Marilyn Manson, Born Villain (2012)

Hello all,

Today I am discussing the latest Marilyn Manson album, Born Villain. Let me begin by stating that I am a huge Manson fan. I have even seen him in concert three times. That said, I believe that his last two or three albums have been pretty poor. They seem to lack the edge that his first four albums, Portrait of an American Family, Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals, and Holy Wood. Marilyn Manson without his edge is plain boring.

I would make the argument that the world is a better place with Manson as the over-the-top rocker that makes society uneasy. Society needs artists to push boundaries. From Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, and Manson, these artists make the overall landscape of music more interesting. The American music landscape is pretty piss poor at the moment. While Manson returning to his rebellious roots is not going to change much, it is definitely a step in the right direction. The only problem is that society may be immune to his antics. Unfortunately, I don’t think that there is anything a musician can do to shock anybody anymore. Despite these handicaps, Manson needs to be more like the Manson of 1996 than the broody, whiny Manson of 2006.

I am rambling.

Back to Born Villain. This album is a return to the rebellious, and shall we say, villainous Manson. From beginning to end, this is an amazing album! This is the best new album that I have listened to in years. Certainly the best metal album of the year . . . thus far.

The theme of the album seems to be an argument on whether people are villains through nature or nurture which certainly works on many levels since Manson was once seen as public enemy number one from the Christian Coalition during the 1990s. It also works as a concept album. Manson notes,

"In any story, the villain is the catalyst. The hero's not a person who will bend the rules or show the cracks in his armor. He's one-dimensional intentionally, but the villain is the person who owns up to what he is and stands by it. He'll do the things that are sometimes morally questionable, but he does it because it's his nature to do it and it doesn't fluctuate. It's the fable of the frog and the scorpion, all those stories that just say, whatever you're going to be, stick to it in confidence. Don't waver or life will fuck you over."

Anyway, the highlights of the album are the songs Slo-Mo-Tion, The Flowers of Evil, Children of Cain, and Breaking the Same Old Ground. In addition, there is a bonus track recorded with Johnny Depp of a cover version of Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain.

I would highly recommend this album. This is the best metal album of the year! I cannot stress this enough.

For your listening pleasure, I have attached two clips.

As always, thank you for reading!

Marty Sabin