Like I hinted at in my revised review for Ordinary Man around the middle of the month, the musician in today’s review is one I actually haven’t looked at in more detail, despite mentioning them twice on two of my lists (Once last year, and the other obviously in 2020). Throughout much of the 1990s, shock icon Marilyn Manson scared & offended conservative individuals who were too quick to judge, and delighted his fans with his on stage antics & provocative themes. Even when he lost some relevance in the 2000s & 2010s, he still had a grip on the Zeitgeist of his fanbase. The dawn of this decade, despite the copious amount of pestilence, was no different. If anything, 2020 wouldn’t have felt even remotely right if one of the icons of Shock Rock didn’t make their presence known, and what they put out that year certainly fit the time. So, sit back, check & see if everything is all messed up, and take a look at my review for We Are Chaos. Let’s begin.
Background
2020, as we all seemingly know by now, was an incredibly awful way to start off this decade. COVID-19, or as I now simply call it The Plague, swept the entire Earth. Untold numbers of people across the world were infected, and the lucky ones were simply hurt by the virus. Because of this once-a-century plague, there was a isolating lockdown in every single country in an effort to slow the spread of the disease & slow death from it. Save for essential workers & going out for necessities, everyone was required to stay home & hunker down, and while it wasn’t perfect the plague was stymied somewhat until a vaccine was ultimately created. Though we’ve recovered quite a bit since then, there’s still some damage from that time that still lingers in plenty of people. Mainly, as I see it at least, the psychological scars from being isolated for so long. Without getting into a lot of detail, at one point I thought that my friends & extended family were hallucinations. Even when I actually saw them during that time, there was always one small part of my mind that thought that maybe they weren’t real. On top of that, COVID forced those in the entertainment industry to adapt to a time where they might not have the resources they normally use.....which is where our story with Marilyn Manson begins.
In actuality, our story begins in 2013. In that year, former Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez introduced to his ex-bandmate Shooter Jennings, the son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. The two hit it off, and later on in 2013 the producers of Sons of Anarchy asked the duo to record a song for the finale to the sixth season of the show. Their version of the track remains unreleased to this day, with both of them saying they were unhappy with the finished product. Titled "Join the Human Gang", it was written by Jennings alongside the show's creator Kurt Sutter, and was eventually rewritten and released by The White Buffalo as "Come Join the Murder". From there, Manson portrayed a character in the seventh season of the series, and recorded two albums with Tyler Bates (Who’s work includes): The Pale Emperor and Heaven Upside Down (The two records before We Are Chaos). Manson and Jennings also collaborated on a cover of David Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" for Jennings's album Countach (For Giorgio).
Fast forward to 2019, and drummer Gil Sharone (Who performed on The Pale Emperor & Heaven Upside Down) announced he was leaving the band to pursue other projects. His replacement would come in the form of Brandon Pertzborn, who was the former drummer of the legendary Punk band Black Flag. Shortly after his hiring, Manson announced that Tyler Bates was no longer involved with the group, and that the upcoming release would be co-produced by Jennings and feature contributions from his drummer Jamie Douglass. Pertzborn and the band's touring guitarist Paul Wiley were also confirmed to perform on the album, and it seemed that things were finally solid. During the recording of the new album, Manson and Jennings would record a cover version of The Doors track "The End" for use as the theme song for the miniseries The Stand. It didn’t appear in the series however, as show director Josh Boone said a license to use it proved too expensive for a series made on a limited budget.
The album that would eventually be called We Are Chaos would be released on September the 11th, 2020. Manson would go on to say that because of the album being written & recorded in quarantine, remotely, and not in his new home studio, he had to adapt to the situation and forced him to adapt to a new musical territory. As he said in an interview with Rolling Stone:
“This was recorded to it’s completion without anyone hearing it until it was finished. There is most definitely a side A and Side B in the traditional sense. But just like an LP, it is a flat circle and it’s up to the listener to put the last piece of the puzzle into the picture of songs.”
Commercially, We Are Chaos was received pretty highly on it’s release. British magazine NME praised Manson for focusing more on craft rather than spectacle with the lyrics, and AllMusic said some pretty similar things as well, elaborating:
"As the years of shock tactics and theatrics fade into memory, Manson's left with just the music, aging as gracefully as he can with another expertly crafted offering for the altar."
