Marilyn Manson - WE ARE CHAOS ALBUM REVIEW

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Whenever I think of rock music, I’ve been trained by my friends and family to think about the 70s and 80s. I grew up with so much of that music that I’ve never really paid attention to the emo-rock phase that was the 2000s until very recently. That included Marilyn Manson. While he may not be the greatest person on the planet, his music defined a generation and that can’t be unsung. While his more recent projects like Heaven Upside Down haven’t hit the same heights as Holy Wood, Manson has always been one of the more consistent artists that’s been going on for so long. Now, in 2020, he’s back with WE ARE CHAOS, a record that’s almost like a return to form for him. Even after his (alleged) appearance on Poppy’s amazing album I Disagree from this past January, it was pretty cool to hear from him again. Let’s get right into it and see how it is.

WE ARE CHAOS is an alternative rock album with glam rock vibes. I can say immediately that this is a great entry point to not just Manson’s music, but the dark emo-alternative music scene in general. In terms of Manson’s own discography, though, this is definitely a brighter spot. It evokes something like Alice Cooper or even Sleeping with Sirens at times. The first half of this record is pretty fun to listen to, especially with that disturbing spoken word opening of “RED BLACK AND BLUE.” It’s pretty much typical Manson, but as the album goes on, it does kind of dip in quality. “PERFUME” gets the honor of being the worst track on the album. While it does prove that he can still rock pretty hard, it just feels very out of tune and belongs on his older records rather than this. When it comes to production, though, this is honestly eargasmic. I really REALLY dig the instrumentals here, and might be the best-sounding album this year. Who knows, I say this a lot. We’ll know by the end of year lists that I’m gonna put out if this sticks the landing.

Well, that was WE ARE CHAOS. It’s pretty much more Marilyn Manson music, but after his pretty ‘meh’ last few records, this is a pretty nice change of pace. This is proof that Manson and this type of music isn’t just a fad, and cements that Manson is one of the all-time greats in the alt-rock genre. WE ARE CHAOS exists because Manson just isn’t a character compared to someone like Rob Zombie. Manson is putting a lot of time and creative effort into his releases well over two decades into his musical career, and I’m honestly just impressed. While this isn’t his best album, it’s definitely his best in a while. You know how I said rock music was dead in my Green Day review? Well, Marilyn Manson just brought it back from the dead.


7/10


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