Marilyn Manson - The High End of Low
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.48 You Save: $7.50 (54%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.68 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for The High End of Low
Free Music Review: A Darker Mechanical Animal~
Hit: 4 Stars
It's different than Marilyn Manson's other releases. I've always been a fan of all of Manson's works, Mechanical Animals was my favorite. This release, "The High End of Low" reminds me of Mechanical Animals, though a little more dark, regret-full, and in touch with individuality.
My thoughts for the sound of each track:
01- Devour: Sounds so sad... beautiful and sorrowful... I like it... sounds like the emotional state of someone whilst contemplating suicide.
02- Pretty as a ($): Not quite hard... just kinda chaotic sounding... not one of my favorites...
03- Leave a Scar: This song is one of my favorites on the CD... I love the lyrics, music, and the chorus is awesome, in my oppinion.
04- Four Rusted Horses: Acoustic... it's kinda too repetitious for my tastes...
05- Arma-Godd--n-Motherf--kin-Geddon: I love this song... it just kinda catches you and won't let go... very addictive to me. Overall, probably the overall favorite song of the CD, I would say.
06- Blank and White: This song just doesn't catch me... not sure why...
07- Running to the Edge of the World: Acoustic... beautiful, sorrowful and hopeful... one of my favorites. Sounds like memories and regret, painful memories one cannot let go of.
08- I Want to K!ll You Like they Do In The Movies: This is a long song, somewhat reminiscent of "Portrait of an American Family" to me... I would rate this song about average... I didn't think it had the substance to be over 9 minutes though...
09- WOW: Personally, I LOVE this song. It's got a dark, mechanical sound to it... it sounds like something I heard before somewhere and loved it, but forget where I heard it before... so different for Marilyn Manson... I cannot get enough of this song. I don't care so much for the chorus in this song, but it more than makes up for it with everything else.
10- Wight Spider: I expected more from this song when it started with the instrumental... but I don't like it too much... likely I just don't feel the lyrics...
11- Unk!llable Monster: I like the instrumental, the vocals, chorus... overall a very solid song I would say... I think the vocals and music go together well.
12- We're From America: It sounds... alright... a little repetitive... I feel that he was trying to sound un-patriotic, but didn't quite get it... some of the vocals are okay though, just too much of the same words over and over...
13- I Have to Look Up Just to See Hell: I didn't feel the lyrics or the instrumental...
14- Into The Fire: It's okay... another slower, lighter, darkish sounding track...
15- 15: I love the sound of this track. The instrumental is unique, and the vocals sound nice also... it's kinda mellow, and darkish... unique.
I rate 4/5 stars. It's not the best, though it does have alot of tracks that have a very unique sound to them. To me, it has some very good, and some very bad, but it's worth the purchase to me, not because it's Marilyn Manson, but because of it's originality and unique sound in certain songs. From a meditative standpoint, there seems to be alot of pain influencing the music... chaos, sorrow, hatred, regret...
~ Strife
Free Music Review: Surprisingly high end stuff, with a few lows.
Hit: 4 Stars
If there's one positive thing to be said about Marilyn Manson's very turbulent and inconsistent career, it's that he never makes the same album twice. Case in point: "The High End Of Low" marks yet another change from 2007's "Eat Me, Drink Me." Focusing hard on Manson's pop sensibilities and ironic sense of humor, the album also re-unites Marilyn with his collaborator and bassist Twiggy Ramirez (real name: Jeordie White) for the first time since 2000's "Holy Wood." Despite a friend from the past making a return, the album resists the urge to be a throwback to the glory days of "Antichrist Superstar" and delivers something a little lighter in its step than its predecessor.
