Latest revision as of 13:14, 8 February 2024

This article is about the album

• for the song see Born Villain (song)
• for the film see Born Villain (film)

Born Villain
Studio album by Marilyn Manson
Released	April 25, 2012 (12 years ago)
Recorded	2009–January 2011 at Zane-a-Due in California
Genre	Industrial rock, alternative rock, alternative metal, industrial metal
Length	59:17
Label	Hell, etc., Cooking Vinyl, Dine Alone Records
Producer	Marilyn Manson
Discogs	View at Discogs
Marilyn Manson chronology
The High End of Low (2009) Born Villain (2012) The Pale Emperor (2015)

Born Villain is the eighth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It reached the first shelves on April 25, 2012, with a worldwide release ensuing on May 1, 2012. Born Villain is the first album released through vocalist Marilyn Manson's Hell, etc. imprint, much like the vanity label Nothing Records which carried the band's first decade of records. Cooking Vinyl acts as Hell, etc.'s parent label.^[1] The studio where Born Villain was recorded is the former home of Billy Zane,^[2] and is humorously referred to in the album's liner notes as "Zane-a-Due," a pun on the name Xanadu.

Born Villain is Marilyn Manson's first record since their contract with Interscope Records expired in late 2009.^[3] The band began writing during The High End of Low Tour in 2009,^[3] with Manson attesting to its "more romantic" yet "self-abusive" lyrics^[3] accompanied by elements of "suicide death metal." Rudy Coby said the album was being constantly revised, claiming, "I've heard the songs that are six months later and it's like throw all of the other songs away, before these six months. That's how much stronger they are."^[4] Guitarist Twiggy has said of Born Villain, "It's our best record yet, I think. I mean, everyone always says that, but I think this is our best work so far... It's kind of like a little more of a punk rock Mechanical Animals without sounding too pretentious."^[5]

Recording details[edit]

The prospect of an eighth studio album by the band was first confirmed by Manson during an interview with Metal Hammer on December 3, 2009.^[3] He elaborated, "We've just been released from our record contract with Interscope so I think a lot of the creative control on which my hands were tied on a lot of choices—the music videos—things like that. And the first example is the newest video, they clearly wouldn't have allowed me to make that video. So we started writing new songs on the road—a bit like [David Bowie's album] Aladdin Sane—I think people can expect a new record a lot sooner than we [expected]."^[3] According to Chris Vrenna, as of January 2010 the band was "just talking and coming up with concepts" for the album.^[2] On January 24, 2010, Manson confirmed on the band's official MySpace profile that "the new album is officially in motion."^[6]

In April 2010, during his appearance at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, Manson divulged that the band had recorded 13 songs, one of which failed to appear in a television series about vampires.^[7] Manson also referred to the album as "very death metal," and voiced interest in releasing the album differently than previous Marilyn Manson records.^[7] He also indicated his friendship with Slayer as a vague influence on the record.^[7] During an interview with Full Metal Jackie, he stated that the album was halfway finished.^[8]

On May 7, 2010, both entertainer Rudy Coby and The Nachtkabarett's Nick Kushner were previewed material from the album, the latter describing it on Facebook as "fuckin hardcore." Elaborating on the band's musical direction, Manson claimed Twiggy was influenced by his touring experiences in 2009, particularly at the Rockstar Mayhem festival. Manson's father, Hugh Warner, told MansonWiki, "It will make a vagina wet. What can you say after that? If the vagina's wet, all things are good. That's what he told me when I was listening to it. It's very hard, very heavy, very good. Everyone should be extremely excited and happy."^[9]

During an interview with Eric Blair on November 3, 2010, Twiggy indicated the album was "almost done. It'll probably be out next year."^[5] For much of early 2011, Manson removed himself from the public spotlight and ceased almost all communication with his fans.^[10] During this time, on February 24, 2011, drummer Ginger Fish announced his departure from the group, prompting a search for a replacement.^[11] Manson took a short break from his self-imposed sequestration by appearing in the music video for the song "Tempat Ku" by Brunei pop outfit D'Hask,^[10] shortly after which he uploaded new photographs on Facebook, showcasing new imagery for the Born Villain era.^[12] On September 2, 2011, the album was officially titled Born Villain.^[13][14]

Promotion[edit]

Main articles: Born Villain (film) and Campaign

Born Villain, a short film directed by Shia LaBeouf, was released as a promotional trailer for the album.^[15][16] The idea for the film originated after Manson and LaBeouf struck up a friendship at a Kills concert.^[17] The actor, who "has always been intrigued" with the singer, then offered to direct his next music video.^[17] In order to convince him, LaBeouf gave Manson a screening of Maniac — his directorial collaboration with American rappers Kid Cudi and Cage.^[17] Impressed, Manson commissioned the aspiring director to create a "making-of" video documenting the album's recording and production.^[18][19][20]

Before the album's release in Japan, a truck advertising Born Villain was spotted in the country.

