Marilyn Manson has had one heck of a career in my opinion and one that has seen it’s fair shares of ups and downs. He rose to the very top for a long time only to drop off a little bit before reclaiming his place in the world. The album that truly catapulted him into the spotlight was none other than his second studio album Antichrist Superstar which came out on October 8, 1996 via Nothing/Interscope and was produced by Manson, Trent Reznor, Sean Beavan, and Dave Olgilvie. The lineup credited with working on the album are Manson (Lead Vocals, Guitars), Daisy Berkowitz (Guitars), Twiggy Ramirez (Bass/Guitars), Madonna Wayne Gacy (Keys/Loops), Ginger Fish (Drums), and Zim Zum who does live guitar on Dead To The World. While the album was extremely controversial in it’s day, it was also hugely successful as well. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Top 200 charts in the US while peaking at number two in Canada, and number five in New Zealand while the album was certified platinum in the US (almost hitting double status). It also received a crap ton of accolades since it’s release with too many to list, but Rock Sound in France ranked it 11TH on their 150 greatest albums of our lifetime list.
1. Irresponsible Hate Anthem– The first track of the album, cycle I: The Heirophant, and the first track to kick off this rock opera concept album.I believe the track was recorded live as well. It’s in your face with a punk flare to it and features some awesome bass playing from Twiggy. It’s a track lashing back at the identity of America and the idea that we are free. 5/5
2. The Beautiful People– The lead single off the album is this drop d tuned power chord heavy track that kicks ass. On wikipedia, they describe the song’s meaning saying, “Lyrically, it is entwined with the Antichrist Superstar album’s overarching theme, a semi-narrative examination of the Nietzschean Übermensch. Within this context, “The Beautiful People” deals explicitly with the destructive manifestation of the Will to Power (“There’s no time to discriminate / hate every motherfucker that’s in your way”), while also exploring Nietzsche’s view of master-slave morality (“It’s not your fault that you’re always wrong / The weak ones are there to justify the strong”), particularly the concept’s connection with Social Darwinism and its relation to various political and economic systems such as capitalism and fascism (“Capitalism has made it this way/Old-fashioned fascism will take it away.” 5/5
3. Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World– I love this song and always thought it was underrated in this track that is all about the worm’s experiences in the world living among the “Beautriful People” of the world and all of the lies he experiences. The last minute of the track is one of my favorite segments on the whole album. 5/5
4. Tourniquet-The second single off of the album and probably one of the best Marilyn Manson songs ever written. The heavy Alice Cooper influenced track is said to be influenced by dreams that Manson had. He described them saying, “I’ve always had these dreams about making a girl out of all these pieces of prosthetic limbs, and then taking my own hair and teeth that I saved from when I was a kid and very ritualistically creating this companion.” It’s the last step before he becomes the little Horn. 5/5
5. Little Horn– The first track in Cycle II: Inauguration of the Worm and the in your face death rock track actually has a biblical reference to it. The Little Horn is the last beast of the four beasts that David dreams about that is ruled by 10 kings, but that Little Horn is the scariest one and that is the Antichrist Superstar in our story. 5/5
6. Cryptorchid-a techno like beginning with some bass playing and is the shortest track on the album (and his discography as well). The song overall is about how society likes to beat down their views into children’s heads before they can form their own opinions. 5/5
7. Deformography-a heavily keys/samples/loops driven track that is all about the worm wishing to get back at the “Beautiful People” of the world. 5/5
8. Wormboy– a crazy sounding track from Manson that mixes the guitars with the programming to give it a unique sound. I believe the song is about the worm being tempted by a being calling himself the Antichrist. He realizes that everything they said about sinning is true and he’s excited because he wants to live the sinful life but he’s not sure either. 5/5
9. Mister Superstar-A great rock track written by Twiggy that sees the worm as a rockstar now as he has evolved. I also think it’s a reflection of fame where no one knows you and wants to be around you until you become this big star. 5/5
10. Angel with the Scabbed Wings– a great track that sees the worm finally evolve into the the angel with the scabbed wings where he has people that worship and people that fear him. Definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album. 5/5
11. Kinderfeld– I have always loved the beginning and overall sound of this track which always sounded like a laser going off along with that ominous bass riff. I think the track is about the worm asking the Distengrator what it’s like to be that figure. 5/5
12. Antichrist Superstar– The first track of Cycle III: Disintegrator Rising and Manson says the song is about “I’m satirising the fascism of politics, of religion, and most importantly the fascism of rock’n’roll. Whether people are realising that, or simply buzzing off the spectacle, isn’t my concern. I’m thoroughly entertained by it as a massive piece of performance art because it has so many dimensions, because we’re the polar opposite of Nazism, would be the first to be destroyed by it, and we’re using that imagery against itself … Words and symbolism are only as powerful as you make them. Just looking at fascist imagery doesn’t make it hateful … All there is, is making people think for themselves. That’s it. No answers. You make your choice. Fascism is precisely what I’m out to destroy but if people see our show and see fascism, it’s in them already. It’s a self discovery and that’s what we’re here for, to make people think, enable self-discovery. I ain’t here to condemn or condone. I’m here to go against the grain. I’ve transformed my world so that I am my own work of fiction, with no boundaries to what I can do, no limits. I’m saying anyone can do that. Anyone.” 5/5
13. 1996– a industrial punk like pace on this song that is about being anti everything even anti you, etc. 5/5
14. Minute of Decay– a bass driven track that features some interesting sounds that the band created for the track. It almost seems like the track is sort of an off day for our main character who seems to be depressed about his new role. 5/5
15. The Reflecting God– This is an incredible song to hear live with it’s amazing chorus, but it’s another bass driven track that features some acoustic guitars in it by Danny Lohner as well as a wall of noise. It’s all about making up your own mind about life. 5/5
16. Man That You Fear– One of the eeriest songs ever written by Manson and the last track on the album. Things are different for the worm as he has become the man that everyone fears and there is no much he can do. 5/5
My Final Thoughts– This was one of the best albums that Manson ever wrote besides Mechanical Animals and one of the best alternative albums of the 90’s. The album was a perfect storm for him as it rose him to ranks that life was imitating art in a way as people feared him more. I gave the album five stars out of five for a final grade.
