Review on Dotmusic
Marilyn Manson
'THE GOLDEN AGE OF GROTESQUE'
Marilyn Manson has befallen the same fate as Austin Powers;
he appears to have lost his mojo.
His capacity to misbehave has been severely incapacitated.
As you might imagine, that's not good news for the 'God Of F*ck',
whose impotency means people aren't afraid to smirk where they once
frowned in distain.
This is especially noticeable in a period of global turmoil
when America's political agenda has been roundly condemned.
You suspect the Manson of old would have gladly commandeered the anti-mission
but the 21st century model has been oddly silent.
Maybe he's pissed that he failed to figure in the Axis of Evil?
The world he once manipulated at will has moved on but significantly
Manson hasn't.
The shelf-life of tabloid hysteria means his tasteless shock antics aren't
headline-worthy anymore.
His thunder has been well and truly stolen,
first by a skinny white rapper and now even 'Pop Idol' instigates more social
outrage than a heavily made-up goth rocker,
subsequently pushing Manson onto a charm offensive with disastrous results.
Like the TV show that exposes magician's secrets,
the self-exposure has blown the myth to unveil nothing more than an
articulate fully grown trick-or-treater.
Nor has there been any discernable response in terms of music.
Despite frenetically seeking those extreme reactions,
they remain strangely elusive.
Manson's sound still casts a dark cloud in the same way it's done for the past
four albums - tinny drum machines giving way to industrial guitars,
while Manson rants on about sex, drugs and violence -
but shouldn't a so-called innovator and artist offer us more?
Manson's need to use the word 'grotesque' in the title says it all -
just in case you'd forgotten his purpose.
Desperate measures continue with the album's transparent opening lines:
"Everything has been said before/nothing left to say anymore"
and his plea to "Let us entertain you".
It's difficult to tell if his wryness should be applauded or not.
Yet, for all that negativity, it's difficult to write '... Grotesque'
off given that it's a far superior record to 'Holy Wood':
a return to his goth glam rock stomping ground of 'Mechanical Animals'
sees to that.
Until the funereal title track, this is a highly enjoyable LP.
The direct 'This Is The New Shit',
the almost cheery 'Doll-Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggety-Zag',
the volatile 'Use Your Fist and Not Your Mouth' and
the first single 'mOBSCENE' (with its Faith No More pillaging kiddie chorus)
throttle along with his trademark frantic industrial rampage.
Pity then that it runs out of steam so spectacularly with half the record
remaining.
Manson still has the capacity to raise an eyebrow but not on the scale
he once did.
His treatment by the media has obviously taken its toll,
even if he shrugs off such suggestions.
'The Golden Age Of Grotesque' is anything but golden.
It's an inferior re-run of the Marilyn Manson hammer horror panto
that's been showing since '96.
We know what happens in the end. Brian, time for a re-invention.
６／１０
Chris Heath
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