When "Anti-Christ Superstar" came out I wanted it to be more like "Portrait of an American Family " and less like Nine Inch Nails, so it's time I went back and gave it another listen to see how it's held up over the years. The opener "Irresponsible Hate Anthem" has a punk like energy to it that recalls "Portrait of an American Family" more than the songs that follow that find things moving in an industrial direction thanks to Dave Oglive and Trent Reznor who producer this album. "Beautiful People" is Manson's calling card and the most popular song that is not a cover. It is pretty catchy. "Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World" has a more industrial sense of movement as more of the rock sensibilities are shed until you get to the hook of the chorus.
"Tourniquet" is more rock n roll than I remember. The drum sound is excellent , as with head phones it sounds like they are playing in your living , as they carry a more organic feel than other tones on the album. Vocally is finds Manson actually singing . Musically things were more collaborative as "Little Horn" was written by Twiggy and Trent. It's a more driving and almost punk in it's aggression. "Cyrptochid" is more interesting . Lyrically it's one of the best songs on the albums, though the precursor to nu-metal to come with it's brand of child like angst. The weird melodic section in the middle is one of my favorite moments on the album. "Deformography" is another Twiggy and Reznor, that has more of a creepiness to it, while still grooving.
"Wormboy" has more rock-n-roll to it. Certainly one of the more David Bowie influenced songs. "Mister Superstar" is more rock than industrial though those elements lurk in the production, that finds this album has held up really well over the years and does not sound dated. Though it is funny how your ears changed with the years and when this came out I felt it was purposefully abrasive compared to "Portrait of an American Family", there is a more brooding pound to "Angel With the Scabbed Wings", but by today's standards it feels more like rock n roll. The more industrials sounds take things in a darker direction for "Kinderfeld".
The title track has a decent groove, but I would not it is the album's strongest song. The gratuitous layers of vocals creates cluttered chaos rather than hooky vocals that make the bulk of the album more compelling. "1996" is another song with a more punk drive to it, but I do not find it as compelling as what has already occurred earlier in this album. "Minute of Decay" is effective at creating the creepy mood it aspires to. Then there are moments like "the Reflecting God" which might carry an impressive stomp but pretty much feels like color by numbers Marilyn Manson, even more the time it came out.
"Man That You Fear" is lyrically more compelling than sonically, though it does gain some spidery legs to crawl on as the song builds, though it also dips into chaos. Overall this album is better than I remembered and held up pretty well, though not perfectly I will give this a 9.5.
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