2019 looked like a very gloomy year for the prince of darkness Ozzy Osbourne, but the last couple of weeks and months have been quite eventful for him. From his collaboration with Post Malone to the announcement of a solo album and brand new single in nearly ten years. I think it’s safe to say that Ozzy has finished 2019 on a strong note and just to let you know he also appears on stage for the first time I believe in a year when he joins Post Malone on stage at The American Music Awards this Sunday night. Today was another huge day for music releases as we get a couple of interesting covers from Marilyn Manson and Evanescence, but we also get a brand new track from Ozzy in Straight To Hell which will appear on his upcoming solo release Ordinary Man due out sometime early 2020. The special thing about the track is not only does it feature Duff McKagan of Guns N Roses, but Slash makes an appearance on the track as well and I believe this is only the 3rd time they have worked together. The track is definitely different than the previous single Under The Graveyard in where it is a more straightforward rock track sounding closer to bands like Clutch and High On Fire (musically that is). Check out the new single Straight To Hell and be on the lookout for the new album.
The first time I ever heard the track God’s Gonna Cut You Down, the traditional folk song was by the man in black Johnny Cash who recorded the track for his album American V: A Hundred Highways. It was a different take then the usual versions that were recorded because his was a stripped down version as opposed to the gospel versions that came before it. Apparently during his Heaven Upside Down Tour, Marilyn Manson was performing the Johnny Cash version of the song live, but in fact he recorded a version of the track for the soundtrack to the 2017 film 24 Hours To Live. He talks about the song telling Loudwire, “I enjoyed doing it. I did it in one take and everyone thinks that Johnny Cash wrote it and I looked up the people that covered it and it was great because it’s Elvis, Tom Jones… It’s originally just some soul singer back in I don’t even know what era. The chords that Tyler [Bates] played, it was slightly similar to the version that we’re most familiar with, the one that Tom Jones and Johnny Cash did, most notably.” Check out the track below because Manson does an amazing job morphing his style into the track:
It is that time of the year where we begin celebrating all the best of the previous year and as usual, we here at Moshpits and Movies are once again handling the music and movie side of the awards. We are unfortunately not working together with 365 Movies Challenge blog any longer, but we have reacquired Mr. X’s Punch Out who will handle the wrestling side of things. For right now though, we are looking at the music side of the awards which is now in it’s eighth year and we are pretty excited. Besides the usual awards for Album of the Year, Metal Album of the Year, etc., we have added a couple of new categories to the awards which are Cover of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Every year, there are plenty of bands that record covers of famous songs they love from bands and we want to celebrate by voting for the best one. Much like cover of the year, there are always new bands that pop onto our radar and we want to celebrate them as well. We tried our best to not include supergroups, but rather if it’s their current and only focus then they are allowed. So, now we just want to hear from YOU guys and see who you pick to win each award. You have until March 13TH to decide so choose wisely and just have some fun.
It is that time of the year where we begin celebrating all the best of the previous year and as usual, we here at Moshpits and Movies are once again handling the music and movie side of the awards. We are unfortunately not working together with 365 Movies Challenge blog any longer, but we have reacquired Mr. X’s Punch Out who will handle the wrestling side of things. For right now though, we are looking at the music side of the awards which is now in it’s eighth year and we are pretty excited. Besides the usual awards for Album of the Year, Metal Album of the Year, etc., we have added a couple of new categories to the awards which are Cover of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Every year, there are plenty of bands that record covers of famous songs they love from bands and we want to celebrate by voting for the best one. Much like cover of the year, there are always new bands that pop onto our radar and we want to celebrate them as well. We tried our best to not include supergroups, but rather if it’s their current and only focus then they are allowed. For right now, check out the awards below and be on the look out as always for the next post that will allow YOU the fans to vote for what you loved from 2018.
