracks are still ridiculously catchy though, with lead single "Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon" mowing the path for huge airplay on modern rock stations across the pond. But even so, a relevant question needs to be asked: why do all the songs feel so predictable, even if they do (again) reference Nine Inch Nails' earlier material? Why does it feel like the shock factor that once was his biggest weapon is now non existent? It makes me marvel just how much the internet has shaped the world, because today everyone, whether you're 10 or 70 years old, has seen something that 15 years ago would've been considered ludicrously disgusting and completely unheard of, essentially diminishing Marilyn Manson's shock effect to near zero. Cussing and singing about raping Jesus just won't do it anymore in a 2girls1cup world.

I think what it all boils down to is that if you're a Marilyn Manson fan, you'll like this release to some extent, and if you aren't, this release is going to feel like yesterdays (yesteryears?) news. It doesn't do the record much good either that it's over an hour and 10 minutes long, which is another miscalculation from the aging rock star about today's musical landscape. Instead you should go check out his older stuff like "Antichrist Superstar" and "Mechanical Animals" that helped him rise to super stardom in the 90s, which will still feel solid today, if for no other reasons than nostalgic ones.

Download: Pretty As A ($), Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon
For the fans of: Nine Inch Nails, Rob Zombie, Deathstars, Rammstein
Listen: Myspace

Release date 20.05.2009
Interscope