Peter Bennett 2008-03-27
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Marilyn manson was one of the most iconic figures of the 90s, and while many will put this purely down to eccentric dress sense and disturbing urban myths, I strongly believe that it is because he had some of the most shocking, disturbing and ultimately, the most insightful statements that music has ever seen. This is definately the record that proves this. Antichrist superstar is a concept album that looks at religion and the media from a highly disturbing (But not untruthful) perspective. it is a record that requires hard thinking to understand. So, open your mind people, it is time to unleash the genius behind the make up!
Fitst of all, Marilyn Manson the person. It pisses me off when people over look the contributions that his band had to his success, and I'll come to the music in a minute. But to me, on this album, it really is the frontman that stands out on this. First of all, lyrically Manson is an undisputed genius. Based on his own dreams and visions, this talented linguist manages to tell his twisted tale using highly imaginative mataphors and wordplay. Secondly, vocally. Manson is no gifted singer; a fact proven on his latest record "Eat Me Drink Me". Yet I can tell you for sure, that this is a spectacular vocal performance. This is due to the fact that it is not a vocal performance, but a vocal expression. From his uncontrollable anger shown on "little horn" and "The Reflecting God", to the eerie whispers of "The Beautiful people", To the highly emotional cries on "Man that You Fear", manson remains highly convincing throughout the record, and delivers a performance that only he could ever pull off.
Now, to the band. It was already a known fact that this band were No Led Zeppelin musically before this release. And granted, had the guitars been made to sound clearer and slicker, this album would have sounded a fair bit sharper than it does. However, musical talent isn't everything, and main musical composer Twiggy Ramirez broadened his mind particularly on this record, and the result is an industrial metal sound that is easily as musically competent as the music of their peers, The Nine inch nails. What also imperssed me was the interesting chemistry of synthesisers used by keyboardist M.W Gacy. This is something that really makes songs like "Deformography" what they are. So, a brilliant musical performance, and like I've said said, the vocals on the abum make it sound ten times better.
So there you have it, a masterpiece that is often overlooked. If you are reading this review in search of deep music, then look no further. This is as deep as you can go. And, Even if it's not your cup of tea, the intelligence behind this record is completely undeniable.