Rob Zombie has inspired me to watch a lot of different films for Eddie’s 31 Days Of Halloween over the years whether it’s his films or films that he uses in his music and live shows. This year, he went on tour with Marilyn Manson on what he called The Twins Of Evil 2 tour and it was after the fact that I learned that Twins Of Evil was a hammer film that was released in 1971 So I decided to watch the film for today. The film stars Peter Cushing (Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed) as Gustav Weil, a man who believes he is doing the work of God by finding and burning witches to death even though a greater evil exists in his village. Gustav is forced to take in twin sisters after the death of their parents, but while one is good the other will test the waters of evil. The film also stars Dennis Price (Call Me Genius) as Dietrich, Mary and Madeleine Collinson (Some Like It Sexy) as Maria and Freida Gellhorn, Isobel Black (Ace Of Wands) as Ingrid, Kathleen Byron (Black Narcissus) as Katy Well, Damien Thomas (Grave Tales) as Count Karnstein, David Warbeck (Notorious Woman) as Anton, Judy Matheson (Lust For A Vampire) as Woodsman’s Daughter, and the film was directed by John Hough (American Gothic).
The film can be a little frustrating at times, but it’s not for the reason you may think that I am referring to. The character of Gustav Weil is a frustrating one and maybe that was the point the writers were making. You have to think of the time frame that the film is based in and the amount of paranoia the church had when it came to Satanism and witchcraft so any woman that was not married was probably suspected of being a witch. So when you watch the film for yourself, you will understand why I find his character frustrating like most of the characters in the film did as well. I definitely thought that the film was an interesting take on the vampire genre that was different than most of the stuff we were used to from Hammer Films. This film explores it as a way of Satanism and the occult and while we are thinking we are dealing with a film about witches, it’s really about Vampires. I was definitely buying what they were selling and to be honest I had no idea going into this one that I had already reviewed a John Hough film. I loved the exterior shots and the shots inside the castle because the set was amazing. Obviously, they didn’t have the technology then to show you someone burning to death so you have to just work with it cause it was 1971. The acting is amazing all around especially from Cushing, Damien Thomas, and David Warbeck as these three helped carry the film. Mary and Madeleine Collinson were definitely nice to look at, but they held their own as well. Check this one out if you’re looking for something different. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.
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
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
I have hosted this award post for seven years now and I never fails to bring enjoyment to me for a couple of reasons. One of the reasons being that each album that wins gets a review for the album of the week so that will be exciting for the next month. The second reason is that we get to celebrate and vote for what we believe was the best rock album of the previous calendar year and we voted for the best of 2017 and I have the results for you guys. Marilyn Manson seems to always be a big winner as he won album of the year for The Pale Emperor, but this year he takes home the award for Best Rock Album for Heaven Upside Down as well as Rock Single and Rock Video Of The Year as well. There is going to be a lot of arguments over the winner of the album of the year, but Link Park really did put out a solid effort with One More Light. Code Orange came out of nowhere and defeated some giants of metal to take home the Metal Album Of The Year award while Morbid Angel claims their first win in the Extreme Metal Album Of The Year with Kingdoms Disdained. Here are some of the other winners: Rock Single Of The Year: KILL4ME by Marilyn Manson, Rock Video Of The Year: We Know Where You F*cking Live by Marilyn Manson, Metal Single Of The Year: No Lives Matter by Body Count, Metal Video Of The Year: Nuclear Alchemy by Watain. Check out the rest of the winners below:
So, it has taken us a little while to get this out and we apologize for the wait. Some things have changed and we have decided that we are not going to run the Pedal To The Metal Tournament this year for lack of participation and scheduling conflicts. That is also why we have extended the voting process for this because we have been so far behind that we are starting to catch up now. You now have until April 1st to cast your vote for your favorite wrestlers, albums, and movies. We have a lot of great categories and some categories have already seen the voting process begin on Twitter. Nevertheless, we hope that you guys take the time to vote and to enjoy it because it is up to you to decide who wins and you can vote once an hour on every category. So, have some fun and spread the word.
I want to take the time to apologize to everyone for the wait, but we have been hard at work at some things for you guys which includes our March Madness style tournament. It’s hard to believe that we have been doing this awards thing known as The Monster Entertainment Awards for seven years now as 2018 marks the seventh annual presentation. A couple of things have changed however and you’ll notice that below, but each category will be handled by a different blog as we are working with the 365 Movies in 