Manson and LaBeouf produced the film throughout July of 2011 under the management of California-based production company Vanderson Inc.^[16][21] The film borrows a variety of "very intense, graphic imagery" from a number of sources including Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 film The Holy Mountain, Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel's 1929 short film Un Chien Andalou, as well as Shakespeare and theology.^[17] LaBeouf explained that "we tried to make Manson's 'Un Chien Andalou' macabre 'Macbeth' — that's sort of what that became."^[17] Manson, for his part, described his intention with the film as "both an homage and a mockery of the history of Cinema."^[14] On August 17, bassist Fred Sablan leaked the film's official website on his Twitter feed. The website announced the project's August 28, 2011 inaugural screening at the Los Angeles Silent Movie Theatre. Vrenna has claimed that Born Villain is not a music video but "a full thing."^[16] He also mentioned that the film contains short clips of the album and its own score,^[16] referencing the album track "Overneath the Path of Misery" which plays throughout the video.

A coffee table book of photographs, titled Campaign, was also attached to the project.^[17][22] Released alongside the film by LaBeouf's Grassy Slope Entertainment production company through various retailers, the book contains images of Los Angeles taken by LaBeouf and his girlfriend, Karolyn Pho, during a night traversing the city with Manson.^[23] A DVD of Born Villain is also included with the book.^[17] LaBeouf and Pho took an unconventional approach to promoting the project by vandalizing various locations in the city with handbills of the book and film's promotional posters.^[24] Simultaneously, the book was made available for pre-order and served as a "ticket" to an in-store book signing with LaBeouf and Manson as well as a private screening of the film at niche bookstore Hennessey & Ingalls' Hollywood outlet on September 1, 2011.^[17]

Release[edit]

Singles[edit]

No Reflection

Main article: No Reflection (single)

On February 9, 2012, Manson confirmed on The Alan Cox Show that the first single from Born Villain would be "No Reflection." Details were vague, with Manson only stating that the single would be "coming soon." Manson also told the host that he would be starting work on a music video for "No Reflection" the following week. A few weeks later on March 6, 2012, the single artwork and a release date of March 20 were announced via Amazon. Shortly before the song made its debut on the radio station KROQ, Manson encouraged fans through his Twitter feed to tune in and listen to the premier.

Slo-Mo-Tion

Main article: Slo-Mo-Tion

On June 27, 2012, Marilyn Manson posted via his official facebook shooting was in progress for the Slo-Mo-Tion music video. On August 11, 2012 the artwork of the Slo-Mo-Tion single was revealed through Manson's official facebook with a statement the single will be released the week after. As of August 20, 2012 the single has yet to be released.

Artwork[edit]

On February 7, 2012, photographer Dean Karr held a photo shoot with Manson for the artwork of Born Villain. Karr alluded to his time photographing the artwork for Antichrist Superstar in 1996 when he declared online, "New Marilyn Manson album cover shoot tonight, history shall be repeated!" Several of the shots were released a few weeks later in the March 2012 issue of Revolver, in which Manson spoke about the album.^[25]

On March 16, 2012, Steven Coy confirmed through his Facebook page that the artwork was being finalized. Six days later on March 22, the cover art for Born Villain appeared on Amazon.com, before going into heavy rotation on other retailer websites, as well as on the band's own Facebook page and official website. The cover photograph was taken by Lindsay Usich. Concerning other areas of the album's packaging, Born Villain is the band's first studio album not to include liner lyrics.

Hey, Cruel World... Tour[edit]

Main article: Hey, Cruel World... Tour

To support the release of Born Villain, Marilyn Manson staged their ninth world tour, the Hey, Cruel World... Tour. Rumors about the tour's itinerary began as early as June 3, 2011, when the Brazilian edition of the Portuguese broadsheet newspaper Destak published that agents for the band had finalized negotiations for the group to tour in Brazil and other South American countries as part of the SWU Music & Arts Festival in November 2011.^[26] Despite this, the band's supposed inclusion in the roster failed to materialize.^[26] The tour's 2012 itinerary was confirmed on October 2011 to include an Australian leg from late February to early March as part of the five-day 2012 Soundwave Festival music festival.^[27][28]

Track listing[edit]

