Music Monday: Marilyn Manson “The Pale Emperor”

pale emperor
The 9th studio album from Marilyn Manson

I’ve been a Marilyn Manson fan for more than 20 years now. I’ve already covered my disgust for not being able to see them live that many years ago, so I will save you a repeated rant.

Marilyn Manson the performer [born Brian Warner] has provided some controversy and conflict over the years, along with making some incredible music with a various collection of players, depending on the album. My embrace of “Antichrist Superstar” in 1996 cemented my love for his goth and industrial sound.

It’s been 3 years since the last album “Born Villain”, which I reviewed here. It was a good return to the sound all of us fans know and like. So when I heard rumblings of a new album, I got excited. And my anticipation was not a let down. “The Pale Emperor” doesn’t disappoint at all.

  1. “Killing Strangers”
  2. “Deep Six”
  3. “Third Day of a Seven Day Binge”
  4. “The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles”
  5. “Warship My Wreck”
  6. “Slave Only Dreams to Be King”
  7. “The Devil Beneath My Feet”
  8. “Birds of Hell Awaiting”
  9. “Cupid Carries a Gun”
  10. “Odds of Even”

One Of The Best

I have played this album track-by-track at least 20 times since it came out a few weeks ago. The power attack of the first 5 songs really grabbed me hard each time I heard them in succession. The next 5 songs are pretty strong in of themselves, especially “Slave Only Dreams To Be King” which bears a strong resemblance and structure to “The Beautiful People“. “Odds of Even” ends the album rather nicely. So far, my favorites are “Deep Six” and “The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles” Also, “The Devil Beneath My Feet” is quickly sliding into 3rd place.

I can’t tell you how much I really like this album. Each listen gets more and more ingrained into my head and I look forward to many more listens. When any of the songs come up in shuffle on my iPod, I always play it through, removing my thumb from the skip to next track button.

Deluxe Edition

The version of the album I got was the Deluxe Edition from iTunes, which has 3 extra tracks, all of them acoustic versions of other songs. They are ok, but I admit to skipping past them more often than not. I would have preferred more original songs, which add to the value of a deluxe edition album.

If you are any sort of Marilyn Manson fan, you should really check out this new release. It’s very strong and it goes past any expectation that we’ve had for a good album, when compared to the last few releases.

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