From the Vault...

08/15/2021
#1791

info
Marilyn Manson
"Antichrist Superstar"


© Nothing/Interscope Records

Year of Release: 1996
Rating:

track listing
  • Irresponsible
    Hate Anthem
  • The Beautiful People
  • Dried Up Tied And
    Dead To The World
  • Tourniquet
  • Little Horn
  • Cyrptorchid
  • Deformography
  • Wormboy
  • Mister Superstar
  • Angel With The
    Scabbed Wings
  • Kinderfeld
  • Antichrist Superstar
  • 1996
  • Minute Of Decay
  • The Reflecting God
  • Man That You Fear
  • Track 99

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    Marilyn Manson related sites:
    Marilyn Manson Website
    Wikipedia
    Previous Review: #1790
    Curtis Stigers--Time Was
    Next Review: #1792
    Rick Braun--Can You Feel It
    Marilyn Manson
    "Antichrist Superstar"



    Marilyn Manson debuts on WSVNRadio this week, with an album that is just haunting, gothic horror movie-like album. A nightmare in sound if you will, Antichrist Superstar brings forth a nightmarish music journey. Easily expanding your listening to scream and yell -- "When Will I Wake Up?"


    When Marilyn Manson first emerged (and became popular in the band's own right), not only was his appearance scary, so was his music. (Didn't we say that about Alice Cooper?) His appearance certainly was noticed, so was Alice Cooper, Kiss and King Diamond. And with the looks, Manson's music was far more eerie than Alice Cooper's and Kiss'. This is proved on Antichrist Superstar, and album that no way is compared music wise to that of Cooper's and Kiss. Manson's music goes further. Basically, it's a musical nightmare. But, that word "nightmare" doesn't mean that this is a bad album -- to some it was, because of its eerie music, and it's references to the Anitchrist, and against religious beliefs. (Didn't Black Sabbath start out like this?)


    Sure, the fans of Christian music and religion believers will absolutely HATE this kind of music. How Marilyn Manson appears, the "noise" in which they have created music. And anti-religious lyrics. But let's put that aside, and witness what Marilyn Manson creates what they call "their own music." As mentioned, it's a nightmare in sound and expression.


    Basically, each song is Loud, Raw, Vicious. "Irresponsible Hate Anthem" proves the loudness, rawness, and vicious sound. Ironically, Marilyn Manson did get some exposure from MTV -- "The Beautiful People" is probably the most less-hard driven sounding sound, as it was exposed to a music audience on what was popular on television at the time, MTV. But it all builds up the Nightmare more afterwards...


    "Dried Up Tied And Dead to The World" and "Tourniquet" are loud and raw, yet they are both moving. Moving, for those who enjoy heavy metal music. And speaking of metal music, "Little Horn" sets the pace as a driving metal rock force. Another song for those true heavy metal fans.


    "Crytorchid" compares to the band Korn, and their "Falling Away From Me," with its creepiness, and haunting atmosphere. (Somehow, this Korn song mentioned keeps creeping thoughout this album.) Being a "Nightmare in Sound," "Deformography" pulls you in, as in a horror film.


    For the next two songs, Alice Cooper comes to mind. "Wormboy" and "Mister Superstar" could have been Cooper songs, yet Manson is much harder in sound than that of the Coop, especially harder, on the latter song mentioned. Another horror-inspired music man comes to mind on the next track - Rob Zombie. "Angel With Scabbed Wings" -- it's another hard driving metal track.


    "Kinderfeld" is another moving tune -- it's slowness in sound just creeps along, pulling you into a nightmare swamp. And that Korn song creeps its way in, again. The title track "Antichrist Superstar" is another hard driving (and haunting) metal tune, that puts your fist in the air to its beat. "1996" -- loud, rockin, punkish, hardcore, speed metal. (MY EARS!!! Has this nightmare ended yet? No, net yet...)


    Luckily, the loudness and noise from "1996" has mellowed out on the next track, "Minute Of Decay". It's moving, it's creepy, yet, it works as a song that crawls into its own nightmare. I have to say, that "1996" song was JUST TOO MUCH...


    "The Reflecting God" brings back the nightmarish sound we have heard throughout the album. Another haunting song emerges on "Man That You Fear" It's the "coup de grace" to end the album, it has a "I'm so glad we had this time together, but we have to go" effect.


    The Antichrist Superstar CD has the 16 original tracks from the album, plus tracks 17-98 of silence. "Track 99" is another eerie track, with sound effects, spoken word. John Lennon's "Revolution Number 9" (and it's eerieness) is a reminder.


    Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails was co-producer of this album, as Reznor and Manson would only work together once. The stories throughout the making of this album are quite wild, and they could be "nightmares" of their own - 10 Wild Stories from the making of Antichrist Superstar. (Most of these stories are mentioned on the album's Wikipedia page.)


    Antichrist Superstar is certainly not for everyone. The religious Christians will HATE Marilyn Manson, and with good reasons. For those who not specifically enjoy the hardcore, thrashness, loud music of this kind will hate it also. It is it's own "Heavy Metal." Marilyn Manson defined it's own musical nightmare.