1. "Hey, Cruel World..." – 3:44
2. "No Reflection" – 4:36
3. "Pistol Whipped" – 4:10
4. "Overneath the Path of Misery" – 5:18
5. "Slo-Mo-Tion" – 4:24
6. "The Gardener" – 4:39
7. "The Flowers of Evil" – 5:19
8. "Children of Cain" – 5:17
9. "Disengaged" – 3:25
10. "Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms" – 4:13
11. "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" – 4:18
12. "Born Villain" – 5:26
13. "Breaking the Same Old Ground" – 4:28

Bonus material[edit]

"You're So Vain" features as the closing track on standard versions of the album released internationally. "No Reflection (Radio Edit)" is only available as a bonus track with either digital edition of the album on the iTunes Store and the Japan release of the physical album.

14. "You're So Vain" – 4:02
15. "No Reflection" (Radio Edit) – 3:31

Commercial releases[edit]

Japan
Cover art	General information		Track listing
	Format: Packing: Release date: Barcode: Catalog no: Length:	CD Tri-fold Digipak April 25, 2012 4988002618255 VICP65058 66:40	"Hey, Cruel World..." – 3:44 "No Reflection" – 4:36 "Pistol Whipped" – 4:10 "Overneath the Path of Misery" – 5:18 "Slo-Mo-Tion" – 4:24 "The Gardener" – 4:39 "The Flowers of Evil" – 5:19 "Children of Cain" – 5:17 "Disengaged" – 3:25 "Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms" – 4:13 "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" – 4:18 "Born Villain" – 5:26 "Breaking the Same Old Ground" – 4:28 "You're So Vain" – 4:02 "No Reflection" (Radio Edit) – 3:31

European Union
Cover art	General information		Track listing
	Format: Packing: Release date: Barcode: Catalog no: Length:	CD Tri-fold Digipak April 27, 2012 0602537005994 B007JPE14K 63:09	"Hey, Cruel World..." – 3:44 "No Reflection" – 4:36 "Pistol Whipped" – 4:10 "Overneath the Path of Misery" – 5:18 "Slo-Mo-Tion" – 4:24 "The Gardener" – 4:39 "The Flowers of Evil" – 5:19 "Children of Cain" – 5:17 "Disengaged" – 3:25 "Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms" – 4:13 "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" – 4:18 "Born Villain" – 5:26 "Breaking the Same Old Ground" – 4:28 "You're So Vain" - 4:02

Canada
Cover art	General information		Track listing
	Format: Packing: Release date: Barcode: Catalog no: Length:	CD Tri-fold Digipak May 1, 2012 821826003842 B007KIZ6IG 63:09	"Hey, Cruel World..." – 3:44 "No Reflection" – 4:36 "Pistol Whipped" – 4:10 "Overneath the Path of Misery" – 5:18 "Slo-Mo-Tion" – 4:24 "The Gardener" – 4:39 "The Flowers of Evil" – 5:19 "Children of Cain" – 5:17 "Disengaged" – 3:25 "Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms" – 4:13 "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" – 4:18 "Born Villain" – 5:26 "Breaking the Same Old Ground" – 4:28 "You're So Vain" – 4:02

Taiwan
Cover art	General information		Track listing
	Format: Packing: Release date: Barcode: Catalog no: Length:	CD Digipak June 10, 2012 4 988002 618255 VICP-65058 63:09	"Hey, Cruel World..." – 3:44 "No Reflection" – 4:36 "Pistol Whipped" – 4:10 "Overneath the Path of Misery" – 5:18 "Slo-Mo-Tion" – 4:24 "The Gardener" – 4:39 "The Flowers of Evil" – 5:19 "Children of Cain" – 5:17 "Disengaged" – 3:25 "Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms" – 4:13 "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" – 4:18 "Born Villain" – 5:26 "Breaking the Same Old Ground" – 4:28 "You're So Vain" – 4:02

Promotional releases[edit]

United Kingdom
Cover art	General information		Track listing
	Format: Packing: Release date: Barcode: Catalog no: Length:	CD Plastic sleeve April 2012 00124 63:09	"Hey, Cruel World..." – 3:44 "No Reflection" – 4:36 "Pistol Whipped" – 4:10 "Overneath the Path of Misery" – 5:18 "Slo-Mo-Tion" – 4:24 "The Gardener" – 4:39 "The Flowers of Evil" – 5:19 "Children of Cain" – 5:17 "Disengaged" – 3:25 "Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms" – 4:13 "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day" – 4:18 "Born Villain" – 5:26 "Breaking the Same Old Ground" – 4:28 "You're So Vain" - 4:02
	This promo has no front cover, only a front insert.

