A Tribute To Marilyn Manson
Various Artists
Cherry Red Records
Tony Engelhart
The self-proclaimed Anti-Christ Superstar, Marilyn Manson has been steadily pissing off the Christian Coalition, Parents and the Conservative Constituency from his very first recording. While many critics have dismissed Manson as an Alice Cooper clone, he is just the latest shock rocker building a loyal fan base on the sex, drugs, and Satanism platform which has been around since the 1970’s. While his live shows are as theatrical as Cooper or Kiss, his music has increasingly gone in a more industrial direction as he follows bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and Skinny Puppy. However, after only five studio albums since 1994, does the controversial artist deserve another tribute record? The answer is, “why not?”.
Like the first tribute album, 2000’s VA –Anthems Of Rust And Decay, the artists on this recording are relatively unknown outside the industrial circle. However, once again it works, as it wouldn’t have made sense to have groups who influenced Manson partake in this project. And, although the majority of tracks are almost carbon copies of the originals, there are some stand out and worth while interpretations. New York’s Mindless Faith take ‘I Don’t Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)’ and rework it into an 80’s synth-pop mold giving the song a New Order-like ambience. Two tracks feature a female lead vocalist. Maya Hyena tackles ‘Great Big White World’ and Pure Drama modify ‘Mechanical Animals’ creating a softer, sensual and inviting atmosphere. Aleistra Einstein utilize the whispering vocal technique of Skinny Puppy and give rise to ‘Beautiful People’ and craft a version that is even more haunting than the original.
Obviously, this disc was recorded for two reasons; to give the artist who participated some exposure and for the serious Marilyn Manson collector. While it will more than likely fail outside the Manson fan-base, it would make a nice addition to Marilyn Manson enthusiasts or at least tide them over until the release of The Golden Age Of Grotesque.