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JennYMarilyn Manson - The High End Of Low Album Review
June 14th 2009 03:33
Genre: Glam rock, Alternative rock, Industrial metal
Length: 72:12
Label: Interscope
Two years after Eat Me, Drink Me, controversial rocker Marilyn Manson is back with his seventh album, The High End Of Low. The album debuted at #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 but failed to stay in the Top 10 as it currently stands at #24, three weeks after its release.
Devour is the first song of the album. I was pretty surprised by it since the instrumental sounded a lot like Coldplay, but Manson's unique voice (and lyrics) gave the track a dark atmosphere that's far from Coldplay's image.
Pretty As A Swastika feels more like the old Marilyn Manson thanks to its industrial metal sound and controversial lyrics. One only has to look at the title to feel offended. In my mind, this is how Manson should sound like all the time. The sound in this track is quite different from Devour.
Leave A Scar is a rock track that is more intense than the slow Devour. I didn't find it all that great due to the lyrics that were a little bit too emo for my taste. With lines like “I'm just a painting that's still wet / If you touch me, I'll be smeared / You'll be stained / Stained for the rest of your life” and “Whatever doesn't kill you will leave a scar,” the song felt staged and created for a particular type of crowd.
Four Rusted Horses is another example of Manson trying to go in new directions. The military march-like drums and the Western-like guitar created a surprisingly good mix with his voice as he sang about death. The line “Forbidden in Heaven and useless in Hell” is the kind of brilliant writing that stays on your mind as you go on your daily business.
The first single, Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Ged don, is a catchy song despite the profanity-filled lyrics. The track is as infectious as “Mobscene” from The Golden Age Of Grotesque but its sound was more similar to Rammstein's “Bück Dich” from their Sehnsucht album.
Marilyn Manson - Arma Goddamn Motherfuckin Geddon [New]
envoyé par wonderful-life1989. - Clip, interview et concert.
Blank And White keeps the energy from Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon and just runs with it. At first listen, this is probably the best song of the album, but I'd definitely change my mind after a couple of times. The lyrics are pretty ambiguous. Is he talking about politics, the music industry, or American society in general? I don't know. Perhaps someone can explain it to me.
Running To The Edge Of The World is a rock ballad in the purest sense of the term. Although I commend Marilyn Manson for trying something new, the song didn't really offer a proper continuation from the previous two. The acoustic guitar didn't go well with his singing either. This is the kind of music best reserved for bands like Nickelback and Matchbox Twenty. It has no place here.
I Want To Kill You Like They Do In The Movies is the perfect example of two positives creating a negative. The instrumental is excellent and Manson's singing rhythm is interesting in a good way, but the two just don't mix well. It felt like Manson was listening to another instrumental when he was recording his voice.
I don't quite know how to describe WOW. The instrumental has a Depeche Mode vibe and Manson doesn't really sing on it, more like talks in a rhythmic manner. It didn't impress me that much.
Wight Spider is one of those tracks that I just couldn't connect with. I tried to find something good in it, but my mind kept urging me to skip it. Marilyn Manson fans may dig it but I simply didn't enjoy it.
Unkillable Monster has the same problem as Running To The Edge Of The World. It feels out of place on a Marilyn Manson record. The track's theme is quite similar to Leave A Scar. After Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon, I was looking forward to the rest of the album but with four tracks left, it seems clear that the first single along with Blank And White are the exceptions rather than the rule.
We continue on with We're From America which is a rather shallow song as its theme gets addressed in a very straightforward manner with lyrics like “We're from America / We don't kill our unborn / We need them to grow up and fight our wars.” Although the lyrics are interesting, they don't have much depth, plus the instrumental turned the song into a rave party kind of track. I'm pretty sure that any competent DJ getting his hands on this could turn it into a decent club song.
I Have To Look Up Just To See Hell is probably one of the best tracks of the album lyrics-wise. Although the theme gets repetitive – damaged/abusive love – this song feels more worked on. Manson's singing in the chorus was particularly excellent as the words blended seamlessly with the music. It's also where the album title gets mentioned for the first – and only – time.
Into The Fire is a piano-driven ballad – another experience for Manson. I think I'm going to be honest here. The problem isn't the music (the instrumental is excellent) nor is it the lyrics (which are also pretty good), Manson just doesn't have the kind of voice required for this kind of music. His fans will probably love this song - and I must admit that it was one of the best production on this album – but his voice just doesn't fit. And that's that.
The final song, aptly titled 15 for being the fifteenth track, is a decent song. Here again, the lyrics are great but the song isn't that impressive overall. It left me with a feeling of 'meh' as it signaled the end of the record.
In the end, I expected The High End Of Low to sound like it's first single but it turned out to be a compilation of rock ballads and alt-rock tunes. The album has its weak points lyrically but most songs are well-written. In a way it reminds me of Limp Bizkit's Results May Vary where they had decided to lose the nu-metal sound in favor for a more alternative sound. The critics ripped Results May Vary to shreds, I personally found it decent at best. I could say the same here for The High End Of Low. It's a decent album with good tracks and not-so-good tracks. I give it 3/5.
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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i heard WOW on the radio the other night and High End of Low will be the next album i buy . . . he makes my heart beat faster
thanks for the comprehensive review, its great to read what other people think, just adds to them anticipation
Comment by Ann 2
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I'm not a big fan of Manson but I can appreciate some of his work. I think his earliest albums were a lot more raw than this one which is why I felt disappointed. But hey, an artist has to grow sometime.
Thanks for stopping by!!!
Comment by Morgan Bell
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