Most of this information was taken from mansoncollectors.com

Cover gallery[edit]

Release history[edit]

Region		Date	Label	Format	Catalog
	Japan	April 25, 2012	Victor Entertainment	CD	ASIN: VICP65058[29] [30]
	European Union	April 27, 2012	Universal Records Vertigo	CD CD	ASIN: B007JPE14K EAN/UPC: 0602537005994[31][32]
Worldwide		April 30, 2012	Cooking Vinyl Records	2LP Vinyl CD	ASIN: B007KL8WAM ASIN: B007KIZ6IG
	United Kingdom	April 30, 2012	Cooking Vinyl Records	CD	ASIN: COOKCD554
	Canada	May 1, 2012	Dine Alone Records	CD	ASIN: B007KIZ6IG
	USA	May 1, 2012	Cooking Vinyl Records	2LP Vinyl CD	ASIN: B007KL8WAM ASIN: B007KIZ6IG
	Italy	May 2, 2012	Edel Local	CD	ASIN: B007LQJCFK[33]
	Taiwan	June 10, 2012	Cooking Vinyl Records	Digipack CD	ASIN: VICP-65058

Chart positions[edit]

In its first week on sale, Born Villain broke iTunes Top 10 album charts in 22 countries, placing eighth in Poland; seventh in Ireland; sixth in the Czech Republic; fourth in Japan and Canada; third in Germany, Denmark and Spain; second in the United Kingdom, Austria, Finland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Japan; and first in Belgium, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Luxembourg, France and the United States; in the United States, the album peaked at number three on the iTunes chart for all genres. By May 3, Born Villain claimed the top position of Loudwire's Top Rock Albums of 2012 (So Far) list.^[34] The album made it's debut at number 10 on the Billboard 200, number 3 on the Billboard Rock Albums, number 1 on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums Chart, number 1 on the Billboard Independent Albums Chart, number 2 on the Billboard Alternative Album Chart, number 5 on the Billboard German Album Chart, number 8 on Billboard Canadian Album Chart, number 10 on the Billboard Digital Albums Chart, and number 4 on the Billboard Tastemaker Albums Chart.

Album credits[edit]

Personnel[edit]

• Marilyn Manson – vocals, lyrics, guitar, keyboards, compositions, production
• Twiggy – guitar, bass, keyboards, backing vocals, compositions
• Fred Sablan – bass, guitar, compositions
• Chris Vrenna – keyboards, synthesizers, programming, drums, percussion, compositions, production
• Jason Sutter – drums ("You're So Vain")
• Sean Beavan
• Lindsay Usich – photography
• Tony Ciulla – management
• Bruce Witkin – bass, keyboards, guitar, production ("You're So Vain")
• Johnny Depp^[35] – guitar, drums, production ("You're So Vain")

See Also:[edit]

Born Villain era timeline

References[edit]

