A Music Album Review of ‘Born Villain’ by Marilyn Manson
Nobody can accuse the rocker of being dull. Therefore we approach the review of the album ‘Born Villain‘ by Marilyn Manson with some trepidation. Some critics claim that it has been a decade since the controversial singer has made a really good album. In 2003 he released ‘The Golden Age of Grotesque’. There were voices of doubt when it came to ‘Eat Me, Drink Me’ which was released in 2007. Although there had been hopes of an improvement ‘The High End of Low’ did not do the trick in 2009. Since then he has been relatively quiet. Therefore we can be forgiven for reviewing this as if it were a genuine comeback album.
Rather than going back to his great days, ‘Born Villain‘ by Marilyn Manson tends to pick up new sounds and presents them in a format that is supposed to win audiences. Remember that these are the people that sometimes found the old music to be too harsh for modern audiences. He still has a lot of ‘heavy’ stuff but it is balanced out by a much gentler approach to both the lyrics and the basic sound. Another great quality that shines through is the fact that he is actually making this album very unique. You do not get the feeling that he has lifted material from his past glories in order to exploit audiences. That can only be a good thing when you consider the types of methods that are used by modern artists to sell their records.
We start off with ‘Hey, Cruel World’. This song begins with a mellow sound and then changes direction so that you end up with chorus hits. ‘Born Villain‘ is in some ways full of surprises and credit has to go to Marilyn Manson for achieving this effect. The first single ‘No Reflection’ has the signature sound that we have come to associate with the artist. He uses lots of industrial synths that are complimented by dance floor rhythms. The screaming vocals are always somewhat weird but in this context they seem strangely appropriate.
A very minimal approach is used when delivering ‘Pistol Whipped’. Marilyn is singing over the beat and is only interrupted by the odd guitar or chorus. The result is a sound that is both haunting and seductive (a bit like the artist himself). The same controlled delivery is used in ‘Overneath the Path of Misery’. However this time he uses percussion which is ‘tribal’ in its rawness. The vocals are powerful and compelling. In the opening song Marilyn Manson reads a recitative from Macbeth.
This is classic rock without necessarily picking up outdated themes. Some of the heavier pieces can be challenging to the novice.
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