Marilyn Manson
WE ARE CHAOS
Release Date: Sep 11, 2020
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal
Record label: Loma Vista
Music Critic Score
How the Music Critic Score works
Buy WE ARE CHAOS from Amazon
Album Review: WE ARE CHAOS by Marilyn Manson
Exceptionally Good, Based on 5 Critics
Based on rating 4.7/5
Are you.
Based on rating 4.5
To be young and angry in the late ’90s and early ’00s was an absolute pleasure. With the advent of rock- and metal-oriented TV channels (Kerrang! foremost amongst them), alternative music of all kinds became more accessible than it had ever been. Classic videos from Foo Fighters, Limp Bizkit, Queens Of The Stone Age, Sum 41, Blink 182, Slipknot, and hundreds more were all played in a rolling, 24-hour-news aping cycle of endless repetition.
Based on rating 8/10
Extending a late-era artistic renaissance with his 11th album We Are Chaos, Marilyn Manson goes three-for-three with his Loma Vista output, delivering yet another taut set of catchy earworms that retains enough of his peak-era trademarks while continuing his unexpected late-stage evolution. This time around, the elder goth statesman parts ways with creative partner Tyler Bates -- the man who assisted Manson's late-2010s comeback efforts The Pale Emperor and Heaven Upside Down -- and connects with outlaw country musician Shooter Jennings. For those expecting this to be a boots-and-beer makeover, rest assured that Jennings doesn't change the formula too much, sprinkling just the right amount of Nashville dust into the mix to color Manson's usual corrosive, ghoulish sound.
Based on rating 7
"We are sick, f*cked up and complicated", snarls Marilyn Manson over the title track of his 11th studio album, his first since 2017's 'Heaven Upside Down'. The fans hoping to hear nostalgic echoes of the Antichrist Superstar's career defining moments may walk away empty handed but not entirely disappointed. Although the 10-song release subtly draws comparisons with 1998's 'Mechanical Animals', what we have here is an older Manson, far removed from the controversies and shock value that have simultaneously plagued and propelled him during his illustrious career.
Opinion: Fantastic
The Lowdown: While Marilyn Manson has developed a signature sound over the past 30 years, it never manages to get stale. One reason for this is the revolving door of musicians and producers with whom he has worked throughout his career. Manson is back with his 11th album, WE ARE CHAOS, and he recruited Shooter Jennings — son of legendary country artists Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter — as his new musical compatriot.
'WE ARE CHAOS'
is available now