Other music reviewers commented more on We Are Chaos’s musical diversity. Consequence of Sound would go onto say that the production, musicianship and songwriting on the record were among the best of the band's entire discography, and that the musical variation on the record was intriguing. The Arts Desk said that as a result of the musical variation, the album was "more tuneful and affecting than anything else" the band had ever released. The collaboration between Manson and Jennings would also be praised by many publications as well, with Clash magazine in their review that the pair had "created, if not perfected, a rousing ballad of angst for the Millennials", while Exclaim! said the record continued the band's creative resurgence, describing it as a "logical and welcome next step" in their discography, and said the best tracks on the album were among the strongest of their latter discography. Their summary of the album was that although the vocalist "may not be the pop culture figure he once was, Marilyn Manson is still capable of churning out some of modern rock music's finest work."
We Are Chaos did get some mixed reviews however. Rolling Stone said the songs on the album were not memorable, Mojo magazine said the best songs on the record were the tracks where Manson "actually emotes" and summarized: "Manson's Iggyesque croak begs for the pared-to-the-essence Rick Rubin treatment; We Are Chaos isn't that record, but it's a step in that direction.", and while The Independent complimented the quality of musicianship and variety found on the album, saying that the music "spans everything from Satanism to angry Enya", their writer simultaneously lauded and criticized the lyrics for both critiquing the MeToo movement and for lyrical content they perceived as misogynistic.
Basic Description
Chaos. In all the right & wrong ways.
I’ll get into the wrong ways a little later, but for now it’s time to talk about the right ways. By being forced out of his home studio/comfort zone, Manson had to adapt when it came to recording this record, and that in turn added to the chaotic nature of this record. However, by not being in a place that’s comforting & familiar, this made Manson’s creative gears move in a way that have never moved before, and the end result is an album that’s up in the air in some surprisingly exciting ways. On top of that, the chaotic nature of We Are Chaos lends itself to music where there’s quite literarily something for everyone. Each song across it’s 42 minute run time is unique, and they’re all completely different from one another. It’s so hard to nail down what this release is despite the gimmick, that the only way you can genuinely understand it is to listen.
Best Track
As the first single of the album, the title track ultimately became the face of the record. Kinda like Rammstein’s 2022 release Zeit, it has a bit of buildup before the metallic elements appear, then it hits hard like a truck.....only for it to go back to the same cycle of buildup/metallic release (Keep your mind out of the gutter!). Annoying for a second, it actually helps create a vibe that was oddly positive & optimistic. It’s got great guitar & bass, the drumwork is tight, and the inclusion of some piano playing gives it a mildly melancholic attitude as well. Manson’s singing is especially potent here, as he somehow manages to perfectly sound like how we all felt 5 years ago. If there was a song that could have represented what 2020 was like, it’s the rightful face of this release.
We Are Chaos
As for what is considered to be the best from the “B” side of the album, Infinite Darkness has a completely different atmosphere when you compare it to the song above. It’s much more dark & bleak, which probably fit what some people were feeling half a decade. The instrumentation reflects this, as it goes from creeping dread to loud & intense. Manson’s voice matches up with the instruments as well, going between both sides with ease. It certainly is a darker song when compared to the album’s title track, but with how chaotic & jumbled this record can be, then it’s not surprising to come across a track like this.
Infinite Darkness
Worst Track
Now we come to the bad side of this album’s chaos. This release is one of the most random records I have ever listened to: odd vocals & lyrics, instrumentation that’s all over the place, recording & production that seems disjointed, you name it. If this was all done in keeping with the record’s theme, then it’s some incredible levels of genius. If it’s more due to the fact that Manson was outside of his comfort zone & didn’t know what to do, not to mention how he was feeling at the time, then I feel a little worried. Luckily, he made it through a low point in his life, and would release a monster of a record 4 years later.....but I can’t say anything else.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
We Are Chaos
Overall Impression & Rating
We Are Chaos definitely lives up to it’s name. Chaotic when it comes to the variety of music, but also chaotic when it comes to everything else. Given what 2020 was like, it was easy to consume the album back then without much trouble, but in the time since then it’s gotten oddly harder to listen to. At it’s best, We Are Chaos is a delightful whirlwind of creativity that shows how imaginative Marilyn Manson can be, but it’s an odd mishmash of various elements at worst. It’s really hard to describe what this album was upon it’s release & is still like nearly 5 years later, so pick the album up and listen to it for yourself!
We Are Chaos gets a 6 out of 10 at it’s worst, but an 8 out of 10 at it’s best.
And that was my review for We Are Chaos. Over the top, random, and chaotic, Manson’s offering in 2020 definitely reflected what that year was like, and oddly reflects what 2025 has been like so far. It’s all over the place, but there is definitely a theme if you dig deep enough. So with that, we’ve made it to my number 1 albums of 2020. I’ll begin taking a look at them soon, but beforehand I’ve got a bit of a heartwarming story to tell you all. See you soon!
***
If you would like to see more details into the background of this album, then click on the link below:
We Are Chaos (Wikipedia)
No comments:
Post a Comment