Don't like Marilyn Manson? Perhaps you just didn't understand the creativity of this group or trite not that album listened? Let me try to convince you on the example of "Mechanical Animals". It seems to me that from this material that has to get acquainted with the great and terrible.
This is an album that has become a cult for many people, for me as well. In addition, the material is recorded in the best composition: Pogo, Twiggy Ramirez, John5, Ginger Fish. Honestly, I want to add absolutely every song that is present in the tracklist to the review. But I will try to choose.
"Mechanical Animals" is very rich in beautiful ballads. “Disassociative”, which is very similar to a beautiful space rock opera. "The Speed of Pain", a calm song, which is performed in a choral style to the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar. Naturally, the famous “Coma White”, which is a stormy emotional outburst from a yearning, hopeless atmosphere, Manson's vocals and an excellent and excellent game of musicians.
There are also magnificent dynamic works: the popular “Rock is Dead”, a symbiosis of blues, rock and industrial, “Posthuman”, a kind of echo of the era “Antichrist Superstar”, funny and dynamic “I don't like the Drugs ...”.
In place of industrial terrorism "Antichrist Superstar" came, to a certain extent, an industrial glam with a deliberately pessimistic and somber tone.
This album is a very thoughtful universe. Manson this time plays the role of Omega, an alien-androgen, which, judging by the first two songs, landed on our planet. Hence the space-fantastic sound of songs. Lyrics say that people here are very cold, "mechanical" and cruel. The longing that is stretched throughout the album is caused by the fact that the lyric androgen hero is lonely, has no friends, feels that he is a stranger in this “Great White World”, and everyone just wants to destroy him.
Gradually, the immaculate Omega becomes a pop star, gathering his group “Mechanical Animals”, and is completely becomes corrupted, both physically and morally.
Now the main object of disclosure for Marilyn Manson appears to be not hypocritical religious communities, which suppress the human desire for thinking and adequate perception of the environment. This time, they are no less hypocritical residents of the “Dream Factory”, whose morals are recorded in detail in perhaps the most famous “The Dope Show”, where relationships and the “rich spiritual culture” of the inhabitants of the “city of dream” are quite eloquently described.
Hype, hypocrisy, greed, stinginess and the disintegration of society - these are the main themes that are affected on this album. But the main cement of this material is irony and sarcasm, especially in relation to the general decline of Hollywood and its inhabitants.
If on "Antichrist Superstar" Manson was full of hatred and desire to fight the "contagion", spewing curses and spitting blood, on "Mechanical Animals" he is only a bystander. An alien who sees an alien culture in front of him and tries to adapt to it.
"Mechanical Animals" is more relevant than ever in the present, and will always be relevant as long as a person lives on Earth. You can love or dislike Marilyn Manson figure in modern pop culture (of which he is undoubtedly a part), you can openly despise his views and beliefs, but talking about the meaninglessness and lack of faith of this album is at least out of place.
This is one of iconic albums of the 90s, pinnacle of the band and the real high point. The plot, concept, music, lyrics, design - everything in this album is really cosmically great. Marilyn Manson put a lot of creative energy, time and emotion into this work.
Ironically, MM itself has now become one of those mechanical animals that he dissected on this album.
