Band:	Marilyn Manson
Album:	The Pale Emperor
Style:	Alternative rock, Industrial rock
Release date:	January 20, 2015
A review by:	Ilham

01. Killing Strangers
02. Deep Six
03. Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge
04. The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles
05. Warship My Wreck
06. Slave Only Dreams To Be King
07. The Devil Beneath My Feet
08. Birds Of Hell Awaiting
09. Cupid Carries A Gun
10. Odds Of Even
11. Day 3 [deluxe edition bonus]
12. Fated, Faithful, Fatal [deluxe edition bonus]
13. Fall Of The House Of Death [deluxe edition bonus]

Everyone grows old. Or "older", if that word scares you less. Some better than others.

Most of us who grew up with anthems like "The Beautiful People" and "The Nobodies" are now too busy trying to keep a job and maybe even raising a child of their own. Marilyn Manson was left far behind, alongside the painful memories of your embarrassing first time with a girl. Those of you who got wiser with age should get ready to rid themselves of all prejudices and grudges against the self-proclaimed Antichrist Superstar, whom they rightfully accused of being an ever-worsening parody of himself since 2003. Why? Because...

This album feels as if Brian Warner just woke up, hungover from all the excesses and sins of the past twenty years. Bitter and haunting, the first half of The Pale Emperor could be compared to that first moment of lucidity, the one that brings a destructive wave of guilt and self-disgust that prevents you from painfully lifting yourself up from the already hardening vomit-soaked sheets. Stripped down to the core of what makes his music, Warner sounds naked, frail, but still masterful of the feelings he exhibits. This album doesn't need violence to sound strong and dignified. Yet it is barely standing on his two feet that I imagine The Pale Emperor gets to the toilet bowl to finally be able to let go of all that bile. From there on out, the second half of the effort sounds a little lighter, and one could almost make out the vague silhouette of acceptance behind the sadness.

The subtle and genius industrial producing of Trent Reznor is far away, and I was pleased to see MM finally refused to forcefully emulate that sound - which had previously made his name. Contradictorily, Marilyn Manson found a way to reinvent himself as a singer as well as a band, make tabula rasa of the past, by precisely going back to his personal roots: the dominant Florida-swamp-inspired blues feel of this ninth album is the freshest and least expected influence I would have imagined him to borrow from.

Of course then, The Pale Emperor managed to surprise me, and even win my long-lost admiration back. However, I can still hear a few flaws. Some superfluous tunes could have been forgotten and the flow inside the album could have gained from a different song arrangement. But most importantly, I can't tell if it is because my life feels like a endless hangover that I find myself coming back to the bluesiest songs only, or if it's because they are just that good. As much as I like the couple of tracks that stand out with their catchier melodies, I would trade half of the opus for another "Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge". Which is already my most played song of the last month and managed to land the title of "favourite Marilyn Manson track ever".

Warner sounds more broken than ever, yet he managed to mend the remains of a career he shattered with his previous releases. Time puts its mark on every one of us, and he finally accepted to embrace it. Here, have this, it'll go nicely with the rest of that cheap bourbon: