Review: Marilyn Manson – The High End of Low
Sergio reviews the new Manson!
Artist Name: Marilyn Manson
Album Name: The High End of Low
Year: 2009
Genre: Alternative Rock
Shock rockers, Marilyn Manson, return with their latest effort, The High End of Low. Produced by Sean Beavan, Chris Vrenna, and Marilyn Manson, it’s definitely a return to their earlier roots, whilst simultaneously moving forward in the band’s musical evolution of carnage.
THEOF’s sound is fuelled by the inspiration of old school alternative rock and a lethal injection of freakish bass lines. If you don’t believe me, just listen to the track ‘Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon’ – it sounds like Billy Idol’s ‘White Wedding’ on LSD!
Over the years, Manson has proven to be a lyrical genius, with more than enough venom running through his body to create a sonic punch. However, this time around he seems to have lost a cutting edge to his usual sharp-witted criticisms and rants. Call me crazy, but I don’t think topics such as Satanism, Nazis, suicide, and drugs, have the same shock value they did in the mid 90s.
You have to respect the band for never releasing a similar sounding album, and always sticking their necks out musically. Nonetheless, I feel as if their glory days are certainly over and any new efforts will forever be overshadowed by the ghosts of the superior Antichrist Superstar and Holy Wood. Unless the band manages to pull another masterpiece out the hat, I feel it could very well be the end of the road for Marilyn Manson.
Best Tracks: ‘Leave a Scar’, ‘Devour’, ‘Four Rusted Horses’ and ‘We’re From America’
69/100
- Sergio Pereira
sergio@musicreview.co.za
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(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Damn! I hope MM manage to get some more of those glory days back on track. Really great band. I totally hear you on the shock value point. A band’s shock value can become dated so quickly – a little publicity, some angry religious groups and couple albums later; it doesn’t appear as shocking as it once did.
Sergio, you are a master-critic. Another great review!
*bows* haha thanks for the compliment.
Yeah, I don’t know…shock value is not what it used to be. So many bands have gone further with their shock tactics and it’s just become somewhat dated. Look at Slipknot for example – they also started out as a shock band with great music, but now they’ve just evolved into a phenomenal metal monster with different lyrical contents on every new album.
It just goes to prove that a great band doesn’t need to rely on shock to achieve album sales. Maybe, Manson should take a tip or two from the original shock rocker Alice Cooper…
Am so dissapointed with this album. I’m such a big manson fan have all the albums and went out and bought this yesterday as soon as it came out and am gutted to say that the only good songs are arma..geddon and we’re from america. Maybe i set my expectations too high, but theres been a lot of hype because twiggys back, but tbh its a bit too nine inch nails for me, and i like NIN. So sad
He looks gorgeous though
Yeah Katie, I remember the hype when Twiggy came back. Unfortunately, I think he has been poisoned by his time in A Perfect Circle – yuck!
please, MArilyn Manson are back ! This new album is great, of course it’s not ‘Antichrist Superstar’, but hell.. it’s impossible ! ‘The high end of low’ is raw and edgy, it’s great !
I think you are all off base for the most part… Let’s please try to stay away from the “Shock Rock” discussions and judge the album on it’s songs…What a novel idea! It’s one thing not to like an album for whatever reason but I have not read much on the actual songs themselves. At the core it seems to me at least that the intent here is not to shock but to purge himself of some feelings about his recent divorce and emotions related to that. I’m not a huge Manson fan but I do like the music and have respect for his efforts. Manson, like everyone else obviously grows. Do you expect him to make Antichrist Superstar II??? The bottom line is that this is probably the second best record he’s ever made…Possibly the best…acoustic guitars and all!!! Maybe this is a record made by the person, not the persona.
I have been a Manson fan since sweet dreams came out, I have all the
albums too. I went out and bought The High End of Low today and have
listened to it all afternoon. I’ll be honest with ya although I like
some of the songs this isn’t his best work at all. Overall not a great
album but it has it’s strong points. The material is dark and heavy to
the point it’s somewhat depressing to listen to except for the singles
we’re from america and arma-g-f-geddon. I really like Devour, four
rusted horses, WOW, leave a scar, I have to look up just to see hell,
pretty as a swastika, and 15. The rest I didn’t care for honestly. I
was a fan of the original Manson band but I miss Tim Skold’s guitar
work that was on the last album, Eat me Drink me. This album’s music
was more like a synth-pop style than what I am used to from them and
quuite forgetable unlike the beats from the past and the guitar solo’s
on Eat me Drink me. I rate it a 6 on a 10 scale. Either way I got my
Mayhem fest ticket and can’t wait to see him perform live again!
I knew this review would divide opinions
Keep it coming people!
@Rita: I’m getting what you’re saying about the new Manson (it’s Manson after all – an alternative icon of the 90s), but sorry just not that impressed with the album to give it a higher rating.
@Derek: With regard to the aspect of the album being judged on shock, let’s be completely honest here…Manson made his name because of shock value, the great music only came a few years later.
I agree that an album should be judged by songs, but when a majority of the songs are weak and forgettable, you can only find so many superlatives to call it boring.
With regards to the Antichrist Superstar II comment, I don’t expect another rehash of a great album. However, I do expect another album on that level. Manson set the bar, now he must match it.
@corey: I’m jealous you have your ticket.
