Album Review: Marilyn Manson - Heaven Upside Down

It's hard to believe that this is Mazza's tenth album, and that his debut came out almost a quarter of a century ago.

Heaven Upside Down finds him in a belligerent mood. The current political climate in the US is no doubt fuelling the fire of his angst and his creativity. He has previously made it blatantly clear that he is no fan of America's current leader and his ideologies.

The album is a journey across weird, wild and wonderful industrial rock soundscapes; soundscapes that are sometimes grinding and dirty, sometimes eerie and unnerving, and always compelling. There is a fascinating juxtaposition of, and contrast between, the inhuman electronic grooves and percussion and the jarring rawness of the guitars and Manson's insane vocal gyrations, arguably best summed up by the lyrics of Je$u$ Cri$i$, "I write songs to fight and to fuck to." It is also another confronting journey into the man's warped mind and disturbed psyche.

Best track award goes to the eight-minute mid-album epic Saturnalia, with its funky bass line and its strong tendency to bring the aforementioned traits of eeriness, dirt and rawness into their sharpest focus.

Heaven Upside Down is a very worthy addition to the illustrious Manson catalogue, and should please his legions of fans no end.