Antichrist Superstar (album)

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Antichrist Superstar (written Antichrist Svperstar in several places as an allusion to Latin) is Marilyn Manson's second full-length studio release and was released in 1996. The album raised awareness of the band, and led to numerous protests due to the band's perceived anti-Christianity stance. It was produced by the band's leader Manson and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor.

The album's title is a pun, an allusion to the Antichrist combined with a parody of the title of the famed musical Jesus Christ Superstar. The influence of the latter can also be seen in the song "Angel With the Scabbed Wings," which features a riff strongly reminiscent of a portion of the Jesus Christ Superstar score.

The album can be considered a concept album. In a three part storyline, an abused and apathetic person (represented by "The Worm") becomes an influential rock star and finally transforms into the powerful "Disintegrator." In an issue of Kerrang! magazine edited by Manson, he stated that the album was a tribute to - and inspired by - the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Much of the album content is deliberately vague, allowing listeners to draw independent conclusions.

It has elaborate packaging, consisting of a black cardstock sleeve covering the plastic jewel case with graphics of Manson on both the front and back, the latter of which is flanked by the red Superstar Shock logo and the roman numerals IX, VI, III and VII. The booklet contains pictures of the band, a visual worm-to-angel metamorphosis, symbols related to the Kabbalah, medical diagrams, printed lyrics to each song, and liner notes including traditional thanks and credits as well as a curious entry found under the lyrics to the song "Irresponsible Hate Anthem", stating it was recorded live on February 14, 1997, despite the album being released well before that in October of 1996. There is severe division amongst Manson fans over whether their best album is either this, or Mechanical Animals.

The album, despite containing a gap of silence a few minutes long, is Song cycle|cyclical, as both opening and closing seconds include the distorted phrase "When you are suffering, know that I have betrayed you." When the album is placed on loop, the pacing between the sentences matches that of the additional distorted recitation found in the preceding hidden track.

Track listing

The album is broken up into three parts, called "Cycles."

Cycle I - The Heirophant

1. Irresponsible Hate Anthem - 4:17
2. The Beautiful People - 3:38
3. Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World - 4:15
4. Tourniquet - 4:29

Cycle II - Inauguration of the Worm

5. Little Horn - 2:43
6. Cryptorchid - 2:44
7. Deformography - 4:31
8. Wormboy - 3:56
9. Mister Superstar - 5:04
10. Angel With the Scabbed Wings - 3:52
11. Kinderfeld - 4:51

Cycle III - Disintegrator Rising

12. Antichrist Superstar - 5:14
13. 1996 - 4:01
14. The Minute of Decay - 4:44
15. The Reflecting God - 5:36
16. Man That You Fear - 6:10
99. Untitled - 1:39

Track 99 is also known as "Empty Sounds of Hate".

Tracks 17 through 98 are blank and about four seconds long.

Credits

Singles

  1. The Beautiful People
  2. Tourniquet
  3. Man that You Fear
  4. Cryptorchid
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