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I have been a big Manson fan for many years. It seems that he always seems to be able to reinvent himself and the music he makes like a chameleon. From being able to become the gender bending alien omega in his total bowie-esque style of glam rock in "Mechanical Animals" to being able to incorporate the 30's swing era with the look of the Weimar republic of pre-Nazi Germany in “The Golden Age Of Grotesque”. From creating a true epic trilogy about a man living in a failing society, which he try’s to save and does, but only for it to be just as bad as it was before if not worse. He has taken on the media, politicians, and religious groups who all use him as a scapegoat for society’s problems, and came out on top. His lyrics are poetic, non-apologetic, and honest about what is going on in the world.

His album “Holly Wood” refers to several icons, such as John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, and others who endured famous, violent deaths and became "martyrs" of American culture. In part, this is a response to the sentiment that the Columbine massacre was just a chance by two disaffected teenagers at 15 minutes of fame. Manson illustrates the irony that the media turned the incident into a ratings event. According to Manson, the media views tragic death as a form of entertainment for the masses. In 2004, Manson wrote an article in Rolling Stone that explained the role of the media in immortalising dead music figures, admitting that Lamb Of God was inspired by Kurt Cobain and Jim Morisson.

Illustrating this point in the song "Lamb of God", Manson sings:

If you die when there's no one watching, Then your ratings drop and you're forgotten. But if they kill you on the TV, You're a martyr and a lamb of God.

The nobodies seems to deal directly with this issue:

We are the nobodies, wanna be somebodies. When we're dead, they'll know just who we are.

also:

Some children died the other day; We fed machines and then we prayed. Puked up and down in morbid faith; You should have seen the ratings that day

So how does the new album "Eat Me, Drink Me" hold up compare to his previous work? It’s the easiest album for any non fan to pick up and be able to understand. It’s also a dissappointment for long time fans due to it’s simple message. There is no major story arch, no split personality, no major astetich change. It’s just manson in a rare glimps into his life. He’s alone, raw, uncut, with his heart on his sleeve mourning over the women that left him. Manson heart is left exposed for the world to see in this very autobiographical album. It’s full of emptyness, dispair, depression, and heartache. Before creating this album, manson was on the virge of taking his life away. His marriage was coming to a end, his drinking and drug abuse was too much for him to handle. He felt out of place. He hitting 40, and feels out of touch with his fans. He’s not longer able to raise a eyebrow from most conservatives middle americans that are now jaded by his antics. he’s hit a mental block on what to do with his career. But his inspiration for the new album came from what he went through, and that’s what the album is about.

Musically, like all his previous work, it’s a completely new apporach. Very edgy, very modern, and it has a choppy feel to it. It’s also his shortest album he has made. Mostly because he wanted every song to be like a bullet, and count. So he didn’t want to dillute it with too much extra non needed material. I really enjoyed it, even though most songs are slow, almost to a dirge like pace. Most of the songs, aren't radio friendly. They aren't the type that you would want to drive down road with, but they are perfect when your alone and are just reflecting on your own life.But there are a few songs that you might be able to catch at a club/strip bar. The guitar work on it is wonderful. Some of the guitar work reminds me of his mechanical animal work. Vocally he’s using new pitches, and using his vocals to the full extent in a raw form. Using his voice as a instrument to make all the song flow and to work. I personlly feel it’s his second best album, and worth buying. It’s not ment for everybody, but if your interested getting to know his work, it’s a good start.

the cover of the new album

manson as omega from the mechanical animals

check out manson video single for "eat me, drink me" here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX1fqMGQWtI

samo714's Blog

"Eat Me, Drink Me" album review by samo714

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