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52 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Manson is [sic] become Omega..., May 29, 2009
I approached "The High End of Low" the way I would a corroded anti-tank landmine--hyper-cautious, and nauseous with anxiety: I expected to either be totally finished with Manson, or be reveling in his return to form.
What I got is what I should have ultimately anticipated: just enough to bring me back to the well next time. "The High End of Low" is a step back in the right direction (which I largely attribute to Mr. White's return), but on my third listen through this album, I was thunderstruck when I finally put my thumb on what had been bugging me. The thing that Brian has lost over time could probably be mapped convincingly against a chart chronicling his loss of band-mates. His ego has spilled out of control and damaged his art. This is the second (arguably third) album from Manson the man, as opposed to Manson the band.
Let me be clear--I intend no character attack. Whatever his future efforts produce, I will remain a steadfast fan of Marilyn's work on the strength of his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th albums. However, his art has become unbalanced toward the personal, which is a disappointing regression in my eyes.
There is variety, wit, and a sense of play in the sonic/musical qualities of this album. There is also a shocking lack of variation in lyrical subject matter. Listen to this record carefully, and skip to the next song any time you hear one of the following words: I, Me, My, Mine, You, Your, We, Us, Our. The first-person narrative repitition is mind-numbing.
"Antichrist Superstar" is an industrial-metal stew of atheism, young-adult angst, and porn-shop occultism strained through melodrama, three-act structure, and The Church of Satan. "Mechanical Animals" is a right-brain/left-brain identity crisis expressed in hyperreal glam, androgyny, and sterile poignancy in a blurry, blue-and-white, pharmaceutical landscape. "Holy Wood" draws paralells between the "Manson" character from the previous two albums with Jesus and JFK ,while weaving together themes of martyrdom, conspiracy, and nihilism. "Golden Age" is a bleak experiment in Dadaist word-play and electronica-cum-Nurembourg dance beats glammed up in zoot-suits and faux-silver tooth-caps.
"Eat Me, Drink Me", and "The High End of Low" feature progressive musicianship, ego, synthesizers, and a total lack of thematic variety (barring a tiny few songs which feel half-hearted and out-of-place). They also take drugs from muse, to metaphor, to excuse.
There's your mini-review of the last six Manson albums. Pick one.
I'm all for artistic growth, but forgive a burly curmudgeon who came of age on "Angel with the Scabbed Wings", "Man that you Fear", "Speed of Pain", "Coma White", "The Nobodies", and "In the Valley of the Shadow of Death", for not giving a damn about Brian's love life. He's become too literal. Not to take a man to task, but I've got to take a man to task. It, "wipes the floor," with everything you've done before? Not remotely. You're not more than the sum of former parts. You've, "got [your] fire back[?]", it's guttering right now man, but I've got faith--the kind based on on observation as opposed to hearsay--you've a bonfire or two left. Just get over yourself.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not our Armageddon, but his, July 8, 2009
In the 90's, I oscillated from liking and disliking Manson. I loved the band's sound along with his thematically inventive lyrics and striking vocals, but gathered from his look and interviews that he was just shocking for the sake of shocking. The vivid yet desolate aural landscape and hyperrelavent theological, political, sociological, and ultimately personal sentiments of "Holywood" convinced me otherwise. It demonstrated that his shock was a means to an artistic/intellectual end. After hearing that album, I had a much deeper appreciation of his past albums.
Then the trajectory turned downward. "Golden Age of Grotesque" didn't seem to say as much as his previous albums, lyrically or musically (especially the last third of the album). But overall, it was a clever indictment of our culture. "Eat Me, Drink Me" had raw righteousness and more tone colors, but some songs were noticeably bland at times. Upon hearing that Twiggy was returning, I anxiously awaited a return to form on the new album.
In short, "The High End of Low" isn't a return to form. It seemingly expotentiated the bland qualities of his last effort while offering roughly nothing new. Repeated power chords, repeated mantras, repeated "shocking" lines nowhere near as emotionally engaging or thought-provoking as any of his old albums.
