Marilyn Manson is a musician who has constantly pushed boundaries, upsetting a great deal of conservative people, especially those of Christian faith, for over two decades now. Within the last few years, Manson has released a series of albums that have not been as shocking, and he has also worn an image that is not quite as shocking, and some fans feel drastically disappointed, feeling like the self-proclaimed "god of fuck" has lost his touch. I am a fan who has been following Manson for over a decade now, and I think that he continues to demonstrate sheer talent as a musician and as the frontman of a rock/metal band. My belief is that he has matured as a person and as a musician (he is now forty-six years old, so he isn't getting any younger, nor are any of us), and that is something that I really admire and appreciate. With that being said, however, fans who have lost appreciation for him due to their belief that he has lost his shock value more than likely find themselves devastated by the musician's newest release The Pale Emperor because both lyrically and melodically, this album may just demonstrate the tamest Marilyn Manson that we have ever seen or heard.
Incorporated into the album, especially on tracks such as the opener "Killing Strangers" and the first single "Third Day of a Seven-Day Binge," are blues and classic rock influence. "Killing Strangers" features an introductory guitar riff reminding me of The Rolling Stones or the more modern The White Stripes. The song is used to promote the video game Dying Light and is also featured in the film John Wick, so it has received considerable promotion for a non-single track. The song seems to be a critical commentary on war, sarcastically saying that we consider it acceptable to kill people whom we don't know in order to protect loved ones. Although critical (at least in my opinion), it is a reality of humanity. 30 Seconds to Mars tackled the same philosophical issue on their song "Hurricane," when they asked, "Tell me, would you kill to save a life?" The second track is "Deep Six," released as the album's lead single and the b-side to the "Third Day of a Seven-Day Binge" single. "Deep Six" is one of my favorite songs on the album, both because of its sheer electric and metallic power and also because of its clever lyrics. "You want to know what Zeus said to Narcissus?" Manson asks. He responds to his own question with, "'You better watch yourself.'" Cleverness in lyrics doesn't get much better than that.
The third track on the album is undoubtedly my favorite song on the album. "Third Day of a Seven-Day Binge" sounds like a combination of nineties and 2000s alternative rock (as it reminds me very much of "This Is the Day" by The Cranberries) and blues. It is certainly the catchiest song on the album and even makes reference to a "booth," which could be a reference to a DJ's booth at a night club. The song seems to capture the desire to get out of a toxic relationship because of the depression and the energy draining that the lover is causing. The song is appropriately followed by "The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles," and I say that the two songs being paired together is appropriate because the song is another one that has hints of nineties and 2000s alternative rock, especially because of its guitar solo at the very beginning. The Pale Emperor makes several references to ancient folklore and mythology, such as its reference to Zeus and Narcissus on "Deep Six." Here, Manson references and identifies as Mephistopheles, a figure from German folklore who can be likened to Satan. Manson refers to the criticism that he receives as a risqué artist, and he once again pulls clever lyrics out of his hat, such as when he says that "Lazarus got no dirt on me." It is also probably no coincidence that the city of Los Angeles translates to the Angels. My hope is that this track will be a single, as it is one of my favorites.
The fifth track from The Pale Emperor is "Warship My Wreck," a song that reminds me a bit of the opening track from Eat Me, Drink Me, "If I Was Your Vampire." It is a song that has grown on me because I remember not thinking too much of it the first few times that I heard it. It seems to be about demanding control of your own misery. "Slave Only Dreams to Be King" is one song that harkens back to Manson's Mechanical Animals days, as it reminds me a bit of "Rock Is Dead." The song, in a sense, touches upon the idea of the abused becoming the abuser, the oppressed becoming the oppressor. If a slave, for example, were to become king, he would likely, in one sense or another, have slaves of his own, since monarchies are typically not democracies; a king is a type of ruler. "The Devil Beneath My Feet" is another song that has a bit of a bluesy sound to it (as does the following track, "Birds of Hell Awaiting," which has a bluesy beat). The song renounces any connection to the Christian God, saying, "I don't need a motherfucker looking down on me." The song potentially makes reference to "I Have to Look Up Just to See Hell" from The High End of Low and covers (more than likely metaphorically) having to finally pay dues for deals made in the past, deals that secured power. In the meantime, however, at least he had that power.
The aforementioned "Birds of Hell Awaiting" is a bit groovy and reminds me a bit of "The Dope Show" from Mechanical Animals. The song is an appropriate follow-up to "The Devil Beneath My Feet," as the song is a cautionary message against being overly ambitious. Desire and death (whether literally or figuratively) are sometimes one and the same. Manson has said before that The Pale Emperor is really intended to be an expression of his dues, which must now be collected, and several songs are expressive of this theme. The following track is the penultimate "Cupid Carries a Gun," and we heard a snippet of this song quite some time ago, as it serves as the theme song of the television series Salem. The song touches upon a southern rock sound, and thematically, the title seems to be relatively self-explanatory. The lyrics make several sexual references but seem to equate love and sex with danger. During the Electra Heart era, Marina and the Diamonds released a song titled "E.V.O.L," in which she declares that love can be evil (or evol, as love would be spelled backwards), and Manson does the same on this album when, in "Deep Six," he states that "LOVE is EVOL." This seems to be an idea that pops up fairly frequently on The Pale Emperor, and I would be willing to bet that "Cupid Carries a Gun" is personally about at least one of his many past lovers, such as Evan Rachel Wood.
The final track on the album is "Odds of Even." The song begins with a cacophony of indiscernible voices shouting, and the song itself reminds me a bit of "Into the Fire" from The High End of Low. "Odds of Even" is a perfect ending to the album because it is very reflective of his career. Death is inevitable, and even though literal death is quite possibly intended here, I believe it to be much more possible that Manson is referring to the death of his career as the Antichrist Superstar. Music critics and fans alike, as aforementioned, do not believe Manson as shocking as he once was. Part of that is due to the fact that he has definitely toned down his image and his sound within the last few years, but part of this can also be attributed to ageism. Even if he were to attempt to be as shocking and as head-turning as he was in his twenties and thirties, it is unlikely that most people would take him seriously, and no one can avoid this scrutiny, especially not a celebrity. The deluxe edition of the album includes three bonus tracks, but even though they have different names ("Day 3," "Fated, Faithful, Faded," and "Fall of the House of Death"), they are really just acoustic versions of "Third Day of a Seven-Day Binge," "The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles," and "Odds of Even" (respectively). I was a bit disappointed by that, but as a Manson fan, it is still worth owning the deluxe version. Some critics have surprisingly praised The Pale Emperor as being Manson's best album in a decade or so, and while I can't agree with that (Eat Me, Drink Me remains my favorite), it is a strong album that, although tame in comparison to albums such as Antichrist Superstar and Holy Wood, rightfully earns a respected place in the Manson discography.
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