Marilyn Manson - The High End of Low
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Free Music Notes for The High End of Low
Free Music Review: Manson is back with Twiggy!
Hit: 5 Stars
Manson fans join together and buy this album. It is Twiggy's return and it is everything Manson fans have been waiting for. The more you listen to the album the more the songs dig deeper to your soul.Free Music Review: I thought it...
Hit: 5 Stars
I have been a Manson fan for 12 years now... This IS in my view one of their best albums.. Twiggy getting back with Mr. Manson for this one was what in my mind did it for me...Free Music Review: Manson at his best
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the best music he has put together in many years. Lots of tracks for the money and he has gone back to the stlye of music we all love.Great CDFree Music Review: "I Wanna celebrate Today's the day you're gonna f***** die"-Blank And White
Hit: 4 Stars
The controversial man known to shock people since the 1990s has released a few albums and has remained present throughout his acts, many rumours and the protests against him. He has endured and is still around today, shocking people helps but I think that if his music wasn't strong enough he wouldn't be around anymore. What's my point? Well, yes, Marilyn Manson is back with another album. After what was thought by many as a disappointment, 2007's "Eat Me. Drink Me", Manson releases "The High End Of Low". Interestingly, former band members Twiggy Ramirez and Ginger Fish return and perhaps this album will please fans more. Manson, like on the last album continues his more personal approach, it's not selling-out I mean he's been around for more than a decade and is maturing as he becomes an older person so he's more reflective but defiantly not boring.
First thought I had about the album was that it sounded like one of his older albums mixed with something more current, making it a very interesting mix to the listener. Some say he sounds uninspired and tired. Let's face it his best days are behind him but he's still capable of doing great music, no he probably won't do another "Antichrist Superstar" because he's passed that point even if that's what some fans would want him to do. I'd think he would be boring if he would just release something he had already done, I think he's right by moving forward. Listen to "Four Rusted Horses" and tell me he's not inspired, in fact I think he still sounds good and into what he's doing. Here you're listening to an artist who is now comfortable as he has experience, knows what he's doing as an artist, and isn't afraid to give fans something different (15 and Four Rusted Horses are good examples of this).
"Devour" is quite simply one of the best album openers Manson has done. "Pretty As $" is good but nothing really special, to me it's pretty much just there, nice ending thought. "Leave A Scar" is an up-tempo song with clever lyrics, I really enjoy this song. "Four Rusted Horses" is one my favourite tracks, it's so personal and very few can relate to it, I feel it's one of the best things he's done. It's a slow bluesy type of song to that may not appeal to all but i can appreciate it. I can see why the single "Arma-Godd**n-Motherf***in-Geddon" was chosen as the first single for the album. It's catchy and the chorus is repeated often but it's still mostly a single released almost exclusively for Manson's fans. I mean not many people will play a song with censured words in the title or in the song (he doesn't censure them in the song don't worry) so it's sort of an anti-single. But to me the song is bouncing with energy, dark one of course but it's a great very catchy song, some describe it as lame but I disagree its powerful. "Blank And White" one of the best songs here for me, it's strong. It starts out slow and progresses into the monster of a song it is. I particularly like the chorus "I Wanna Celebrate Today's The day You're Gonna F***in' Die" it's joyously haunting as the rest of the song. "Running To The Edge Of The World" is a slower more "You and me against the world" type of song. I really like it, Manson screams his way trough the song, good work.
"I Want To kill You Like They Do In The Movies" is a very interesting song that may not appeal to a new fan or the casual listener but to his old and true fans it will. It's also the longest song of the album at over 9 minutes. It's very much worth hearing. "WOW" is a more commercial song, I mean the "Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow..." sounds like something that could be heard in hip-hop, and it's interesting less Manson but still good, a hardcore fan however may take it seriously and hate it. "We're From America" bounces with energy; the song is great, it's sort of an anthem for them. "Wight Spider" is more or less filler; it drags on and never really comes to any point, it's just boring. "Unkillable Monster" is a ballad? Yeah it seems like; it's defiantly got the criteria but its good thought. "I Have To Look up Just To See Hell" begins with a scream then kicks in, I found the lyrics were interesting and it's another good song."Into The Fire" is another ballad, I like "Unkillable Monster" better but this one is decent. "15" is a good closer, not much to add I just found this was a good way to end THEOL.
