Review: Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar
It has been twenty-three years since the release of Marilyn Manson's classic record "Antichrist Superstar". This record went on to inspire hundreds of artists from numerous genres including a surprising amount of rappers. Let's do a track-by-track review and see if we can find what made this album so special.
1. Irresponsible Hate Anthem - An absolute punk rager anthem that embodies the anarchist attitude that Manson possessed at this time , the ideal opening track, a fantastic introduction to Manson persona
2. The Beautiful People - Perhaps the most iconic song of Manson's career and easily a defining song of the 90's with one of the most instantly recognizable riffs of all-time, a classic track
3. Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World - A Nine Inch Nails inspired song with a dark atmosphere protruding throughout, most likely being used to slow the albums lighting fast start
4. Tourniquet - Very sinister in nature, the raw production shines here lending itself greatly to the theme of the track, a nice creepy guitar riff sets a eerie mood
5. Little Horn - One of the heaviest songs on the record, Manson's ability to write fuzzy lo-fi yet catchy post-punk anthems is once again displayed here
6. Cryptorchid - An electronic driven ballad of sorts making it clear that Manson firmly believes in frequent pace changes to keep his audience guessing
7. Deformography - The track opens with a machine-like industrial sample followed by a catchy deep bass line, a loud and scratchy heavy guitar riff kicks in towards the end adding a nice extra layer on the track
8. Wormboy - The most poppy song on the album, Manson adds in some bizarre high notes over a groovy riff with several changes in vocal style to give a manic feel to the track
9. Mister Superstar - This starts out with a very garage rock influenced opening before swinging into full-gear with a classic shouted Manson chorus, suspense is built up and released several times
10. Angel With the Scabbed Wings - The drumming gets an opportunity to shine here, a crunchy riff that can draw comparisons to Rammstein, an outstanding track that holds up as one of Manson's best
11. Kinderfeld - Chillingly creepy with some really out of left-field samples and electronics, part of the song sounds like it's being recorded underwater, undoubtedly meant to be unsettling and succeeds
12. Antichrist Superstar - Easily one of Manson's most notable songs, nearly any fan of the band will cite this as a top tier track, not many bands have pulled off the production of raw guitars as well as Manson
13. 1996 - Maybe the most straight forward punk song Manson has ever penned, by this point one has to be astonished at Manson's talent for righting anthemic crowd pleasers
14. The Minute of Decay - A brooding bass line leads the track as the band peels back from the chaotic pace set by the previous track, extremely executed mellow track by Manson standards
15. The Reflecting God - The musical arrangement of this track is a recipe for an ear worm, absolutely infectious filled with heavy feedback-laden guitars and muffled screams, one of his most aggressive songs especially in the ladder half
16. Man That You Fear - Closing with a softer piano and synth lead reflective track
In conclusion, this record holds up unbelievably well. Regardless of your opinions on Marilyn Manson, when he has his head on straight, he is easily one of the most creative artist of hi generation and that skill is shown in spades on Antichrist Superstar. Not only did this record bring punk back into the mainstream for the first time since the late 70's but it also popularized the rise of alternative rock and metal along with acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Tool, and Rage Against The Machine. The raw production of this record is done perfectly and gives the album a timeless feel that makes it easy to back and listen to without feeling like it is an antique as some older records do. Antichrist Superstar is still relevant to this day and it's difficult to foresee a time where it isn't. For these reasons it gets a perfect 5 out of 5 stars from us and should be praised for what it did for the heavy music scene and music as a whole.
