You can’t keep a good villain down. With the last two Manson albums not succeeding to fully engross me, it feels here as if some of the punch is back in the swing. The alternative nature of Marilyn Manson sometimes threatens to pull back just a little too much, especially in the more minimalist approach of the instrumentation, with far less synths / programming (this minimalism also reflected in the sleeve design). Long time collaborator Twiggy is onboard with a hand in the music of almost every song, but the place where one knows you’re unmistakably dealing with MM is his vocals and lyrical approach. A couple of tracks let loose, but for the most part the mid-tempo groove sometimes lacks the energy some listeners are dying for. The bonus cover song of Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain was co-produced by Jonny Depp (who also contributes drums and guitar).
