Nowadays a new Marilyn Manson album isn’t quite the event it used to be, at least not for most outside his legion of fanatical devotees. Nevertheless there’s always the buzz of curiosity about what the once awe-inspiring devil of absinthe-rock will come up with next. As, indeed, there was this time round. For one thing there was the Twiggy Ramirez factor…And then the question whether, after the rather unspectacular 'EAT ME, DRINK ME', Manson would start losing his allure or bounce back, like the sharp bastard we know he can be. He promised us the latter…And, to a degree, he has been true to his word. Let’s get one thing clear – Marilyn Manson circa 2009 does not possess the shock factor that the Marilyn Manson of 1996 did. Nowhere near it in fact. And neither should we be expecting it from him. Yes, the menace is gone and has been for a while now, boo-fucking-hoo! But if we look at what we DO get, instead of what we don’t, then there’s plenty to be happy about. Some of the old energy, drive and sharpness is back and 'THE HIGH END OF LOW' does contain some very good Music (remember, the music is what it’s all meant to be about)! There are definite flashbacks to 'ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR/HOLY WOOD' (minus the Burundi beats borrowed from Adam and the Ants) and 'MECHANICAL ANIMALS', as well as more untypical and pleasantly surprising ventures into Rob Zombie/Devil’s Rejects territory (try 'Four Rusted Horses'). There’s quite a bit of variety in fact – from the acoustic epic balladry of 'Running To The Edge Of The World' to the quaint electro perversity of 'Wow'. The first single 'Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon' is rather predictable, with a nice enough groove. 'We’re From America' is well worth a blast or twenty on your stereo, ipod or whatever the fuck you’ve got there. There’s also the bonus CD, which offers some really interesting versions and mixes of a few of the album tracks, where most other “bonus” discs by other artists are usually completely and utterly worthless pieces of patronizing shit. So, anyway, overall, 'THE HIGH END OF LOW' is a pretty fucking good (if not mind-blowing) album, upon which, hopefully, the Manson firm can build in the very near future.