REVIEWS:
It's quite a dangerous task reviewing the music of the "most evil man in America", as many like to call him, and his band, who, like Manson himself, create their stage names by combining the first name of a well known beauty with the last name of a serial killer. So as a result band members (past and present) have included Madonna Wayne Gacy, Ginger Fish, Sara Lee Lucas, and Daisy Berkowitz. The band has done away with this tradition recently, though, as the two most recent guitarists are simply named Zim Zum and John 5.
Anyway, the reason it's dangerous reviewing these albums is that music fans in general either love him or absolutely despise him. The loyal crowd are fans who often dress flamboyantly in makeup, slit their wrists, or are deliberately disrespectful to authority, and essentially give him a bad name because of it (he was one of the central things blame for the terrible Colorado school shooting atrocity), as I believe his message doesn't necessarily convey this, but three things: "Parents should raise their kids the right way, don't act as messed up as I do, because I've made some heavy mistakes in my life and be your own God." The deceptively flamboyant evil of Manson's early work inevitably caused these things to be misunderstood.
The crowd who despises Manson accuses him of being in it simply for the sake of shock value and attention (which is debatable), as well as greed (they could have a point there, as the music has become considerably more radio-oriented). They also accuse the band being extremely simplistic musically (which is true to a point, as anyone who is decent at guitar playing could figure out the riffs - they are sometimes memorable, but often not terribly well-crafted). As for my liking of Manson, I don't hate them, as their best work is fairly impressive but they are not anywhere close to being one of my favorite bands, and I haven't listened to them in quite a long time.
--Nick Karn
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
The shockingly heavy, twisted, and carnivalesque horror show of a debut from Marilyn Manson and crew is certainly offensive (and not even remotely for the casual), but its' strengths throughout prove that Nine Inch Nails' frontman Trent Reznor was right on the mark in signing the band to his Nothing label. The songs are composed of simple (but direct) riffs that are maybe not as standard for guitar players as those of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath or Nirvana, but are very well crafted. The real strength of this record, however, is undoubtedly the melodies. Even after not putting this record on for a year, it is still very easy and fun to sing along and remember the lyrics even when they are at their most profound and disturbing, which is quite often - even much more so than the much more publicized and controversial Antichrist Superstar. It's a strange thought, I know, but it's hard to deny the cartoonish fun throughout - the band wouldn't approach this strength again.
As for the songs of Portrait, almost all of them are very infectious and memorable, as it only really falls off when the pace is a bit too slow ("Sweet Tooth", "Wrapped In Plastic") or warped and disgusting ("My Monkey"). Otherwise, cartoonish rock in the 90s rarely has a better sing-along vibe than the wannabe rock star pronouncement of "Lunchbox", the creepy puppet show visions of "Dope Hat", the abortionist view of "Get Your Gunn", the bleak Halloween imagery horrors of "Dogma", the cannibalistic and deceptively evil and out of control "Organ Grinder", the adventurous race-car vibe of "Misery Machine", and the profound statement on rape and racism of "Cake And Sodomy". This debut is a showcase of the early Manson musical vision, and is their best statement.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
An almost unnecessary EP that moves the "shock value" aspect of the band's work almost completely in favor of Manson's detractors, with the gruesome "shock for shock's sake" sound bites like the opening "The Hands Of Small Children", and most notoriously "Fuck Frankie" (I won't go any further into this one). The remixes of debut album songs are interesting and intriguing but are hardly even close to the quality of the originals, which makes them unworthwhile (although the acoustic, countrified remake of "Cake And Sodomy", retitled "White Trash", is amusing), so the only real worthwhile aspect of Smells Like Children are the three covers. One of which, a metallized version of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams", became a huge hit single, and is a memorable and energetic highlight, but Patti Smith's "Rock And Roll Nigger" becomes a little bit too much like punked up noise, and the rendition of "I Put A Spell On You" lacks energy. To be fair, it's a trip to listen through once, but afterwards, there's no reason to ever play it again, which explains the lackluster rating.
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COMMENTS
cannibals, goths, freaks, and satan lovers love mr. manson! but the strict catholic parents hate him! i laughed when i saw the video for the cover of sweet dreams. he either dressed as a girl or a man dressed up as a whore! he wears panties! rides a pig! girls want to lick him so badly they want to be satan's groupies! for gay men he was sexy! but for fuckwad parents he was the king of satan! hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
It was around the time of Manson's second full length album Antichrist Superstar when he really became the rock star parents and critics absolutely loved to hate, with his shocking public persona, controversial live shows (bible and flag burnings and the revealing of private parts were points of accusation, but the former two were never totally proven), and in particular the new album's title. Some of it may have been justified, because while shocking behavior may hardly be anything new in rock, it hasn't been taken to this degree. But probably not most of it, as the social statement he's trying to make is understandable and misunderstood. The lyrics here, however, are hardly the making of an evil mind - there isn't really anything gloriously Satanic or even totally hate filled and evil (and when there seems to be, as on "Mister Superstar", "Irresponsible Hate Anthem", "The Reflecting God" and "1996", there's clearly a hint of disgust with these views). So in effect, it's nothing compared to what took place in the lyrics on the debut.
Even though a lot of the industrialized soundscapes are owed greatly to Trent Reznor (which wasn't the case earlier), and a few of the songs fall apart slightly on later listens, it's a satisfying, well-constructed, and quite lengthy (maybe a bit too much so) opus overall, still with strong melodies and biting riffs, particuarly on the lead singles "The Beautiful People" (one of the more anthemic and infectious tracks) and the mysterious "Tourniquet". The soundscape is even more harsh and aggressive on similar cuts (but again, with restrained evil) in "Angel With The Scabbed Wings" and the title song. There are also forays into haunting atmospheric moments such as "Cryptorchid", "Kinderfeld", "Minute Of Decay", and especially the piano-led closing ballad "The Man That You Fear", arguably Manson's finest and certainly most emotional and hopelessly draining work that certainly leaves an impression.
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COMMENTS
I would give this a ten. It's just that perfect.
Apparently Marilyn Manson isn't a talentless wack after all.
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