Born Villain - Marilyn Manson
User Score
6.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 49
  3. Negative: 8 out of 49

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  1. Lundra
    May 2, 2012
    10
    This is easily his best album since Mechanical Animals. With hard metal rock and divine lyrics that quote shakespear and greek mythology, Manson is truly an artist once again.

    There's not a single track that I don't enjoy.
  2. rshires
    May 2, 2012
    10
    Absolutely an incredible album all the way through. I think it is his best album since Holywood. The album felt more natural than the last two outings It never seemed like he was trying too hard which on the last two albums it always felt that way. Definitely at the top of his game once more.
  3. DJCJISTHA1
    May 17, 2012
    10
    Although critics were overly savaging on the previous 2 releases (Eat Me Drink Me and High End Of Low - which I could definitely appreciate as a MM Fan) I feel this album is a lot more accessible to other than the die hard fans. Highlights include Overneath the Path of Misery, Slo-mo-tion (Pink Floyd's Learning to Fly anyone??),, the Flowers of Evil, Children of Cain, Murderers are getting Prettier and the title track along with first single No Refection bring together enough rock, contention along with the underlying Marilyn campness echoing aspects of Mechanical Animals to interest and influence both fans and newcomers alike - start from track 1 and play - welcome back! 9/10… Expand
  4. threestain
    May 4, 2012
    10
    nice and dirty feeling album that recaptures the essential MM spirit. feels nice and risqué again. makes a return to intrigue and interest away from simple motifs.
  5. robbym
    May 2, 2012
    10
    Marilyn Manson has a critical yet tastefully base appeal. This is the foundation of Mansonâ
  6. JesseKane
    May 5, 2012
    10
    Such an amazing album.. give it a listen and sometime ot get into the songs. I would say it was like the first time I heard Mechanical Animals. Way better then the past 3 albums.
  7. Henry75
    May 15, 2012
    9
    This is the best Marilyn Manson album since Antichrist Superstar. Dynamic musically, great lyrics, intense feeling. Critics that dis this album are just hollow.
  8. TheMasterOfCD
    Jun 5, 2012
    10
    This maybe because we do not expect anything after The High End of Low (2009), the fact remains that the glam-rock-metal Born Villain is really engaging. No Reflection drawn, Pistol Whipped, Slo-Mo-Tion and The Gardener, songs injected with goth-industrial dance rhythms, BV is not a homecoming, but a return to form for Manson. If it is equal to himself in his lyrics - sex, blood and violence are his favorite themes - he opts for the show to pique curiosity. Indeed, Johnny Depp collaborated on You're So Vain (Carly Simon), inserted at the end of album to make people forget that BV has several redundant bits (Children of Cain, Disengaged).… Expand
  9. LGM
    Jul 9, 2012
    10
    Marilyn Manson's Born Villain just may be my favorite album to come out since Tool's 10,000 Days came out in 2006. I didn't just get the album, listen to it once or twice and come on here to write this, I've been 'living' with it for a little while now, opening myself up to it and listening to it as a singular experience, not as a comparison to the iconic Antichrist Superstar or the so-far-ahead-of-it's-time-it's-scary Mechanical Animals. Manson has evolved with every album, from the pounding, grooving metal of Portrait... all the way through to Born Villain's stripped down, experimental, perfectly balanced hard rock/metal fusion.

    That's the beauty of Marilyn Manson; each album is unique, each has it's own sound. They're always innovating, experimenting, and evolving, something that a lot of other bands either can't or won't do. Nickelback is a good example of this, they've been re-recording the same album over and over again since 2001, and there are many, many more bands out there that have been doing it for years. Decades, in some cases.

    Born Villain should be at the top of the charts right now, but sadly the biggest music market currently is kids music like Bieber and rap/hip hop, as most kids' parents won't let them pirate so they actually buy albums, whereas the generation that was previously buying Manson albums now checks out a couple songs from it on youtube or spotify, or pirates it and listens to parts of a few songs while doing useless things on Facebook or obsessively texting their friends, then they decide that it doesn't sound like ACS or Holywood and they don't buy it. They're not taking the time to get to know the album, because if they did they'd be in love with it and Marilyn Manson would be back on top of the charts. I applaud Mr. Manson, Twiggy and the rest of the band for having the balls to continue evolving when the easy thing to do would be to just re-hash the past. If you're a Marilyn Manson fan, buy Born Villain, and let it in.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
59 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. musicOMH.com
    May 25, 2012
    70
    Like fine steak, Born Villain is at its best raw and bloody.
    Read full review
  2. Consequence of Sound
    May 23, 2012
    50
    Subject matter such as the aforementioned romanticism is refreshing, and maybe that will be pushed to the foreground in future records, but it only appears in spurts on Born Villain.
    Read full review
  3. Kerrang!
    May 21, 2012
    60
    Perhaps it's too monochrome, too arty. [28 Apr 2012, p.52]
See all critic reviews »