Music
Marilyn Manson: 'The High End Of Low'
Released on Monday, May 25 2009
Published Wednesday, May 27 2009, 16:06 BST | By Mayer Nissim | 5 comments

Worries that The High End Of Low would make the same mistakes as its predecessor were briefly allayed by the return of old foil Twiggy and the brilliant single-of-the-year contender 'Arma...geddon', a stomping mix of great riffs, gratuitous swearing and classic Manson lyrical swipes ("F**k making hits, I'm taking credit for the death toll"). Unfortunately, the single is something of a false dawn, sticking out a mile as one of the album's few saving graces. Another is opener 'Devour', which escapes its wimpish love song lyrics and quiet-loud-quiet clichés to pack a thumping rock punch when it finally gets going. The nine-minute 'I Want To Kill You Like They Do In The Movies' manages to stay brooding rather than boring, while 'We're From America' is a fantastic combination of pace, tension and aggression.
The problem is that these highlights are obscured by too many dreary and self-conscious straightforward rock songs. Tracks like 'I Have To Look Up Just To See Hell', 'Blank And White' and 'Into The Fire' offer lashings of dark atmosphere but precious little else. 'Running To The End Of The World' is a proper lighters-in-the-air ballad, but with Manson's affected croak that's not such a good thing. Arguments that the band need to broaden their musical palette are understandable, but the softer tracks here just don't stand up to scrutiny against the equally slow-paced 'Great Big White World' and 'Coma White' from Mechanical Animals, or Holy Wood's standout 'The Nobodies'.
This album is also far too long, as are many of its tracks, but it would need more than editing to achieve its clearly grandiose ambitions. Manson's career highlights saw the band synthesise hard rock, metal, glam, industrial, power pop and good-old fashioned rock'n'roll into an appealingly shocking fin de siècle package. Despite the admirable quirkiness of 'WOW' and twangy blues of 'Four Rusted Horses', The High End Of Low is too often content to alternate between competent garage rock and ill-advised attempts at stadium anthems. It's far from awful, but not for the first time, you can't help but feel that Manson could do so much better.

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A Girl, on June 25th, 2009
OMG I HATE MARILYN MANSON ! HE IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SCARY IT IS UNBELEIVABLE ! :O :O I HATE MARILYN MANSON FOR LIFE :)
OMG I HATE MARILYN MANSON ! HE IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SCARY IT IS UNBELEIVABLE ! :O :O I HATE MARILYN MANSON FOR LIFE :)
Hi, on June 15th, 2009
THIS IS REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 ♥ from marilyn manson's biggest fan [;
THIS IS REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 ♥ from marilyn manson's biggest fan [;
simon cowell, on May 30th, 2009
now then this is an awful peace of work by a scary man he cant sing he ruined tainted love know ones going to buy his album and a waste of money recording this peace of rubbish
now then this is an awful peace of work by a scary man he cant sing he ruined tainted love know ones going to buy his album and a waste of money recording this peace of rubbish
jordan power mansfield, on May 27th, 2009
awfull cannot stand how he recks good music he is to scary to be shown on tv so what steh poiny
awfull cannot stand how he recks good music he is to scary to be shown on tv so what steh poiny







Just thought I'd leave a belated comment to say this is a fine album and the best they've done since Holy Wood. If you're an old school fan from the 90s this is well worth checking out. All you people who left negative comments here should just stick to commenting on shallow mass produced nonsense such as Westlife and the X Factor. Better yet pay more attention in school as you can't spell or write properly.