What can i say about Marilyn Manson, i’ve always been a Marilyn Manson fan, not the crazy theatrical shit that much, of pretty much everything one way or another, especially the early stuff, you know, i listen to a lot of extreme metal, Meshuggah, the whole nine yards, and then here i am talking about fucking Mechanical Animals, heheheh, but hey, what can you do.
Alright, so Mechanical Animals, yeah this was a shock, especially coming off Antichrist Superstar which was this dark, aggressive concept album. This time around Manson went full glam rock, and i mean FULL glam rock, like David Bowie meets industrial meets some kind of alien rock opera bullshit, and somehow it all works.
So the album kicks off with “Great Big White World” and holy shit, this track is just smooth as butter, pure glam rock catchiness, its like if Queen had a baby with Nine Inch Nails but the baby came out way prettier than it should have. Then you get slapped with “The Dope Show” which brings back some of that industrial edge, all these weird sci-fi noises and synth work, but its still catchy as hell, you can’t help but nod your head to it.
“Mechanical Animals” the title track is where things start getting trippy, man, its this weird blend of industrial and glam that shouldn’t work but does, the chorus is so fucking glam but distorted in this beautiful way. “Rock Is Dead” brings some headbanging back into the mix, its like a march that turns into pure rock anthem, and when Manson sings “god is in the tv” you just gotta laugh, its brilliant in its stupidity.
Now here’s where it gets interesting, “Disassociative” is like the creepy uncomfortable tracks from Antichrist Superstar but made into smooth glam rock with distortion, its plastic sounding and catchy, which makes it even more uncomfortable somehow. “The Speed of Pain” fakes you out, you think you’re getting speed but no, you get this glam ballad with Manson crying about cracks in hearts, its creepy and pretty at the same time, very churchy in the best way possible.
“Posthuman” brings the speed back, super industrial with Manson yelling about god being a statistic, another fantastic fusion of styles. “I Don’t Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)” is pure anthem material, funky soul track that’s catchy as hell, absolute brilliance. “New Model No. 15” is punchy industrial glam, you can headbang to this electronic funk with random sounds popping up everywhere.
“User Friendly” might be my favorite track, this fusion of glam and industrial is so fucking catchy, the chorus draws out to this metal sing-along, its an amazing piece of art. “Fundamentally Loathsome” slows things down with this western ballad vibe, probably my least favorite but still solid.
And then we get “The Last Day on Earth” which is just… fuck, this is the culmination of this sound, industrial with a veneer of glam, its bouncy, spatial, cosmical, with Manson doing his David Bowie thing, its like a beautiful picture of space printed on glittering vinyl, hopeful, fake and wonderfully sad. “Coma White” closes things out with this sad country rock ballad with glam hints, perfect way to finish, much better ending than Antichrist Superstar.
Look, Mechanical Animals is an achievement, its one of those albums that if you take away the controversy and shock value, its just beautifully crafted. While Antichrist Superstar was this messy, dreary concept album, Mechanical Animals is polished, not just from the glam influence but everything about it. Its not changing styles, its redefining, its not different, its new and unique, and i can only praise Manson for this achievement. Its a fun listen for everyone, even if you’re into the heavy stuff like me.