Marilyn Manson: The High End of Low (Polydor)

By Miranda Yeoh  •  in Music
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The Devil’s Advocate is back with his 7th studio album after Eat Me Drink Me. Manson’s latest effort sees him pairing up with longtime guitarist-bassist Twiggy Ramirez after 10 years, together with producers Sean Beavan, and Chris Vrenna. Rather than giving us tracks laden with usual shock value, High End of Low is surprisingly introspective with a hint of romanticism.

High End of Low debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts with 49,000 copies. First single, “Arma-goddamn-mother-f***in-geddon” released on 14 May 2009 does not impress and is truly underwhelming. The title is  meant to be shocking, but thanks to Manson, 15 years after Antichrist Superstar, sullen, depressed teenagers back then now have probably grown up and are holding proper jobs. The only thing shocking about this is the flashes of country that creep in thanks to the steel slide guitar that wavers throughout the song. Don’t throw in the towel yet, because there is more to the album, Marilyn Manson states that this album is closest to Antichrist Superstar. And he is right too, High End of Low brings him back to his roots. JUICE‘s personal favourites are ‘Four Rusted Horses’ and ‘Devour’ – which could be possibly one of the most depressing break up songs ever, or kinky, depends on how you look at it. Hit or miss, this album critics and fans alike can’t decide. Instead of giving us shock value, they’ve left us confused.

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