Up next on the chopping block is Marilyn Manson. Now I have been putting this one off as I am not the biggest fan of his music or at least from what I’ve heard and live he wasn’t very good (at least when I saw him) but I’m willing to give him a chance so let’s take a look…..
Portrait Of An American Family- best way to describe this one in one word is uncomfortable. There’s just this weird feeling I get when listening to this like there’s just something about it. Anyway, musically this is actually a pretty solid album and it’s something a little different especially around the time it came out. I’ll give this one 8/10
Standouts: Organ Grinder, Get Your Gunn, Cake And Sodomy
Smells Like Children- ok so this one is an EP which contains some covers and remix type songs. It’s honestly not bad but I’m not sure if I would consider it an essential listen. Overall, it’s good not great and also a weird album. I’ll give it 7/10
Standouts: I Put A Spell On You, Kiddie Grinder, Rock N Roll N******
Antichrist Superstar- ok so this is that album (or at least the album name) that I think put him on the map. I remember when this came out, it was like this whole thing about how he was like this evil devil worshipping person or whatever. Anyway the album itself is actually really good. It’s got like an industrial metal tone to it and it almost feels kinda like they were influenced by NIN. If I remember, I think Trent Reznor helped produce this one too so that’s awesome. Anyway, I have to give this a 10/10
Standouts: Little Horn, Mister Superstar, Angel With The Scabbed Wings
Mechanical Animals- let me preface this by saying that the album cover is really weird but then again I guess it’s meant to be. This one feels almost experimental in a way. You’ve got industrial, electronic, and goth rock all in one on this album and it makes for a neat record. If I remember correctly the song Rock Is Better Than Dead was on The Matrix soundtrack. Anyway, this is a great follow up and I’ll give it 9/10
Standouts: Mechanical Animals, Rock Is Better Than Dead, I Want To Disappear
Holy Wood- where the last album was more on the experimental side of things, this one has more of a rock approach. I actually really enjoyed this one more than I thought. It’s got some pretty good and somewhat catchy songs. I’ll give this one 10/10
Standouts: Disposable Teens, The Love Song, President Dead
The Golden Age Of Grotesque- I guess here there are elements of Nü metal and he kinda sounds a little bit like Jonathan Davis of Korn. This one is kinda up and down. It’s got some great songs and some that aren’t so great. I guess I would say it feels disjointed in a way. It gets 7/10
Standouts: Slutgarden, Use Your Fist And Not Your Mouth,(s)Aint
Eat Me, Drink Me- I wanted to like this one more and guitar wise it’s pretty damn good but as a whole, this is gets boring and uninteresting. I’ll give this one a 5/10
Standouts:
The High End Of Low- this one just seems like it’s all over the place and at times unfocused. There’s some ok moments on this but as a whole, it’s not that good and kind of hard to get into. I’ll give it 4/10
Standouts: We’re From America
Born Villain- this one just feels like a continuation of the last record only the songs aren’t as good. Whether this was a B-Sides, leftover songs, etc. it just feels like it’s more of the same and is easily skippable. I’ll give this one 0/10
Standouts:
The Pale Emperor- ok!! Now we’re getting somewhere this has a very blues meets rock meets industrial tone to it. I don’t want to say that it’s a comeback album (that term gets thrown around too much I think) but it’s certainly a different album but in a good way. I’ll give this one 9/10
Standouts: Killing Strangers, The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles, Cupid Carries A Gun
Heaven Upside Down- this one definitely continues the creativeness that was on the last one. If you take the last album and add more industrial elements to it then this would be the end result. To be honest, this one reminds a little bit of Holy Wood. I will say while this is a great album, it’s just not as strong as the previous one. I’ll give it 7/10
Standouts: Saturnalia, Tattooed In Reverse, Heaven Upside Down
We Are Chaos- I do know that Shooter Jennings and Manson worked on this one together but I don’t know I just couldn’t get into it. The big positive I will give this one is that it’s something different and musically, it’s very very good but vocally, it’s not something I really was into. It feels very experimental but me personally I didn’t care for it. I’ll give it 5/10
Standouts:
One Assassination Under God- this one kind of has that feel of combining almost everything that was done before. It’s got a lot going on and it’s a neat record. It’s got something for everyone and if you are a fan of this band and Manson then you should like this one. I’ll give it 7/10
Standouts: Nod If You Understand, Sacrilegious, Death Is Not A Costume
Well this one was an interesting one to say the least. In all honesty, there are some really great records and live when he’s sober and professional, I’ve heard that he puts on a great live show. When I saw him (2009 I think it was), he wasn’t that great. Be curious to see what he does next.
Discography Grade: C
Album Rankings:
- Antichrist Superstar
- Holy Wood
- The Pale Emperor
- Mechanical Animals
- Portrait Of An American Family
- Smells Like Children
- Heaven Upside Down
- The Golden Age Of Grotesque
- One Assassination Under God
- Eat Me, Drink Me
- We Are Chaos
- The High End Of Low
- Born Villain
Sinister Reviews 