I listened to every song, but barely made it through the half-way point of most of them. The few things I liked were the feel of Devour and We're From America, the acoustic riff of Four Rusted Horses (but again, it repeated too much), and the structure of Running to the Edge of the World. All a little new, and little different, a little metal. But "little" is the key term, as these few things were dwarfed by the quarter-baked blandness of the vast majority of the album.
I honestly don't know what happened. Between rejoining Twiggy and having more than enough reasons to shred our society, one would think Manson would prepare his magnum opus. My guess is the drugs and romantic obsession are to blame. The "daily fantasizing about smashing her head in with a sledgehammer" comment in a recent interview wasn't provokingly disturbing, just disturbing. I'll chant "We hate love, we love hate" any day of the week, but that comment just leads me to worry that the unparalleled intellectual and artistic powerhouse Marilyn Manson is no longer reflecting our sick society, but succumbing to it. This album could very well be the end. But not a burn out, just a fade away.
I would suggest to Manson that he quit feigning rebirth and do it. Return the songs and lyrics to form or go in a radically new direction. Do another Antichrist...or do a gospel album. Don't become the media caricature. Destroy it.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Both a return to vintage 90s Manson and a leap forward in a new direction, May 27, 2009
Missing from the band for almost a decade, the new Marilyn Manson album "The High End of Low" (2009) sees the return of bassist/guitarist/songwriter Twiggy Ramirez whose last album with Manson was "Holy wood: In the Shadow of the Valley of Death" (2000).
While the post-Ramirez, Tim Skold albums "The Golden Age of Grotesque" (2003) and "Eat Me, Drink Me" were good (especially the latter) they never were quite up-to-par with such classics as "Antichrist Superstar," (1996) "Mechanical Animals" (1998) and the highly under appreciated "Holy Wood." Truth be told, Ramirez was the Bernie Taupin/Izzy Stradlin/Nikki Sixx of Marilyn Manson. Manson might have the charisma and showmanship, but Ramirez brought the killer songs and the chemistry between the two was more creative/memorable than the later calibrations between Manson and Skold.
The reunited duo, along with Chris Vrenna (keyboards) and Ginger Fish (drums) have created an impressive album that builds on past strengths while not rehashing the band's past.
Listening to "The High End of Low," familiar listeners will simply just know that Ramirez is back. The guy who wrote "The Beautiful People" has his presence felt in each and every song--his signature riffs, effects, writing, etc. is there and is a welcome return. But unlike "Superstar" or "Animals," "The High End of Low" almost sounds a little bit subdued by comparison. That's not to say that the album isn't heavy, as there is plenty of aggression in songs like "Pretty as a $" and Arma-Goddamn-Motherf.n-Geddon," but the synth-heavy distortion of past albums seems to be turned down a notch for a more straight-forward, meat-and-potatos Manson album--think of it as kind of a cross between "Superstar" and "Eat Me, Drink Me," Manson's most stripped-down release. There's also some quite interesting acoustic moments with songs like "Four Rusted Horses" which is a welcome and unexpected turn for the band. And while there isn't a John 5 around to offer some extraordinary instrumental fire-power, the music stays interesting and should please fans of metal and guitar-rock. Some of the more epic songs like "I want to Kill you like they do in the Movies" may be a bit much for casual fans but will definitely be of interest to long term fans and Manson aficionados.
Lyrically the album deals with both the usual Manson themes like sex, persecution, society, etc, but like "Eat Me, Drink Me," "The High End of Low" with lyrics like "whatever doesn't kill you leaves a scar" (from "Leave a Scar") also shows a more personal side of Manson. So it's a good mix of both personal compositions and social commentaries.
People can claim that Manson is a relic of the 1990s and no longer relevant, but if that were true he would be just re-releasing another "Superstar" to a handful of fans, which isn't the case. Manson is one of the few genuinely colorful rock-stars around and he has delivered yet another solid album to his impressive resume.
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