    1996 was the year we first learned of Marilyn Manson, and he proceeded recording more albums throughout the next decades. He achieved two #1 albums: Mechanical Animals (1998), and The Golden Age Of Grotesque (2003). He wa recorded a total of 11 albums, from 1994 - 2020. His real name is Brian Hugh Warner. His name comes from "the good and the evil" -- by taking a "good" first name, and an "evil" last name (most likely a serial killer's last name) - Marilyn (Monroe) and (Charles) Manson. His band members also followed this name technique - Daisy Berkowitz [Daisy (Duke) (David) Berkowitz], and Olivia Newton Bundy [Olivia Newton(-John) (Ted) Bundy]. Other members: - Gidget Gein [the fictional character Gidget and (Ed) Gein.) -- Madonna Wayne Gacy [Madonna (the female singer) and (John) Wayne Gacy] -- Sara Lee Lucas [Sara Lee (the baked goods company) and Henry Lee Lucas].


    Despite all of the anti-religious beliefs and Satanism, etc. Manson has this to say (from his Wikipedia page):
    "I'm not a misanthrope. I'm not a nihilist. I'm not an atheist. I believe in spirituality, but it really has to come from somewhere else. I learned a long time ago, you can't try to change the world, you can just try to make something in it. I think that's my spirituality, it's putting something into the world. If you take all the basic principles of any religion, it's usually about creation. There's also destruction, but creation essentially. I was raised Christian. I went to a Christian school, because my parents wanted me to get a better education. But when I got kicked out I was sent to public school, and got beat up more by the public school kids. But then I'd go to my friend's Passover and have fun."


    Maybe it's "the character" they portray... Speaking of Alice Cooper, many have said that although he portrays a devilish-type character, he is really a nice person when he's not "in character." Some said the same for Howard Stern, and Ric Flair (WHOOO!) And this also goes for other bad-guy wrestlers, and even actors and actresses who portray villian roles in television and movies.


    Now, let's look at his latest allegement...(from his Wikipedia)...
    Abuse allegations
    In an unpublished 1995 interview with Empyrean magazine, Manson said that he and Trent Reznor physically and sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman in the 1990s. The story was printed in his 1998 autobiography, The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, with a disclaimer stating that the interview was not originally published by Empyrean due to unethical interview procedures. Reznor called the story a "fabrication" and said in 2021 that he had cut ties with Manson nearly 25 years previously.

    Several of Manson's former acquaintances began communicating with one another in September 2020. In a letter dated January 21, 2021, California State Senator Susan Rubio wrote to the director of the FBI and the United States Attorney General, asking them to investigate allegations several women had made against Manson. On February 1, former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood accused him of abuse. On Instagram and in a statement to Vanity Fair, she said he had been emotionally, physically, and sexually abusive during their relationship over a decade earlier. Following Wood's allegations, several other women made various allegations against Manson on Instagram. Manson was immediately dropped by distributing record label Loma Vista Recordings, his talent agency Creative Artists, and his long-time manager Tony Ciulla. He was also removed from future episodes of TV series American Gods and Creepshow, in which he was scheduled to appear.

    On February 2, Manson issued a statement via Instagram, saying, "Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality. My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners." His former wife Dita Von Teese stated that "the details made public do not match my personal experience during our 7 years together as a couple." Former girlfriend Rose McGowan said that Manson was not abusive during their relationship and that her experience had "no bearing on whether he was like that with others before or after". The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed on February 19, 2021, that they were investigating Manson due to allegations of domestic violence.

    In the months that followed, four women filed civil lawsuits against Manson seeking financial compensation. Manson's legal team issued statements denying the allegations and filed a motion to dismiss one of these lawsuits, calling the claims "untrue, meritless" and alleging that several of the accusers "spent months plotting, workshopping, and fine-tuning their stories to turn what were consensual friendships and relationships with Warner from more than a decade ago, into twisted tales that bear no resemblance to reality".



    Since the year 2003, when he reached #1 with The Golden Age Of Grotesque, we haven't really heard much of Marilyn Manson, other than a tour he did with Alice Cooper in 2011. Now the allegations of sexual assault has occurred recently to yet another artist in music. (R. Kelly is the other one.) Once again, we learn of these allegations, and wonder if they are true or not. Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, and now Marilyn Manson. And yet, these allegations all "occurred" in years' past. Why didn't we learn of this when "it first occurred" ? Another question, just as in the allegations we are NOW learning... Did this really occur, or not? Yes, it does sound like a nightmare...


    The Nightmare in music has Marilyn Manson's world in Antichrist Superstar. Again, it's not for everyone, but you just have to listen, and see that this Nightmare did exist musically, and only will that nightmare end, when you get to that last unknown track, ... "Track 99" -- "Number 9, Number 9, ..."


    © WSVNRadio.net. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Nothing/Interscope Records and is used for reference purposes only.


    Previous Review: #1790
    Curtis Stigers--Time Was
    Next Review: #1792
    Rick Braun--Can You Feel It