Review by Chris Van Etten for Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar (1996)

I’ve gotta say, I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Back in the day ( the 1990s), I wrote Marilyn Manson off pretty quickly. They were coming from the Nine Inch Nails camp, as opposed to the Ministry camp (i.e. my team), and I just didn’t like a lot of the aesthetics involved. I thought old Brian Hugh Warner took himself a little too seriously (and the story about the rib removal, well...) But anyway, fast forward to 2020 and I gave “Antichrist Superstar” a chance, not worrying about any of the minutiae that dissuaded me in the past, and just listened. What I realized is this stuff isn’t supposed to be taken that seriously. Or maybe a better way to put it is that it’s not music to put you in a dark place. This record is supposed to be, and for the most part is, pretty damn FUN. Yes, the lyrics are over the top and purposely offensive (an N-Bomb is dropped within the first two minutes)  but the music is poppy as hell, and in a good way.  The sound is similar to a lot of the heavier alternative rock of the period, but the slutty, hedonistic vibe differentiates MM from their contemporaries. The theatrical aspect makes the music simultaneously more artificial and more entertaining. This music isn’t deep,  but it’s cool the way a good stupid horror movie is cool. 

It goes without saying there is a huge Glam influence at play here, particularly inspired by Alice Cooper and David Bowie. The former is evident in the vocals. Mr. Manson does a pretty damn good Alice, especially on “Tourniquet,” which has a super catchy guitar riff and chorus which  has been getting stuck in my head lately (not a bad thing). The Bowie influence is most evident on the album format and structure. It’s a concept album, but instead of Ziggy Stardust, it’s the Antichrist. The fact that the lyrics go back to being about the same guy/thing ties everything together nicely. 

One of the things that I can’t help but focus on with Industrial Metal records is the production. It sounds like the band had a huge budget for “Antichrist Superstar” and they had a lot of fun with it, and I love that. Every track has different effects, different  panning etc. which makes the listening experience quite  grandiose  So why only 3 1/2 stars and not more? Well, like I said, this is bubble gum metal, no more, no less. I enjoy listening to it but I don’t think I’d need it on a desert island. And, as is so often the case with good-but-not-great records, there are a few too many songs. This is basically a double album, so they could have easily dropped the five weakest tracks and still have had a complete LP. Whatever. To wrap it up, I’d have to say my favorite part is the double-header of “1996” and “Minute of Decay.” The latter is a moody piece was a really cool, drowsey bass line. The former a super-anthem that would probably kill live. It also includes the lyric “I am the faggot Anti-Pope, ” and I can’t help but smile at that. Not sure if I’d go as far as to say I’m a Marilyn Manson fan, but I definitely appreciate them more than I did, and I think I “get it” now.