Behind the morbid make-up and the 24-hour alter ego, Brian Warner, better known as Marilyn Manson, must feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. And rightly so, as despite all the odds, he’s survived the constant opposition from censoring senators, conservative governors and pretty much the general American public, earning himself superstar status and a fiercely loyal following in the process. On an international level, the man is a myth, a Goth icon, a rock star, and following the chart-topping cover of Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus, perhaps even a bit of a pop star!

Now Manson, forever stating his penchant for all things sinister, may not care much for pop sensationalism, but all dark undertones and heavy instrumentation aside, there is no denying that every studio album he’s released since 1996’s Antichrist Superstar has shown a maturity in its song-writing, intricacy in its arrangements and a softening of that hard-edged grind that endeared him to the metal world. Eat Me Drink Me, his sixth studio album to date, is possibly his first step towards a solo career, since it was written with just one man, guitar/bass player Tim Skold. The album bridges the polished energy of Mechanical Animals with the conceptual, dark tilt of Holy Wood and smatterings of his recently-defunct romance with burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, gelled together with that subliminal glam-touch that Manson has always flaunted in varying degrees ever since he launched himself onto the music world!

CD COURTESY OF Exotique