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Posted: Jan 20 2015 08:37 pm

Has anyone else picked this up (for those that don't know, it's Marilyn Manson's newest album). I haven't really been too fond of the last few MM albums, but holy shit, this one is actually pretty good, and it made me go back and listen to the triptych again (Antichrist Superstar/Mechanical Animals/Holy Wood).

Posted: Jan 21 2015 08:51 am

I would have to disagree with ya. I reviewed this on my blog a week or 2 ago. "Deep Six" was cool but the rest of the album, yuck. Just boring, bluesy, 3-chord swamp rock with repetitive lyrics and an overall dull vibe. I was really into Mechanical Animals back in '98. I feel that was his best album ever. I sure do love me some satanic glam rock. This new stuff just doesn't make any sense to me. I listened to the whole album about 4 or 5 times and drank a few beers trying to get into it but nothing happened. Oh wait--I wrote a review and sorta trashed it. That happened. Better luck next time Manson. I hope the guy gets on some Prozac or something, he sounds hella bummed out. I know from experience.

Posted: Jan 21 2015 02:43 pm

It looks like we're at loggerheads on this one, unfortunately. I think that the blues influence is actually what sold me on it, but then, my favorite Danzig album is Lucifuge, and really, what is more awesomely Satanic than the blues? (I point to the Robert Johnson mythos on this one) I enjoyed Mechanical Animals too, even saw the tour, but more or less everything between 2000 and now left me feeling kind of cold. The album is less anthemic, grimier, and to me, more of a return-to-form. Mephistopheles of Los Angeles is a particular favorite of mine.

Posted: Jan 21 2015 11:16 pm

aeonic wrote:

It looks like we're at loggerheads on this one, unfortunately. I think that the blues influence is actually what sold me on it, but then, my favorite Danzig album is Lucifuge, and really, what is more awesomely Satanic than the blues? (I point to the Robert Johnson mythos on this one) I enjoyed Mechanical Animals too, even saw the tour, but more or less everything between 2000 and now left me feeling kind of cold. The album is less anthemic, grimier, and to me, more of a return-to-form. Mephistopheles of Los Angeles is a particular favorite of mine.

Yeah but dude, Danzig does the fuckin' blues soooooo good. Manson just kinda sucks at it, and he's not scary anymore LOL. Idk, man how was that tour? Got any pics? His costumes were so cool at that time, just bizarre and freaky and the music was all glammy and decadent, I loved it.

Posted: Jan 22 2015 03:24 pm

Nah, I don't have any pics because it was closer to twenty years ago than not, but it was still really good. He came out on stilts with some kind of breathing apparatus over his face and shit got crazier from there. The Antichrist Superstar tour was better, but that was due to the spectacle of it. I'd seen him play shortly after Portrait came out too, though, and Pale Emperor hearkened back to the more stripped-down way they sounded when all of it was fresh and new. As far as being scary, I've never found him scary, but that's probably because my favorite books around the era I started listening to him in were de Plancy's Ditionnaire Infernal and the Mathers/Crowley Goetia, amongst others.

Posted: Jan 23 2015 05:53 am

I'm conflicted about this one, not sure if I should rush out to get it or just snag it when I eventually see it at Half Price Books. I've got all of em sans the latest, and it's been hit or miss throughout the years so I didn't squee while cartwheeling out in striped stockings combat boots and a cat in the hat hat to buy it with my lunch money.

I'm really interested in how the tour goes, I've got some friends going. I'm kind of on the fence about seeing him live ever again despite still really being a fan of his art, so I'm interested to hear if it was enjoyable or not.

The reason I am skeptical is thus:

Manson really phoned it in when I saw him at Mayhem Fest in 09, he just kind of dragged an oxygen tank around stage while he hurgle burgle warble screeched through the most half assed performance I'd ever seen from him, and we left mid set during Sweet Dreams, that's how boring it was: he ruined a cover he got damn close to making his own years ago!

I've always been a huge fan <The Spooky Kids era was my favorite in retrospect, Antichrist and Mechanical vying for second> but I was really underwhelmed the last time around.

HOWEVER: for all I know Manson wasn't bringing his A game because it was not HIS tour and because Slayer wore everyone down to the brink of exhaustion with how awesome they were at out thrashing the band's 20 years younger than them.

He may very well do much better on his own specific tour. I hope he does, if you're not going to perform 100% then why bother?

I've seen full concert footage of all their concert eras (when available) and got to enjoy seeing them live at the height <Antichrist Svperstar\Mechanical Animals era > and he usually does a WAY better job entertaining than what I saw in 09.

The stuff I saw as a kid was epic and that's not just nostalgic rose colored glasses at least in my opinion, my beige uptight mother who was attempting to be a "cool mom" and insisted on accompanying me (which in retrospect was kind of cool because she let me go and kind of lame because she came along, thanks?) left completely blown away too, as did the faux blonde pumpkin chai guzzling Old Navy airhead I was in love with at the time.

Point being even folk who are wont to go EWW MANSON usually walk away impressed and entertained if you drag them along. Last time, they were more like LOL Manson, YAWN!, and I had to agree.

Honestly I feel most but the lucky few missed the true fun, the Spooky Kids Portrait of an American Family \ Smells like Children era when no one knew who the hell they were and they banged out really dark campy shows in small intimate clubs, creeping out offending and confusing everyone, that was them at their best in my opinion, although the Antichrist/Mechanical era was the height of their arena era.

But yeah that one show in 09 was pretty disappointing. No bombastic stage show, no weird props like fascist podiums creepy stilts weird naked performance artist extras, no crosses made out of TVs, no laser pointers from the back and fake sniper hit on him, none of that. Just oxygen tank stumbling, the standard epileptic light show, and tired ass screech warbling of songs that deserve more passion.

It lacked all the oomph and spectacle of what makes a Manson concert the extravagant disturbing and somehow beautifully ugly experience it is <or was>, there was no passion or energy from him or his new band of ever rotating stand in musicians...

It was basically like seeing KISS go all grunge aesthetic and act like they were playing down at a dive bar, but poorly lazily and apathetically in an amphitheater. <side note, it took me 15 years but I totally love Kiss now haha>

Total bummer, I've never left a concert early, but after Slayer owned everyone both crowd and younger bands alike <only Behemoth Cannibal Corpse and God Forbid *fucking brutal check them live if possible* held their own and could hang with Slayer>, and then Manson dawdled through that abomination of a set, I was ready to get in the car halfway through, and I did!

So if my friends say it was up to snuff I might go see him next time, because I have a feeling he will keep cranking out albums for a while, he hasn't stopped yet. If he gets hit by a car tomorrow I won't feel bad about not seeing him one last time, I already saw him at his best and he'll always have a hard time topping that peak in the late 90s.

Still a fan, just not going to jizz my pants over it. When's he gonna write that other book? The first one was entertaining as all hell!