WE ARE CHAOS - Marilyn Manson: Review
is a long running American industrial rock and metal project fronted by the controversial but charming figure after which the band is named. After a series of critically acclaimed releases in the 90's and early 2000's the band developed a cult following, but has failed to receive the same amount of attention or praise since.
Review By Lavender:
I've always been a pretty big fan of Manson's releases in the 90's, particularly 1998's Mechanical Animals. After some uninspired releases expanding into awkward sounds in the lat 2000's and early 2010's I wasn't too excited for whatever the band was coming out with next, but their last two albums have been pretty big improvements. Even though they aren't as great as some manson classics those last two records are the reason I was optimistic for We Are Chaos despite some weak singles. As it turns out Chaos sees the band sounding more uninspired than they have in quite a long time.
The title track We Are Chaos was the first taste we got of the record and it was weird right out of the gate with a glittery 2000's indie instrumental that doesn't fit with Manson's style or vocals at all. None of the chaotic or aggressive themes at the core of the song translate over an instrumental that could have come off Neon Bible. Pretty much all of these complaints can also be applied to two of the record deep cuts Solve Coagula and Perfume as well. The second single Don't Chase The Dead is sonically a more fitting track but it still sounds really tame. The bridge is pretty driving but even the hook seems to fall short of the songs energy.
That second single really encapsulates a lot of what makes this record an underwhelming listen, with mediocre songwriting that just isn't impactful and instrumentals more comfortable than industrial. Half-Way & One Step Forward is a track that just repeats the same refrains over and over again even though they really aren't that interesting. On the other hand Infinite Darkness is one of the most confrontational songs here and while I like the sound of the track the songwriting could really use some help. The hook seems to emerge pretty abruptly and is one of the weakest on the whole record. Some of the guitar work is fiery but the rest of the song doesn't back it up.
The closing track Broken Needle is yet another drama soaked closing track to a Marilyn Manson record. This track brings some instrumental depth that not many other songs here can match but it also suffers from underwhelming songwriting that makes even the tracks grandest moments much less impactful. Keep My Head TOgether is a little bit better than the records average with a blend of metal textures and conventional rock riffs that I enjoy. Once again nothing is as hard-hitting here as it is larger than life but I at least appreciate the song for what it brings. Red Black And Blue is the opening song and it kicks the whole record off with a provocative spoken word passage. I think the song is a decent opener that makes a pretty clear point and features a chugging guitar riff that just erupts out of nowhere. Even if the bridge isn't great and it's a bit long at 5 minutes I enjoy more of it than I don't.
My favorite song on the record is definitely Paint You With My Love mainly because it has one of the best and most theatrical vocal performances on the entire record. The instrumental has a real sense of progression as the track goes all in on it's explosive final minute.
I'm not sure what went wrong with We Are Chaos but it doesn't carry on the trend of improving Manson albums that was set in place with the previous two releases. While there isn't much here I can point out as offensively bad the record is just flat out boring and uninspired. From one of rocks most recognizable and provocative voices I am shocked by just how little I actually have to say about the music here. 4.5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
This could've been a cool cover but sees over done and unoriginal. I'm not mad at anything in the cover it's well composed and fits the space, the text is placed smartly it just isn't exciting. 4/10
For more rock check out my review of Neck Deep's All Distortions Are Intentional here
