Any band with a piece of ‘Manson’ in it should probably be banned outright in RMR’s top secret List ov Unforgivable Extremes. You know, acts so daft or ideologically challenged, we’ll ban our very own fucking reviews. Like one of them idiot monks enjoying a flagellation attack and the terrible cilice until the white mana spews forth, that kind of thing. But back to the Manson curse. You got Charles Manson, of course, the guy who didn’t know what sorry means and is now burning in hell. A phrase famously covered by Paradise Lost on their 1995 album Draconian Times, track ‘Forever Failure’.
And then we got ourselves swamp animals such as one Brian Hugh Warner aka Marilyn Manson. Already the dude’s need to fashion a stage name from Marilyn (Monroe) and (Charles) Manson should tell you most of what you should expect. On top of everything else, occult-leaning beliefs, the musings of Aleister Crowley, and the infamous Church of Satan will add to this noisome soup of sick influences. No doubt Warner garnered a reputation as a master provocateur and Luciferian performance artist. Not to mention the endless unsavory scandals and numerous sexual allegations – past and present – that got him in more trouble than most people can stomach in ten lifetimes. Case in point, Manson‘s last label ditched him in a hurry after the last series of infamous accusations. The band later reemerged under the guise of Nuclear Blast Records. Who else, right?1
But what about the outstanding Heavy Metal and the relentless power that will knock you down and keep you down? Well, there isn’t any. One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1 will get you a synth-heavy offshoot of what once was Industrial Metal. A rich smörgåsbord of Darkwave-infused Industrial Punk Rock, Pop Metal, and an evil gothic melancholy of sorts. A set of tracks providing a platform for The Joker here, ready to subvert today’s youth with sacrilegious lyrics that are often as direct as they are dangerously vile. And sometimes One Assassination seems to sail pretty close to the Germans of Rammstein without the bluster, mixed with the Gothic musings of Blutengel. And sure enough, Manson here famously appeared as one of the mourners in Rammstein’s clip Haifisch of 2010. So, there’s that.
In a way, One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1 sports that sound, the failed GLDN so desperately aspired to acquire.2 A powerful delivery, spiked with meaty riffs and often pretty muscly leads that surprised us. Only, the rhythmic section made us wonder if the wielder of sticks wasn’t somewhat asleep at his drum kit. But whatever this may be, Manson‘s vocal powers do convey a forceful yet mean aggression that isn’t based on growls for once. Instead, it’s all intonation and emotion driving this guy’s tune. And our boy here is devilishly good at that, despite the nonsense he often spews. And did we hear David Bowie’s heavy shadow rummaging about in the background somewhere? Perhaps. And then you hit Raise the Red Flag. A track sounding like a crime Ozzy committed in cahoots with Sharon, his mean-spirited and trusty sidekick.
Ultimately, One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1 turned into one of the better such albums the RMR crew came across over the years. Marilyn Manson – the band – is a well-established and seasoned outfit and they know their shit. The anger and pugnacious truculence hide behind a wall of spiffily constructed sounds. But – at the same time – the subdued menace ominously shimmers through the veneer like one of those forlorn lanterns on an ancient beach seeking to attract prey. There has always been allure in evil, and this one’s ancient. A well-written set of tracks, full of little wicked nuggets thrown at you by a master of deception and manipulation.
Now, get me that ear wash and surgical soap. This here crew needs to get rid of that unclean feeling.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Nuclear Blast | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 22 November 2024
- The Odd Footnote!
- Wanna learn more? Rolling Stone wrote a pretty good piece about it.-↩
- But never did. -Ed.-↩