Customer Rating:  
Summary: terrible stuff
Comment: Marilyn Manson didn't have any classic albums, and this one is certainly not any good either. His voice isn't that good, his ability to create a vocal melody is unspectacular, and the entire album sounds like a bunch of nonsense noise to me. Oh sure, some of his lyrics are alright, but everything else on the album fails to impress me. I recommend you check out the more talented, creative, and interesting Alice Cooper (specifically the early version of his band) instead. He's someone who knows how to shock AND please the listener at the same time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Product of a Plastic World
Comment: Mechanical Animals wasn't my first Manson albums and aside from the radio/MTV tracks & videos, I really didn't get too much out of it when it first came out. It was okay, had some catchy tunes and I didn't dislike it, but it never quite felt the way I thought a Marilyn Manson album should. I've noticed a great many people I've known who otherwise dislike Manson enjoyed this album. Probably because the high concentration of pop-oriented tunes fit closer to what they're used to hearing. That's great, but if they were paying attention to what the lyrics are actually SAYING they might not feel the same way. It's pretty much a rocket-propelled glam grenade aimed straight at the music industry and all those who play in its shadows.
Of course, I have to admit that I myself had not paid very close attention to the lyrics until recently. Once a friend opened my eyes to the depth the tracks actually offer aside from their catchy hooks and choruses, I began to appreciate this album more. Songs like 'Speed of Pain' and 'User Friendly' show the same trademark Manson social commentary and introspection that's prevalent in all his other albums. What's different here is the experimental core. David Bowie had Ziggy Stardust and Marilyn Manson has two characters to offer: Alpha (a version of himself) and Omega (pronounced like Oh-ME-Gah), an android-like alien. Despite what you may have heard Manson did not receive a boob job for this cover, nor has he personally ordered any school shootings. Whew, right?
Anyways, there's plenty of creativity here for both your eyes (the album cover) and your ears. If you play it in rotation with Antichrist Superstar you can get a great deal more out of it story-wise. Yes, there is a story told in these songs. It's part fiction and part auto-biography. Just like Marilyn Manson created itself for. :)
Customer Rating:
Summary: MM's epic masterpiece.
Comment: I didn't like Anti but this one rules.
Great, memorable songs.
Weird, different.
Not one bad song on the album.
A must buy for those not just into metal, but for everyone who likes things a little out there.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wow Marilyn, that's pretty good
Comment: My last experience trying to get into Marilyn Manson was Lest We Forget, his greatest hits collection, which did absolutely nothing for me. Before, the guitars had no edge to them but instead sounded like someone just turned up the gain too high on their guitar and wanted to piss people off, on this album though the guitar sounds great and I see the talent.
There are great melodies here, and the album is primarily driven by a combination of riffs and beats that far exceed any Garbage record, and the Bowie influence is clear here. I was completely surprised to hear "The Speed of Pain" start with an acoustic guitar, shattering any preconceptions I had of Manson before. I was told this is the best place to start and now I completely agree, rather than just trying to offend people there is actual substance here, which is always a plus. There's no denying there is great music here, at times I forget completely that I'm listening to Marily Manson, whatever that image is anyway.
While some tracks are obviously not as good others, particularly the overlong industrial "The Last Day On Earth", anthemic choruses througout rock hard. This album comes recommended from a new convert, and if you listen to it I'm almost sure you'll be converted too.
Customer Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars...Manson shows more creativity with Mechnical Animals
Comment: Marilyn Manson seems to get a big thumbs down from Metal fans, most saying its "Hot Topic Rock" or pop Nu metal, or its for teens that want to prove they are hardcore, and other ridiculous statements that I have heard. Sure its true that there are a ton of Nu Metal and pop Metal bands that I cannot stomach, and each sounds the same as the other, but I have to give Mariyln Manson credit where credit is due, Their (or his if you will) music is quite unique and I would classify it under a more industrial side of metal. Goth rock, Punk Rock, and NU Metal it aint. So I guess you can see what direction I am headed for this review as I about to give "Mechnical Animals" alot of praise. Manson's first two efforts "Portrait of an Amercian Family" and "Smells like Children" weren't very good albums. You could see the band had some creativity, but most of the tracks seemed flat and just so to say "Noisy" "AntiChrist Superstar" was good, a bit harder cleaner, but still "Mechnical Animals" is where Manson seemed to break through with more intelligent song wrting, and his band made a huge break-thru by actually showing that they had some talent behind all the noise. There are some that will probely argue that the first two albums were the best, since Manson wasnt well known, and I am sure the early fans will say he sold out, so to speak once "Anti-Christ Superstar" and "Mechnical Animals" started getting heavy rotation. For those that have been avoiding this album because they are already negitively influenced by past reviews or what Manson represents, I ask you to really try on this record. Even though Manson is no Trent from NIN, he still proves on this break-thru album that he can make his mark in industrial metal. This is a outstanding album, with very little filler. Please, once again, look past what the fanbase consist of(some of which only do it just to be different, or a phase, so to speak) and sit down and listen to this. It is just a great Metal album, and it just falls short of 5stars because of two not so good filler tracks, but thats not to bad out of fourteen songs. Try this if you are a fan of Metal, no matter what type, look past all the nonsense, you might just like it.
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