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Retro Review: Marilyn Manson ‘Antichrist Superstar’

Published

13 years ago

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I remember buying ‘Antichrist Superstar’ like it was yesterday: I was in Tokyo with my dad and I needed something to fill the silence during the long drives to the various tourist spots. Being that I was middle school at the time and I was a rebellious little scoundrel, the thought of getting away with buying a Marilyn Manson album was just too cool to not follow through on. My dad only realized what I’d bought when it was too late: I was hooked. This was an album that was metal, industrial, dirty, grimy, violent, sexual, full of horror and perfect for my testosterone-ridden, hyper-sexualized teenage angst. 
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To quote Corinthians (which is strange enough seeing as I’m Jewish AND an atheist), “When I was a child I spoke as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child; but when I became a man I put away childish things.” There came a time when I had to rein in my hormones and grow out of my rebelliousness, if for no other reason than it just became boring and stale. So, the question then arises, how does ‘Antichrist Superstar’ hold up considering this situation?

Let’s get the production out of the way before I chat about the album and it’s impact, shall we? ‘Antichrist Superstar’ has that unmistakable raw mid-90’s sound. However, it’s only listening to it now that I fully appreciate just how much is actually going on in each track. There is an ungodly amount that will take who knows how many listens to fully appreciate. The album goes from furious raging industrial metal to mellow, haunting ambient soundscapes with great ease, all while sounding fantastic. 
Okay, so it sounds great. Does it still rock? Fuck yeah it rocks! I can’t explain it, but listening to this album pumped me up as though I was that anger-fueled teenager again. I found myself reveling in the chaos, head banging until I was dizzy. There is something about this album that is undeniably infectious and powerful. This was definitely Manson at the top of his game. 
Songs like ‘Little Horn‘ and ‘The Beautiful People‘ are prime examples of the angry side of the album while ‘Cryptorchid‘, ‘Tourniquet‘, and ‘Minute Of Decay‘ show the more haunting aspects.
The Final Word: It’s been 15 years since ‘Antichrist Superstar’ hit shelves and the album is still as intense as when I first heard it. Manson, if you read this, please find that energy and ferocity again. Meanwhile, I’ll be blasting this until the day I die. 
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Music

“He Walks By Night” – Listen to a Brand New John Carpenter Song NOW!

Published

1 week ago

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April 9, 2024

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John Carpenter music

It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.

Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.

“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.

“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”

You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…

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