While the experimentation is admirable and beneficial, there are songs on "The High End Of Low" whose titles are more interesting than their composition ("I Have To Look Up Just To See Hell" or "I Want To Kill You Like They Do In The Movies") or, in the case of "We're From America," have the Antichrist Superstar himself slipping into auto-pilot. It's songs like these that pop up every so often and attempt to drag down a surprisingly brilliant album from the aging Great White Dope. It seems as though, like in the case of 1998's "Mechanical Animals," that Manson is attempting to channel David Bowie once again. While his voice may not carry the melodies the best at times, "Devour" and "Running To The Edge Of The World" are excellent marriages of melody to Marilyn Manson's madness. "Arma-Godd**n-Motherf**kin-Geddon" is vintage, over-the-top Marilyn Manson, with its new wave influence and outrageous chorus. While it should sound dated by this point, it's instead refreshing to hear Manson do what he does best after abandoning his shtick almost completely on "Eat Me, Drink Me." "Four Rusted Horses" is another diamond in the rough; with its memorable chorus of "Everyone will come to my funeral to make sure that I stay dead" it seems that Manson is well aware of the fact that he is getting old and slightly irrelevant. It either's a brilliant, self-deprecating parody, or it's a sad eulogy for his effect on pop culture.
Either way, as Marilyn Manson's career limps into its third decade, it's nice to have an album that reflects growth and finds newfound inspiration in a long-overdue reunion. While rough around the edges at times and padded out with its fair share of filler, "The High End Of Low" could easily be whittled down to ten or so songs that are just about perfect and highlight the best of Marilyn Manson's abilities - both as a band and as an artist. Those who were left in the cold by "Eat Me, Drink Me" may want to give this new album its fair shake, as it is closer in spirit to "Mechanical Animals" and much of the prime material in Marilyn Manson history. Just don't expect something that sounds exactly like what you've heard before, give it a few fair listens to sink in, and Brian Warner has yet another excuse to continue his career, long after the world has stopped being shocked by his antics.
Free Music Review: Both a return to vintage 90s Manson and a leap forward in a new direction
Hit: 4 Stars
Missing from the band for almost a decade, the new Marilyn Manson album "The High End of Low" (2009) sees the return of bassist/guitarist/songwriter Twiggy Ramirez whose last album with Manson was "Holy wood: In the Shadow of the Valley of Death" (2000).
While the post-Ramirez, Tim Skold albums "The Golden Age of Grotesque" (2003) and "Eat Me, Drink Me" were good (especially the latter) they never were quite up-to-par with such classics as "Antichrist Superstar," (1996) "Mechanical Animals" (1998) and the highly under appreciated "Holy Wood." Truth be told, Ramirez was the Bernie Taupin/Izzy Stradlin/Nikki Sixx of Marilyn Manson. Manson might have the charisma and showmanship, but Ramirez brought the killer songs and the chemistry between the two was more creative/memorable than the later calibrations between Manson and Skold.
The reunited duo, along with Chris Vrenna (keyboards) and Ginger Fish (drums) have created an impressive album that builds on past strengths while not rehashing the band's past.
Listening to "The High End of Low," familiar listeners will simply just know that Ramirez is back. The guy who wrote "The Beautiful People" has his presence felt in each and every song--his signature riffs, effects, writing, etc. is there and is a welcome return. But unlike "Superstar" or "Animals," "The High End of Low" almost sounds a little bit subdued by comparison. That's not to say that the album isn't heavy, as there is plenty of aggression in songs like "Pretty as a $" and Arma-Goddamn-Motherf.n-Geddon," but the synth-heavy distortion of past albums seems to be turned down a notch for a more straight-forward, meat-and-potatos Manson album--think of it as kind of a cross between "Superstar" and "Eat Me, Drink Me," Manson's most stripped-down release. There's also some quite interesting acoustic moments with songs like "Four Rusted Horses" which is a welcome and unexpected turn for the band. And while there isn't a John 5 around to offer some extraordinary instrumental fire-power, the music stays interesting and should please fans of metal and guitar-rock. Some of the more epic songs like "I want to Kill you like they do in the Movies" may be a bit much for casual fans but will definitely be of interest to long term fans and Manson aficionados.
