Marilyn Manson is an artist that I have respected since day one of listening to him when I first picked up Smells Like Children. I have considered him to be the last living true rock star on this planet of ours because the man took himself out of obscurity and has reinvented himself. Two years ago, Marilyn Manson took the award for Album Of The Year at the fifth annual Monster Entertainment Awards for The Pale Emperor and this year he cleaned house. Not only did Marilyn take home the rock single and video of the year, but he also took him Rock Album Of The Year for his latest offering Heaven Upside Down. While 2017 may have been a turbulent year for the frontman as he faced injury and the fact that he had to fire longtime member Twiggy Ramirez. At least he can be proud of the album that he put out. Besides Manson, the album once again featured Tyler Bates as the instrumentalist and producer, but it also featured Gil Sharone on drums as well. The album did so well that it finished in the top 10 in 15 different countries with six of those being in the top five. Out of ten albums that Manson has put out, this becomes the 9TH album to finish in the top ten as it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Top 200 charts.
1. Revelation #12– The first track on the album kicks off with a hellraising riff in this industrial styled song that reminds me of Antichrist/Mechanical Animals days. Manson stated that the track is a reference to the Book of Revelations and The Beatles track Revolution No 9 4.5/5
2. Tattooed In Reverse– It’s a grooving track on the album that has a jazzier feel to it from Manson in what seems like a rebellious tone against the religious groups that have bugged him from day one. 4.5/5
3. We Know Where You F**king Live– an idustrial rock song from beginning to end, it was also the first track that Bates and Manson recorded for the album. The track talks about drone warfare, corruption in gov’t, and invasion of our privacy through global surveillance. 5/5
4. SAY10– the song’s overall sound is very reminiscent of the sound found on Mechanical Animals in what I also think is the modern day retelling of the Cain and Abel story. I love that he named Say10 instead of Satan, a very cool play on the word. 5/5
5. KILL4ME-One of my favorite tracks on the album itself that is catchy as hell and if you ask me it’s a song about devotion. It’s Manson telling his lover, how far are you willing to go for me? 5/5
6. Saturnalia– The album was a tribute to his parents and I truly believe that this one was a tribute that he wrote to his father. It gets as personal as he wants to, but there are some touching moments in the track. 5/5
7. JE$U$ CRI$I$– I feel like this is a track that Manson wrote about the record industry and how it’s a dog eat dog world so you better be ready to fend off vipers and cocaine. 4/5
8. Blood Honey– is a slower track in tempo, but it speaks volumes if you ask me. Manson is basically saying that he sleeps with tons of girls even though he knows there only in it for the money. 4.5/5
9. Heaven Upside Down– an upbeat tempo drives this rock track that looks like it’s talking about someone in the middle of an apocalypse or it could be about someone suffering from a mental illness. I was having a hard time with this track. 4/5
10. Threats Of Romance– While the lyrics are not the same as The Beautiful People, it has that kind of vibe. I say that in the way that he talks about his taste in women. He knows he can have the hottest girl, but he wants the damaged ones because their better and the pretty ones belong behind glass. 5/5
My Final Thoughts– I love everything Marilyn has done, but sometimes his songwriting can get a little lazy. He writes some brilliant stuff on this album, but some tracks he get lazy and just repeat verses over and over again like my least favorite track Heaven Upside Down or JE$U$ CRI$I$. My favorite tracks on the album are KILL4ME and Saturnalia which are just highlights. I am going to give the album a 4.6 out of five for a final grade.
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