Eat Me, Drink Me

Anyone wanting another 'Anti-Christ Superstar' 'Mechanical Animals' or 'Holywood' type album from the irrpressable Mr Manson should forget it. This is an entirely different animal, but retains everything to make this a great, although not quite classic, album. One very important word of warning, though. Don't judge it on one listening! Hearing it all the way through in the car I felt it was 'good' but not 'superb.' Listening again at home I began to hear far more of what it was that made it so much better.

If I had to describe the style to someone who had never heard it, it would be best summed up as a cross between Bowie, Bolan, Bauhaus and Killing Joke, with more of an early 70's-metal feel. There is far more melody than his earlier albums, and Manson has a greater vocal range than previous songs may have given him credit for. This is accompanied for the most part by a relentless and sustained beat, especially on tracks such as 'Evidence' and 'You and Me...' similar to the way 'The Beautiful People' bases itself around the original drumbeat.' At the same time, this is matched superbly by the rythm of Manson's voice, fitting around the beat like a glove, or rather a knuckleduster.

Manson as usual plays with words and phrases in the same way Marc Bolan could draw more out of a lyric than at first appeared. There are various references to Alice in Wonderland, and 'Mutilation' carries the interesting 'Rebels without applause' twist. However, whilst the lyrics are poetic, the songs are busrting with negative emotion - anger, sadness, hate & vitriol. Like Gary Numan's 'Pure,' where you left the album feeling some of the pain for the loss he had recently gone through, you have the same sort of understanding for Marilyn Manson's feelings by the end of 'Eat Me, Drink Me.' Even if you did not know it before, it is so clear that he has just had a very bad experience in love, and the mixture of emotions comes though both in the lyrics and in the music.

Initially Tim Skold's giutar solos were abit like Stilton - wonderful stuff but a little too much to have time and time again. On the second play, though, I felt the solos added more to the songs than I gave them credit for at first glance. The solo's are varied and give focus to the intensity of the songs without being an 'ego-trip' for the guitarist which has often been the downfall of many a good album.

The only real criticism I have is nothing to do with the completed album as such, just the 'bonus remixes' at the end. Why? What's the point? If I love the 'heavier' style of Marilyn Manson, than turning a damn good song into a dance track does nothing for me... If I want a dance track, Marilyn Manson isn't going to be anywhere near the top of the average playlst!

Ultimately, whilst this hasn't the 'Classic' qualities of 'Antichrist' or 'Holywood,' this is an album well worth listening to. Forget what you know (or think you do) about Manson and listen to this with an open mind... Then listen again. This is one that will grow on you and has far more to offer than most 'music press reviewers' are currently giving it credit for.

I agree with the guy or girl below me, it isn't all bad and I'm going to see him on the 5th of December and I wanted to get familiar with his new stuff first. There is a link to get tickets above but any way although it isn't a great change to his style and was more an album for him it was still great. I love some of the songs like Heart Shaped Glasses and If I was your vampire and Eat Me Drink Me is ok. Another good thing about this album is it's uniqueness. Like all of the albums it is a new style like after Smells like children he changed from his spooky kids style and went into metal. Then Mechanical Animals was much nicer and softer so everyone liked it, afterthat he moved onto sort of normal and hard rock in Hollywood and in Golden Age of Grotesque he started to really use electrical effects on guitar and the microphone and finally he's changed again so don't put him down for it. I still recommend this to any true MM fan.

This is one of my least favourite Marilyn Manson Albums, having heard all of them from Protrait of An American Family right through to this one I can't help but compare it to the rest of them. There are some decent songs on this album, heart shaped glasses and if I was your vampire are both very fine songs. But are merely ok and don't fit. All the other albums of his I've listened to seem to have a structure to them but these all seem to be put in just to fill space. Not a comment I'd ever think I'd say about a Marilyn Manson album but it had to be said. On its own merits and if you've only heard Marilyn's songs from this album then it's a fairly good album. But if you've heard the rest be warned, it's just not as good as the others.