Album a Day: Marilyn Manson - Eat Me, Drink Me

I remember when this album came out there were a lot of mixed feelings both in reviews and friends of mine that were fans of Marilyn Manson with the feelings generally either falling on the side that this was a really great album or that this had strayed too far from the original Manson sound (often being labeled by those of that opinion as "not hard enough"). I would say I definitely fall in the former. I think this 6th album is the most mature work we've seen. Of course I might be biased here as I've always been a big fan of Tim Skold's work. For those that don't know Tim Skold beyond his work with Manson, Skold has also been a major player in the industrial scene with his own 1996 solo album (and 2nd solo album rumored to be coming out sometime this year with three tracks already released on itunes) and his collaborations with Sascha Konietzko as a member of KMFDM, MDFMK and KMFDM vs. SKOLD. Skold has collaborated for years on great projects and Eat Me, Drink Me is really the pure collaboration of Manson and Skold and its so obvious all over the album. The guitar solos on many tracks can tend to get a little masturbatory are so well done and rare in a Manson album that you certainly have to appreciate it. The songs are all very well put together with a lot of love and vivid imagery. Its also easy to see how Manson's relationship with Evan Rachel Wood affected the album with her both being the inspiration for Heart-Shaped Glasses and appearing in the music video (a really solid video you should check out). At times the album really reads to me in a similar tone to Rob Zombie making The Devil's Rejects, which is to say that you can fully see Manson in the music but at the same there are other influences at work often reminiscent of that late 60's/early 70's rock feel circa Easy Rider with elements of stripped-down indie rock style guitars and even jazzy moments. Now this isn't to say there aren't some songs that are just downright classic Marilyn Manson. Putting Holes In Happiness has a lot of that great more somber/slightly reflective sound, Evidence is about as industrial-Manson as it gets and all of the lyrical content is straight Marilyn Manson. The collaboration between Manson and Skold is now done and hopefully we will see the two work on something together in the future, but if nothing else there is this great album to appreciate. Favorite Tracks: If I Was Your Vampire, Putting Holes In Happiness, Just A Car Crash Away, Heart-Shaped Glasses (When The Heart Guides The Hand), Mutilation Is The Most Sincere Form of Flattery, and Eat Me, Drink Me