It was back in 2007 that I first heard of this album being written & it was soon after in 2008 that the recording followed. The previous album “eat me drink me” seemed to focus a lot on Manson’s past & current love life which didn’t really help him with it came to critics, this latest release doesn’t entirely avoid the relationship subject either so its hard to predict how the critics will react. Past work & criticism aside here’s what I thought of the new album. In a whole I really liked it..ok so maybe one or two songs will take a while to really appeal to me but the production values are definitely there & you can tell the works been put in. tracks like “arma-god-damn-mother-fn-geddon” & “we’re from America” are classic thumping Manson songs with lots of high tempo & sharp riffs. “running to the edge of the world” Strangely enough sounds a little like “love is all around” by Wet Wet Wet .. don’t ask me why, the chords sound pretty solid & the vocal melody is just a lil too slow for my tastes. “black & white” sounds like it has some serious Bowie influences with its twangy guitar & tambourine work. “devour” is the opening track & sounds a lot like the older Manson work, it starts off as just noise which then leads into some nice guitar work & bass, it’s a great track & it got me going once I put it on but I really don’t like how it cuts out so abruptly. “leave a scar” is one of my favourite songs but the alternative version on the bonus CD is by far my favourite version of the song, it has an almost Celtic sound to it that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The bonus CD is only available with the deluxe version & includes 6 tracks but I really would only recommend it to diehard fans because they are not that different to the published tracks. I gave this album a few listens before I wrote my final verdict so here it is…In the past “eat me drink me” dropped Manson into a deep pit that he might never escape but with “the high end of low” its clear he has gotten to a point where escape is finally possible. He seems more in touch with the style & tunes that made his fans like him in the first place. I wouldn’t say its hate filled but there is a lot of anger towards the current situation in America. There is plenty here to propel Manson back into the public eye with a little controversy thrown in for good measure. Overall I liked what I heard, true it wasn’t anything that new but then he does always seem to stick to his own style of writing & singing so I didn’t expect a direct change there. “the high end of low” wont win any awards because to most people it will just sound mediocre so unless you are an avid Manson fan then you might be disappointed with what is on show here. Even with its faults I’m giving it a 6 out of ten.
No comments:
Post a Comment