Music Review: Marilyn Manson – The Pale Emperor

                Manson’s last album, Born Villain was the first music review I ever did for this site, so when his new album was released, I had to dive back in to his twisted world.  From the opening bass guitar of “Killing Strangers” I could tell this was going to be a good time.  Marilyn Manson has carved out his own little genre of the metal world, one that I thoroughly enjoy, mind you.  The Pale Emperor, his latest addition to music’s creepiest discography doesn’t disappoint. 

                The music is just as heavy as any of his previous albums, even the old stuff, but it doesn’t feel as dirty.  Manson has changed as he has grown, taking all of the different musical experiments he has conducted over the years and combining them  to create the perfect amalgamation of heaviness and musical proficiency.  This isn’t an album of musicians banging on instruments (and the vocalist screaming into the microphone) for forty-five minutes.  This is solid, complete album, and one of Manson’s best.  Manson slows the tempo on a lot of the songs on this album without removing the quality or the requisite sleaze from his voice or the songs themselves. 

                Of course, the song titles and subject matter are as dark as you would expect, but no one is picking up any music, new or old, from Marilyn Manson with the expectation of a disc full of show-tunes.  If you purchase the Best Buy exclusive disc, you even get three additional songs.  Those three songs are acoustic versions of three of the earlier songs on the record, but they actually hold up as their own recordings surprisingly well.  It is well worth the price to get those tracks along with the rest of the album. 

Many of the songs actually have more in common with Mechanical Animals than any other album to date.  Considering Mechanical Animals was my first Manson album, I love this return to that form of music.  The heavy but almost danceable beats make for an interesting overall experience.  If I was to ever go to a rave in Hell, this is the kind of music that I would expect to be there.  While it certainly seems like Manson has gotten away from his heavier roots, it is not a change that I mind in the least.  The simple fact that he is still making quality recordings when many of his contemporaries have been unable to stand the test of time speaks volumes about his ability.  I would highly recommend The Pale Emperor for anyone even remotely interested in the genre.