MARILYN MANSON — Portrait Of An American Family (review)

MARILYN MANSON — Portrait Of An American Family album cover Album · 1994 · Alternative Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Warthur
This is going to do little for my credibility as a reviewer, but I'm going to say it anyway: Marilyn Manson's debut album is a damn catchy one, a slice of pop-industrial metal which pulls off the trick of making a fairly uncommercial flavour of music come across nice and hooky.

Sure, the whole shock rock thing might have been old hat by the time this came out, and sure, it might not be particularly serious or experimental or groundbreaking - but it is infectiously, wonderfully catchy, a fun little album which I can't help bopping my head to when the best tracks (Dope Hat, Organ Grinder, etc. come on) every time I listen to it with songs that get stuck in my head all day after I've heard them.

Manson might be at best a polarising figure, at worst a pathetic and contemptible one. Even if you can set aside the recent abuse allegations - and I don't blame anyone who finds that they can't - the fact remains that Manson is a deeply pretentious man who poses as a serious artist when in fact he's best at turning out slightly disposable schlock.

Take this as an example: this isn't a grand artistic statement, it's accessible, danceable, fun times pop-metal with a grimy industrial veneer set against some snotty lyrics. And if you approach the album with that in mind, I think you'll have a good time with it... if, that is, you are able to pull the whole "separate the art from the artist" trick. For my part, it's hard to regard Manson's music as meaningless, poppy fun these days. There's plenty of gothy industrial-pop out there which doesn't carry the same baggage.
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Pekka wrote:
more than 2 years ago
If anything I think it boosts your credibility as a reviewer to admit that something that "everyone hates" can actually be good despite the image and whatever. I myself haven't heard this album but like some Manson tracks I've heard. mOBSCENE especially.

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