Artist: Marilyn Manson
Label: Interscope/Geffen Records
Release Date: 1996
Rating: 3 Skulls
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Title: Antichrist Superstar Artist: Marilyn Manson Label: Interscope/Geffen Records Release Date: 1996
Rating: 3 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Solomon:
Mr. Manson ("Sir, may I call you Marilyn?"), love him or hate him, has helped redefine "dangerous" for a new generation. Marilyn Manson emerged in the mid-90's as a freakish rock god when being a wild showman wasn't all that cool. Take a pair of fake breasts, neo-glam makeup, weird clothing, concert boycotts, some particularly fucked-up lyrics, a serious of real/imagined on/off-stage events, and a little help from the Great Goat and you have the new bad boy of rock 'n' roll. Criminy, even his DAD thinks he's the greatest! Okay, by now MM's M.O. is old news. Eminem and Kid Rock are monopolizing the rebellious/offensive-to-all "rap," and the murders and arsons surrounding the black metal scene in Europe make everything else look like a bad stunt, but Manson was, and still is, a "dirty, dirty rock star."Marilyn Manson (the man and the band) broke through with the MTV/radio hit cover of Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" off the Smells Like Children album, but 'Antichrist Superstar' firmly planted the group at the top of the charts and in the minds of the masses as "Public Enemy No. 1." The music is a disturbing stew of alternative rock and industrial metal, taking cues from NIN, White Zombie and Nirvana with maybe a little David Bowie thrown in. Manson pretty much sticks to either yelling or crooning like a dying man, and while this approach fits the serial killer soundtrack, his vocal style can wear thin after a while. Antichrist Superstar isn't a musical masterpiece by a long shot, but there are several tracks that cook. Of course, "The Beautiful People" is the big hit off this album, and who can deny the simple, head-bobbing, three-chord joy of the chorus? "Dried, Tied Up and Dead to the World" is a cool industrial romp. "Kinderfeld" has a slow, bass-driven groove, and the title track, one of my favorites, bounces in familiar fashion with a fuzzy Sabbath riff.
Even if Manson was worshipped by zillions of black-clad gothic kiddies for his allotted fifteen minutes, Antichrist Superstar is worth more for its historical shock value than any super-duper musical contribution to the world of metal/rock. It will be interesting to see how this one holds up after another ten or twenty years.
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