Look, as the rating shows, I don’t think the High End of Low is the worst album I’ve heard this year, but in truth it’s nothing spectacular. Manson can and has done better.
Thanks to everyone for your comments. It’s great to get the different opinions on the same album
MM has grown up, but his funs not) We live in total post-modern and I think nothing can shock us now. And so MM has chosen another way. Next album will be great.
I don’t get why everyone is giving the album such bad ratings. Yes it is different then what he has done in the past, but why would we want him to do the same stuff over again that he has already done. My first listen to the album I was like WTF? But then after a few listens I realized he was going threw every style (sound) he has done in the past, plus some new almost Pop like sounds. Some songs remind me of Antichrist and Hollywood, others reminded me of Mechanical Animals, and Eat me, Drink me.
I don’t think The High End Of Low is his best work, but I think overall it is a pretty damn good record. The only song that gets to me is “I want to kill you like they do in the movies”. Seems to me this is one long filler.
Out of 10 stars I would give it a 7
And Derek… your post is right on!
I don’t mean to sound… I guess pretentious… but people that fail to see the genius that went into this album are pretty blind.
Just as people that are enthusiastic about it agree with the way I feel, others seem to be too hung up on it not being this lyrical orgasm like past albums… haha and I laugh when anti christ is like the first thing people mention… I am sorry but I think Mechanical Animals was far superior lyrically than ACSS, and then Holywood was around the same as ACSS… but they were all different and I don’t think they should be compared to each other at all because they were all about different things… and as far as the whole shock value goes… Mansons appearance has been the only thing that made the shock, not his music and lyrics…no one can touch the lyrical genius he put out there in his older music… and he’s made his statement, he has set that bar waaaay up there and no one is ever going to climb up there and take that crown he left up there… not even him… and I’m sure he could lyrically, but he has nothing to prove, we all know what he is capable of and that’s enough for him… so why not mellow down and make music fun for himself again and write about himself cause they world is just as fucked up as he showed us it was since back then… theres nothing new for him to say about it… hes said it all… so now hes putting out music more personal, and in a new direction… simple as that
Well, you are all entitled to your opinion as I am to mine
I’ve given the album numerous listens time and time again, and nope, sorry, still not that impressed. I get what everyone is saying, and have taken your opinions into consideration when listening again, but so far nothing. I fail to see any genius.
Like I’ve said, it’s NOT a bad album – it’s just not great (69/100)
Let time be the ultimate test…
Being married to http://www.dita.net/ has its side effects on the creative process.
@ Satyricon – hahaha! I’m inclined to agree with that.
Worst Manson album yet.
If he can go from sinnging about a Reflecting God to just saying the word “wow” over and over as a song, he’s commited musical suicide.
The new album sucks major monkey balls…don’t buy it. The lyrics sound like a 13 year old kid wrote them in less than a week.
I Want To Kill You Like They Do In The Movies? That’s the crappiest name ever. what about “Murder in the art of Film?” that’s a much better name I just thought from the top of my head.
This album is the most horrible record I think I’ve heard in the past 3 or 4 years. Eat Me Drink Me was a good rock album, no doubt and atleast the lyrics actually made sense. Now he’s just trying to see how many times he can drop the MF and GD bombs in songs so he can “shock” people.
i love marilyn manson new album im toatly happy with it he brings great lyrics to this world and i admire his ability to keep making music he never did the same thing over and everything he dose is awseome i think hes soo handsome and he just keeps looking better i admire him and i hope he keeps making music how he wants it to be because it is his songs and i dont think he should listen to critics lik when people make music they do it for them selvs like y make music like your not happy with it so if hes happy with it then he should keep making it and i love his voice and hes the best and to me hes always gona be the best
People! Listen up! Unfortunately. Manson‘s The High End of Low did not get the proper pre release exposure in South Africa,, if any one of u people that laid down there opinions on this blog that did not follow what happened in Brian’s live , while the album was recorded , then u would not understand why the music that Marilyn Manson brought forward in “ The High End of Low “ was born and out of what it came ! so in short if u did not find what u where hoping for in this album , then maybe next album , will satisfies u , as most of u that loved the album , will agree that the lyrics and meaning of the words is properly suited for the period in Brian’s live , so for u that did not get what u wanted , “ I was not born with enough model fingers “
I loved this album!!
Definitely Manson’s best work since Mechanical Animals. I’ve listened to this album pretty much non-stop since I got it. Like many good albums, it takes a while to get into it and work out what you like and what you don’t like. There are about 2 tracks that I don’t dig and just skip past. The rest are great!
My favourite tracks are actually the slower ones. Tracks like White Spider. I am really liking the emotion that I think was lacking from the last couple of albums.
Recommended!
Wow, the comments keep on coming for this album! Anybody else got anything more they’d like to add?
Just an interesting piece of news I read today:
“Marilyn Manson has parted ways with longtime record label Interscope following the disappointing sales performance of the shock-rocker’s latest album, entitled “The High End Of Low”.”
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/marilyn_manson_splits_with_interscope.html
[...] might’ve lost the plot on his last album, The High End of Low, but he’s still a certainty to shock the pants off of concert goers and Ray [...]
I enjoy this album quite a lot, but WOW is absolutely pathetic. For those of you that were disappointed in THEOL, you guys are going to be shocked when you hear ”Born Villain.” That’s my prediction. Look forward to a great 8th album.
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