Review by Phil Rozier for MPM
Right then, now listening to One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1, I’m probably one of the most excited and in disbelief humans on the planet. In the late 90’s, I was late teens in age.
I met Marilyn Manson at a festival when I was fortunate enough to get given some back stage passes. Nothing was exchanged between infatuated teenager and superstar to be, other than a passing nod, but even then, I remember thinking ‘this is unbelievable’.
Not long after said exchange, I was at the Astoria in London. A triple headliner on a Friday night. Coal Chamber. Bolt Thrower. And there he was again, Marilyn Manson, accompanied by his equally as intriguing band. The presence, image, actions and music, was something I still hadn’t got comfortable with. Excited by, inspired by, but at the same time uncomfortably shocked by. Even to this day, the experience of seeing the back lit, shrouded by plumes of dry ice, Manson attached to angel wings being elevated to the front of stage, is something of a teenage highlight.
Move over fan boy, crack on with the review I hear you demand! OK, OK, I’m on with it. I just wanted to give some context, to how that same excited teen is now in one of the most privileged positions, to be able to get his ears around Marilyn Manson’s most recent release. Life can literally be quite unbelievable at times. I’m having the same ‘this is unbelievable’ feelings, created in the same person, by the same artist not too far off 30 years apart.
So, despite my excitement, I promise I’ll keep the review unbiased and remain professional at all times. I’m a professional music journalist don’t you know! (Yea whatever!)
So, in almost what seems like an uncomfortable level of anticipation, I fire up the opening track. ‘One Assassination Under God’, the title track, does nothing for my nervousness, as the slow organ chimes elongate the unknown…. And then, there it is….. that voice, that darkened beat, that low level bass. I’m back right where I should be – belonging to this darker world, this unorthodox way of being. This place of comfort. It’s hard not to smile, and to feel somewhat smug, when your Friday night is spent feeling this good. And that’s what some music can do for a mindset. Like an addict wanting a hit, all I want to do is hear the next track.
Despite my delightful darker side that all heavier music fans tend to lean towards, I haven’t given hard drugs a whirl, but, I’d imagine, if I had, at some point, the second hit might not be as good as the first. In my current state of musical addiction, I was fearing that the fateful second hit might be a let down. As soon as the deeply tuned guitars echo out the opening bars, reminiscent of the earlier recorded Eurythmics cover, Sweet Dreams, I’m not left naked in a puddle covered in sick where drugs might have left me. I’m in the comfort of my own kitchen smiling ‘out loud’ (is that a thing?). ‘No Funeral without Applause’ gently cradles my mind and tells me it’s going to be OK.
‘Nod If You Understand’ batters my organs (OK, perhaps I’m playing it a bit loud – sorry to the Strevens who live next door), but really I’m referring to the punishing opening distorted bass line. Thinking of this live, as Manson himself struts one leg up onto a monitor screaming ‘who would want to wake up, if this is their world’ as one of the opening lines. Thinking of previously released tracks ‘This is the new shit’, the wonderfully aggressive yet remarkably in tune vocals remain true to what made Marilyn Manson so accepted by the rock world. The double kick drum accompanied by the confidently belted out lyrics at the back end of the track – this is it. This is what this album needed to be.
‘As Sick as the Secrets Within’ – this isn’t a title I would expect from Taylor Swift, but, give it to Marilyn Manson and it’s as expected as cream with your strawberries. A wonderful mix of sharp vocals, loud monstrous guitar, gentle piano and a sturdy smack of the percussion. It’s another belter of a track, especially when you add on the eerie whisper of a lyric at the end of the track.
‘Sacrilegious’. Yet another track that instantly feels like I’m home. Lyrical content wise, it’s a clear window into life at a point in time, and the challenges that were facing the song writer. Far be it for me to comment on the reality of the challenges, but, inspired by none the less, this up beat track is just a banger to enjoy.
The next track, with horribly twisted and distorted voices that creep me out a bit, soon fade into an 80’s inspired sounding drum beat, and an electric sounding rhythm. ‘Death Is Not a Costume’ is yet another track I can find myself truly listening to. I say that as if I’m surprised. Not so, but, we all know that it is rare for an album to be truly good enough to listen to, track after track, without that sense of deflation when a tune isn’t as addictive as its predecessor.
And so we here go into the last 3 tracks. I can’t help but feel a little sad. As the big hand navigates its path towards 12, and the smaller hand ticks towards 8, and my wine glass needs a refill, I’m defo going to have to just replay the album, start again, and repeat the enjoyment of the past hour. ‘Meet Me In Purgatory’ isn’t complicated, it’s just rooted in a darker version of pop, and my air drumming doesn’t get lost in the superhuman ability that many heavy rock and metal tub thumpers harness these days.
Track 8, ‘Raise the Red Flag’ – we go once more. What’s the crack with this number? I’ll tell you what the crack is. It’s another distorted, bass thumping, great noise of a track! I’m not sure if it’s possible to describe the kind of musical noise that’s created by this band. But this album, along with all the past creations, have always had that same kind of instrumental sound. Muddy. Mixed. Distorted bass. Warm guitars rather than a twang of tele (OK, yea yea I know, previous contributors used tele’s, but don’t forget that they were only really tele’s in shape. There’s no way an overwound humbucker custom fitted into a 60’s tele body can be described as classical tele sound). Think of the Marilyn Manson expected sound, think of ‘Raise the Red Flag’ as that sound. It’s massive.
Lastly, track 9 then. Smooth, acoustic, and a real gentle come down introduces me to the song, after 8 previous bangers. To be honest, the softer slower tempo is a welcome finale to what has been a heart thumping hour of pace, noise, aggression, and delight. If left as I was, I wouldn’t be sure if I could function clearly being left in such a high state of being. My heart is slowing, my mind is easing, my pleasures have been met. I let out a final more than satisfied breath as I think ‘that did the trick’
Brian Warner, after 55 years on the planet, and 11 albums previously, still has a wonderful way with words. Often writing in the moment, about the moment, he doesn’t necessarily have ‘a way’. Yet, is always totally recognisable. Music is about how it makes you feel. An almost unintentional reaction, a natural flinch in time. Allow your senses to react to the album, allow yourself to react to the artists work without pre conception of associated cultures or comments.
This album is not only some of Marilyn Mansons best work, it’s some of the best work anyone has produced in 2024. If you are one of the few lucky people to have secured tickets for the early 2025 tour in the UK, then brace yourself for what will be one of the most entertaining tours on the planet.
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