Ohio singer/songwriter, actor, painter & writer Marilyn Manson making his Nuclear Blast Records debut with his 12th studio LP. Signing to Nothing Records & Interscope Records, his debut Portrait of an American Family proved to be a passable industrial rock/alt-metal debut although The Triptych launched him into international stardom. Said triptych including Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals & my favorite Holywood: In the Shadow of the Valley. The Golden Age of Grotesque & Eat Me, Drink Me were both received to mixed responses as was his final Interscope offering The High End of the Low & the Loma Vista Recordings debut Born Villain. However during my senior year of high school, The Pale Emperor made his true return to form followed by Heaven Upside Down & the Shooter Jennings-produced We Are Chaos wrapped up his Loma Vista contract. Marilyn hasn’t been around musically in a while because of psychological & sexual abuse allegations, which I can’t speak for myself on whether they’re true or false. That said as someone who grew up during his prime, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in 1 Assassination Under God.
The title track sets it all off with this 5 & a half minute intro singing about refusing to suffer for everyone else’s amusement assuring them they’ll always be entertained & everyone showing up for the execution whereas “No Funeral Without Applause” infernally discusses the only thing in this world that can fill this hole inside of him. “Nod If You Understand” throws it back to the Antichrist Superstar era refusing to repent since that’s what he was sent here for while “As Sick as the Secrets Within” mixes elements of alt, industrial & goth rock to sing about making everyone dream of him.
“Sacrilegious” swaps out the goth rock influences in favor of glam rock telling us that’s exactly how he’s been feeling just before the industrially glam “Death Isn’t a Costume” sings about being left behind. “Meet Me in Purgatory” goes alt-rock again wanting everyone to come with him if he’s casted out prior to alt/industrial metal hybrid “Raise the Red Flag” sings about refusing to accept your surrender. “Sacrifice of the Mass” ends by getting dressed in his mortuary best ready for his ride.
I’m not exactly sure how many more chapters we’re gonna get outta 1 Assassination Under God since it’s said to be the 1st in a new series, but I can definitely say that this is easily the best thing that he’s made since The Pale Emperor nearly a decade ago. His production with Tyler Bates feels like a mix of Mechanical Animals & Holywood pulling from alt-rock, alt-metal, industrial rock, industrial metal & glam rock with the songwriting nostalgically taking us back to 2000 channeling all the anger he’s been feeling in the past 4 years.
Score: 4/5
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