Marilyn Manson turned 46 years old earlier this month. Yes, the shock rocker whose music sparked everything from Joe Lieberman political crusades to unreasonable blame for the Columbine High School Massacre during his mid- to late-’90s heyday—that guy. Forty-six. Surprised? You must not have been listening to his recent output.
Over his last few albums, Manson’s music has simply sounded a bit tired. It’s felt tame. Its infamous bite has dulled, both sonically and lyrically. At times, it’s even begun to sound like it was made by someone old enough to have been raising a pitchfork against him back in the day. But that all changes with his newest effort, The Pale Emperor—a fantastic listen that rates as his best work since at least The Golden Age of Grotesque, and possibly even longer.