Lyrically the album deals with both the usual Manson themes like sex, persecution, society, etc, but like "Eat Me, Drink Me," "The High End of Low" with lyrics like "whatever doesn't kill you leaves a scar" (from "Leave a Scar") also shows a more personal side of Manson. So it's a good mix of both personal compositions and social commentaries.
People can claim that Manson is a relic of the 1990s and no longer relevant, but if that were true he would be just re-releasing another "Superstar" to a handful of fans, which isn't the case. Manson is one of the few genuinely colorful rock-stars around and he has delivered yet another solid album to his impressive resume.
Free Music Review: Manson at his most melodic despite the pre-release hype
Hit: 4 Stars
As stated by previous reviewers (and I agree), Manson's peak era was from Antichrist Superstar to Mechanical Animals. It was during those years that he showed the public how diverse and creative he could be. I personally like all his releases as they tend to be vastly different from one another (maybe up until Golden Age anyway). While I liked the "rock N roll" feel to Eat Me Drink Me, mostly due to Tim Skold's guitar style, I thought the self-loathing aspect to the album really dragged it down. I still cannot listen to "Just A Car Crash Away". WAY more depressing than even Manson could handle, as evident in future interviews.
Understandably, there was a lot riding on The High End Of Low. Mainly, because of the return of chief songwriter Jeordie "Twiggy" White and because of Manson boasting about how this album is his most "dark, brutal and heavy" album to date. Did it live up to the hype? Well, mostly if you can forgive Manson for his inaccurate description of the record. The High End Of Low is actually Manson at his most melodic. Tracks like Devour, Leave a Scar and Running to The Edge of the World show Manson pushing his vocals further than ever before. This works about 80% of the time, though at times his voice seems strained. However, you know what to expect as Manson has always had that hoarse, dramatic quality to his voice
If you are a Manson fan then definitely get this album because its a great rock record and his least depressing album to date. Its almost hopeful in a strange way. Twiggy and NIN alum Chris Vrenna wrote the music and the songs are well done. You get your money's worth with this record and thats what matters. Standout tracks include I Want To Kill You Like They Do In The Movies, which is a 9 minute epic with great throbbing bass and a very dark theatrical quality to it. It even has the sound of a film reel spinning constantly throughout the song. Very cool. Into The Fire, Leave A Scar and Pretty As Swastika are great as well. Twiggy has shown himself to be a great songwriter and he took over the guitar duties again with great results. The only song that did nothing for me was "We're From America", just because the main riff got old fast. Thats only one song out of 15. Not bad.
Pick this up. Great album.
Free Music Review: I'll Teach You About Loss: Manson gets the blues
Hit: 4 Stars
I wasn't sure what to expect, coming to this album. Remembering Manson from his time in the 90s, filled with androngenous appearances and music that seemed poised to simply titillate and offend, The High End of Low comes as a surprise. In the later years, Manson has become almost a self-parody without the laughing. Instead of the once-feared image, he's become that older man who parents warn their kids not to take candy from. In some ways, The High End of Low echoes this self-parody with some sometimes awkward lyrics, but the last half of the album really sold me.
"Devour," the first song on the album was the beginning of my surprise. Quieter, more self-reflective, Manson compares love to a bottle of pills, something that he has to take in order to sleep but something that's also increasing bad for him. Not exactly the most subtle or original uses of the metaphor, but the song has a great melody and is very catchy. From there we have a couple traditional songs and imagery and one over-indulgent nine minute song that felt about three minutes or more too long.
But then things get a bit more interesting in the late half, where Manson changes direction and dives into more blues-influenced tracks. The last three tracks, in particular, are some of my favorite I've heard from him in the last few albums. Even though I shuddered at the awkward lyrics ("You won't die alone `cause I'll break off my own arms / Sharpen my bones, stab you once for each time..."), the blues-tinged song struck a chord.
Ultimately, I've found myself coming back to The High End of Low, silently singing some of the catchier songs in my head, and enjoying this album. In someways, more mature, in others just as silly and pretentious as his earlier works, it still has a way of getting under your skin and staying there, to fester...and that's probably just how he'd like it.