Overall I feel "The High End Of Low" is a solid album done by Manson in the current time, I feel it's much better than "Eat Me, Drink Me" because it's got strong energy and presence(maybe the line-up for THEOL helped) something EMDM lacked(It was too depressive). It's also more varied than the last album which seemed to be nearly all love songs, not here. THEOL has good energy but it's still very dark, It certainly isn't Antichrist or even Mechanical Animals but I've been listening to it a lot since I've had it and very much enjoy it. There are many who say he's lost it, I don't think so he's been around for some and the fact that he released an album this good is amazing to me. There are certainly a few songs here that if another compilation is released, I'd see on it. Not a fantastic album but a very good one. I think many of the songs here will still sound good in a few years because they are sort of current but not too much. Four out of five.
Free Music Review: Took a Few Listens, But A Praise-Worthy Effort from Manson
Hit: 4 Stars
As a fan of Marilyn Manson, my opinion doesn't conform to that of many Manson fans. For example, Antichrist Superstar is not my favorite Manson album (I apologize to all whom I've offended) and I adored his previous effort Eat Me, Drink Me. I like when musicians take their music into previously unexplored territory (for themselves anyway). This album, Manson's latest, continues the trend of Manson developing a more personal lyrical style. Some call it whiny, I see it as honest.
Having said that, I was very disappointed when I first heard The High End of Low. First, Manson had called this album "very ruthless, very heavy, and very violent." Some of it's ruthless, some it has violent content, and some of it is heavy. Hardly the words he should've chosen to describe the album though. After listening to the album, I doubted it and labeled it (to my friends) Manson's worst album. It wasn't very heavy, some songs are actually pretty straight-forward acoustic tracks, and I absolutely loathed the song "WOW."
As you likely know, this album marks the return of Manson's longtime musical collaborator Twiggy Ramirez. As such, the album does sound very different from EMDM. However, don't expect many similarities to previous Manson-Ramirez compositions; this album is not, I stress, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death).
The album kicks off its 15 tracks with "Devour," which you'll love or hate. It's a slow, depressing song featuring Manson moaning about a past relationship. It's obviously a personal song and it borders on being beautiful. You'll encounter more songs on this album that are in about the same vein. "Four Rusted Horses" many anger Manson purists. It really sounds like MM by way of Alice in Chains. "Running to the Edge of the World" is a slow, but powerful song. "Into the Fire" is very mellow as well, with a nice piano melody.
The album's best tracks (I would include a few of the titles above as well) are "Leave a Scar," "Arma-G******-Motherf*****-Geddon," "Blank & White," and "I Have to Look Up Just to See Hell."
Every track, after a few listens, has its own sort of merit. My biggest complains about the album stem from 3 songs. "I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies" is eerie and pretty good overall, with a great bassline. However, at 9 minutes long it gets repetitive.
"WOW" is so ridiculous that I'm not sure if Manson was serious or not. It's so stupid and I was so shocked by its stupidity, that it almost became likeable. It's the song you listen to but shake your head while doing so. Finally, "We're From America" has been cited by many as the high end of the low. The song has some pretty thoughtful lyrics in it, but musically it's sort of weak and didn't really stand out to me.
Manson does have moments of lyrical ingenuity. It's hard to ignore the creativity he puts into his lyrics (notably, on The Golden Age of Grotesque). Here, they are noticeable weaker and sometimes sound forced. Try to find a deep, intellectual meaning within the pre-chorus and chorus of "Arma-G******-Motherf*****-Geddon."
Overall, The High End of Low is neither the high nor low point of Manson's musical career. The good news is that he has continued to transcend the "shock rock" label he was given. It would be nice to see more people appreciating the man's musical talents. This is a very personal album for Manson that much is clear. Hard to accept for those who just want to hear the man screaming, but there's something here for every Manson fan. Some of it just may come in smaller doses for certain ones. I urge anyone reading this to really listen to the album a few times before critiquing it. There's a lot here that will surprise you and I applaud Manson's new album as I'm sure you will as well with the passing of time.
The "deluxe" edition of the album features an extra 7 songs. Don't get too excited, folks! All are remixes and/or alternate versions of the songs on the album. The remix of "Armageddon" is awful and the alternate versions are usually (A) not insanely different from the originals and (B0 are inferior to the originals. I typically give full support to deluxe editions, but this one is pretty far from special. Save your money and get the one-disc.
REGULAR EDITION: B+
DELUXE EDITION: C