Eat Me

So, I got a chance to, uh... "preview in its entirety" Marilyn Manson's new album Eat Me, Drink Me. Now, that might make it sound like I've got some mad hookups or something, seeing as the album doesn't come out until June 5th; let me assure you that my "maddest" hookup is simply my internet connection and this handy-dandy illegal downloading tool.

Okie dokie, about the album... MY GOD. As you listen through the album, almost every song has a sound in it that is unique to this album. It's highly guitar driven, but not in his classic power-chord-strumming rock-out kind of way. Eat Me, Drink Me is easily Manson's most musically intricate album to date. Guitar solos are not uncommon, and a plethora of as-yet-unheard influences come right out to the forefront. Several tracks have a definite bluesy feel to them, while still retaining... Manson. That's something that's fascinating about this record- it's a HUGE shift in style, yet it is still undeniably him. This record is really everything that it should be for this point in his life, and that aspect shows most prominently in Manson's lyrics (and vocal delivery- there's definite successful experimentation on that front as well). Eat Me's lyrics are his most personal to date, dealing almost solely with the events in his life from the last couple of years (you know, Dita, Evan, etc... look it up).

That aspect of Eat Me is particularly interesting to me, considering the current trend in mainstream bands- "going political". Trent Reznor produced a freaking CONCEPT ALBUM to mirror our current socio-political scenario; even Linkin Park has gone political apparently. Yet, Marilyn Manson, who's lyrics have been predominantly socio-political in nature from day one, decided NOT to go that route. I think it's freaking excellent, personally; I enjoy Manson going all introspective (I think I've read his autobiography- here ya go- about 30 times).

To conclude (gotta get to my life outside the internet), even people that DON'T enjoy Marilyn Manson should check out Eat Me, Drink Me when it comes out June 5th. Drastic stylistic changes, all for the better. Some longtime fans might feel like they're getting jipped due to the complete lack of balls-to-the-wall headbangers on this record, but true fans and new fans alike will gladly trip balls all the way through.

-C.