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Karnstein_Records
Not yet ready for a custom title

Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:32 am
Posts: 1201
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2009 2:37 pm 
 

So this thread is only for people that liked Manson's previous work. If you're not a Manson fan your comments are not useful to anyone here.

Well, I just heard the new album and it's a complete fucking letdown. Here's a review I just wrote for RYM.

"Well, my high expectations have been severely shattered. This is the first Marilyn Manson album I've ever given a negative ratings to, and it's the only one I've ever been really disappointed with.

What happened to the evil album we were promised? Manson himself compared this album prior to release as 'the hurricane Katrina'. Some faggy music critic writing for Thrash Hits called this "Manson's nastiest since Antichrist Superstar", and then went on to describe it as a "goose-stepping, ass-slapping hunk of slutty death-disco".

They're completely wrong anyway, unless I'm listening to a completely different album. First of all, lyricwise Manson is a far cry from Antichrist, Mechnical, Holy Wood...even Grotesque. Pretty much all of these songs (bar two or three) are all relationship songs, or break-up songs or whatever, written as if Manson is talking to a partner or an ex-partner. No guns. No gods. No government. Just think an album full of 'Heart Shaped Glasses' and 'Coma Black'. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself of course, it worked on Eat Me, Drink Me but here it's just really boring. There's nothing as dark and cool as 'If I Was Your Vampire'. Just boring inside references that no one really understands.

Aside from the lyrics and vocals (which I'll get to in a moment), the music is complete and utter boring radio indie rock. This is not a return to form. This album isn't heavy. The two singles, Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon and 'We're From America' are about as heavy as things get, everything else here is about as heavy as Nickelback or Razorlight. Seriously, I feel like I'm listening to a god damn Oasis album. There is absolutely nothing evil about this, Manson's music was always great because it was always easily mainstream and radio-"friendly", but it still had a deliciously evil feel, like Satan himself was trying to take over the pop charts. These are just regular boring pop songs. Acoustic or a midly distorted guitar backs everything up with plain backing chords, drums just play regular pop-rock beats (no 'Beautiful People' here) and the song structures don't go anywhere near interesting. Do you like The Kooks? You will like this. The songs are all played in minor, yes, but so are most songs by the fucking Feeling and The Script. There's no drive, no darkness, no controversy. This is just Marilyn without the Manson. Do you like Wormboy? Cake and Sodomy? You will hate this.

Of course, Manson himself still sounds like Manson. Vocally he's still a very powerful singer, very strong, full of emotional, just enough harshness, but the clean vocals are delivered well aswell. Maybe it's not his fault that the album sucks. Maybe Twiggy wrote all of the riffs (there is the occasional weird, noodly atonal solo that isn't bad) but the lyrics and hooks are just not interesting either. They occasionally try something interesting...'WOW' and 'I Have to Look up Just to See Hell' has some semi-experimental stuff going on, but it's still very safe and unchallenging.

I'm deeply saddened by this. I'm still a big Manson fan, I have a really deep respect for the man, both from a musical and idealogical viewpoint, but this is really a big disappointment coming from a long time fan. If his earlier career meant anything to you when you were growing up then this should sadden you too. Manson is now making normal radio music, I guess you can paint anything white no matter how black it is. Maybe there's a big David Bowie influence I'm missing, I don't listen to much of Bowie's music but I guess the mood might be the same as this - minor key and serious but not dark or evil or challenging in the slightest. Challenge is a good word, Manson doesn't challenge you with this one, doesn't flip around your common morals and make you look at them differently. He just writes a bunch of boring "emotional" indie songs about some girl I don't care about and tells us it's going to be an evil return to form. There's no industrial stomps, nothing gothic, nothing offensive. Just simple pop-rock. Nothing more, nothing less.

Maybe people that like that sort of music might like this. Shit, maybe some long time fans might find something of worth here, I do like the two singles. But everything else is completely different, and is not the kind of music you'll ever find me listening to. A big disappointment, I expect this to be Manson's last album and I never thought I'd say this but I hope it is, I hope his legacy stays intact and this is just the tired final push. Goodbye Manson, and thanks for everything you've done for us in the past, but I can't jump aboard with this one."

Thoughts?
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Karnstein Records
www.karnsteinrecords.com

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DeadXManiac
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 12:00 am
Posts: 2056
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2009 4:16 pm 
 

Shitty, I'll admit I'm a Manson fan and have enjoyed most of his releases. Eat me, Drink me wasn't that great but it was okay and judging by your review I won't be spending money on this one.
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ArtificialStupidity wrote:
Sex samples? "Suck my dick, bitch" *CHUG CHUG CHUG* "Uh yeah baby" *CHUG CHUG* "ooh, I'm coming!" *breakdown* And of course a lot of guitar wankery would be involved.

Last.fm

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Nightgaunt
I'll Swallow Your Soul

Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:50 pm
Posts: 2922
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2009 6:16 pm 
 

"Fans ONLY!!" won't fly. If you want that kind of thing, ask a Marilyn Manson forum.
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