The High End Of Low - Marilyn Manson
The High End Of Low Image
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 69 Ratings

  • Summary: Twiggy Ramirez returns to the band on its seventh studio album, produced with Sean Beavan and Chris Vrenna.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. 80
    While it's still easy to dismiss his shock tactics as puerile and insensitive (if you're gonna sing about someone "pretty as a swastika," they'd better be really ugly), he hasn't sounded this vital--and tuneful--since "Mechanical Animals."
  2. Manson the man at least seems re-energised here....The same cannot always be said for his band; their limp glam metal consistently threatens to undermine the performance. [Jul 2009, p.127]
  3. This album marks the return of former bassist Twiggy Ramirez to the band, but as ever the Manson personality/persona towers over everything else, and his two or three musical ideas are repeated throughout the disc, with only a few exceptions.
  4. The Marilyn Manson blueprint holds fast, and all the familiar elements are here. The difference is that even Manson sounds unconvinced by his "antichrist superstar" persona; maybe because his target demographic have grown up and moved on.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 34
  2. Negative: 5 out of 34
  1. KatrinaS.
    10
    This album incorporates all of Manson's complex and diverse talents. In my opinion, this is the best album Manson has released in years.
  2. Tom
    8
    I find the user vs critics rating discrepancy interesting. anyways, this isn't a groundbreaking, important or relevant album in any way. it's not the 90's anymore. but it doesn't really matter because it doesn't really try to be. this album is exactly what i wanted it to be - catchy, fun guilty pleasure goth rock. and i love it. Expand
  3. Since I (mostly) enjoyed Manson's 2007 album Eat Me, Drink Me I bought The High End of Low on a whim without sampling it beforehand and was not disappointed. While still no where near as good lyrically as Antichrist Superstar The album is mostly enjoyable for the entirety of it's fifteen tracks. Starting off with Devour a track the starts soft and acoustic before building to up to aggressive gold. From there on the listener is treated to richly layered guitars and even the use of strings (a first for a Manson album). Halfway through your hit with an great acoustic number called Running To The Edge Of The World before continuing on. There are a few tracks that are obviously weaker, namely WOW and We're From America. But after listening to the albums high points like like Four Rusted Horses, Wight Spider, and Leave A Scar they're easier to forgive.

    For those that purchase the deluxe edition your treated to a bonus disc that features acoustic versions of several of the albums better tracks, all of which work exceptionally well. I would imagine that an unplugged tour, while unpopular with most of his fan base, would actually warrant a live cd worth buying.

    If you used to be a Manson fan but haven't picked up an album since Holy Wood you might want to give this one a try. While different from his earlier releases he seems to have found a new musical direction that actually works for him. The High End of Low is an enjoyable album that has rekindled my interest in Marilyn Manson as an artist and just may do the same for you.
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  4. MeiT
    2
    I can't focus on listening to this album to save my life. Song after song is wasted on obnoxious, unimaginative guitar and Manson's scratchy voice that willingly alternates between whispering and screaming, though rarely leaves the vocal range of maybe 6 half steps. If you listen to the first 20 seconds of a few songs on the album, take, for example, "Blank and White", "I Want To Kill You Like They Do In Movies", or "Leave A Scar", you might think they were pretty catchy. It's a quaint little guitar riff, despite Manson plowing through it with his obstinately monotone voice. But after the first minute, that catchy little guitar riff starts to get pretty damn old, even more so through the rock n' roll song formatting used for every single song (Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus x2, Abrupt Ending). To put it simply, Manson is devoid of the originality and shock factor he once had. He should have quit while he was ahead. Expand

See all 34 User Reviews