Footnotes

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Marilyn Manson artist profile on CookingVinyl.com". Cooking Vinyl. https://cookingvinyl.com/artists/marilyn-manson/. Retrieved 2011-06-10. 
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Shlosman, Rafi (2011-01-04). "An Interview with Fred Sablan". Provider Module. https://www.providermodule.com/fred_sablan.php. Retrieved 2012-04-05. 
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} The first mention
4. ↑ "A Three-Minute Act and You Can Tour the World" (Interview with Rudy Coby). MansonWiki. October 2010.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Blair, Eric (2010-11-03). "Marilyn Manson Bassist Says Upcoming Album Is 'Our Best Record Yet'". Blabbermouth.net. Borivoj Krgin. https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=148750. Retrieved 2011-01-28. 
6. ↑ Manson, Marilyn (2009-09-23). [Archived September 23, 2009 at WebCite "Marilyn Manson on MySpace Music"]. Myspace Music. News Corporation. Archived September 23, 2009 at WebCite. Retrieved 2011-01-28. 
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Peterson, Marta (2010-08-04). "Marilyn Manson at Revolver Golden Gods Awards Interview". Revolver TV. Future US. https://www.providermodule.com/media/index.php?v=i/2010/revolvertv. Retrieved 2011-01-28. 
8. ↑ [1] YouTube.
9. ↑ The Apple Does Not Fall Far...(Interview with Hugh Warner). MansonWiki. August 2010.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} "Marilyn Manson stars in My Chemical Romance-esque pop video". Kerrang!. Bauer Media Group. 2011-03-18. Archived from the original. (Citation error). https://web.archive.org/web/20131203132604/https://www.kerrang.com/blog/2011/03/marilyn_manson_stars_in_my_che.html. Retrieved 2011-06-04. 
11. ↑ "Ginger Fish Announces Resignation". Twitlonger.com. 2011-02-24. https://www.twitlonger.com/show/8vrp3u. Retrieved 2011-02-24. 
12. ↑ Wall Photos | Facebook—Manson's Facebook reveals new photo's of the new era. Access date: March 23, 2011.
13. ↑ Manson, Marilyn (2011-09-02). "Marilyn Manson Announces Album Title, "Born Villain"". Marilynmanson.com Journal. Marilynmanson.com. Archived from the original. (Citation error). https://web.archive.org/web/20140701062310/https://marilynmanson.com/2011/marilyn-manson-announces-album-title-born-villain/. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} "Marilyn Manson names eighth studio album as 'Born Villain'". NME. IPC Media. 2011-09-02. Archived from the original. (Citation error). https://web.archive.org/web/20140413125154/https://www.nme.com/news/marilyn-manson/58994. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
15. ↑ Lecaro, Lina (2011-09-13). "Marilyn Manson's Born Villain Tracks: We Heard Them First". LA Weekly. Village Voice Media. https://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2011/09/marilyn_manson_born_villain_ni.php. Retrieved 2011-09-14. 
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3} Suehs, Bob (2011-08-20). "Army of the Universe: The Interview". Rock N Roll Experience Magazine. Angelfire. Archived from the original. (Citation error). https://web.archive.org/web/20120315014952/https://www.angelfire.com/rock/e4/vrenna.html. Retrieved 2011-08-26. 
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7} Warner, Kara (2011-08-31). "Shia LaBeouf Calls Marilyn Manson Video 'A Cool Diversion'". MTV News. MTV Networks (Viacom). https://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670077/shia-labeouf-marilyn-manson-born-villian-video.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-09-01. 
18. ↑ "Marilyn Manson recruits Shia LaBeouf to document new album". Kerrang!. Bauer Media Group. 2011-07-01. Archived from the original. (Citation error). https://web.archive.org/web/20130515213452/https://www.kerrang.com/blog/2011/07/marilyn_manson_recruits_shia_l.html. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
19. ↑ Barshad, Amos (2011-07-01). "Shia LaBeouf Told Regis and Kelly He's Working With Marilyn Manson". Vulture. New York magazine. https://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/07/shia_labeouf_told_regis_and_ke.html. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
20. ↑ "Transformers star Shia LaBeouf set to shoot new Marilyn Manson documentary". NME. IPC Media. 2011-07-01. Archived from the original. (Citation error). https://web.archive.org/web/20140505170916/https://www.nme.com/news/marilyn-manson/57704. Retrieved 2011-07-02. 
21. ↑ "Vanderson Inc. project resume". Vanderson Inc.. Wix. https://www.wix.com/vandersoninc/vanderson-inc-2/resume. 
22. ↑ "Campaign Official Website". Shia LaBeouf & Karolyn Pho. https://www.thecampaignbook.com/. Retrieved 2011-08-29. 
23. ↑ "Born Villain (Book + DVD)". Hennessey & Ingalls. https://www.hennesseyingalls.com/hennessey/product.asp?s_id=0&pf_id=B005J24ZHS. Retrieved 2011-08-29. 
24. ↑ Rao, Mallika (2011-08-31). "'Born Villain': The Shia LaBeouf/Marilyn Manson Collaboration Has Arrived". The Huffington Post. AOL. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/31/born-villain-shia-lebeouf-marilyn-manson_n_943791.html. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
25. ↑ Dean Karr Discusses The Manson Photo Shoot, Feb. 2012, Dean Karr provider module.com.
26. ↑ ^{26.0 26.1} Flesch, José Norberto (2011-06-03). "Marilyn Manson comes to Brazil in November". Destak. Cofina. Archived from the original. (Citation error). https://web.archive.org/web/20111008152416/https://www.destakjornal.com.br/readContent.aspx?id=17,98997. Retrieved 2011-06-08. 
27. ↑ CK (2011-10-06). "Soundwave 2012! Get Ready For Offspring, Marilyn Manson and Evanescence!". Triple M Network. Austereo Radio Network. 
28. ↑ Heminger, Stefanie (2011-01-28). "9electric Interview, Opening for Marilyn Manson this Summer". SMNNews. https://www.smnnews.com/2011/01/08/9electric-interview-opening-for-marilyn-manson-this-summer/. Retrieved 2011-06-08. 
29. ↑ "(Citation error)". https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=VICP-65058. 
30. ↑ "9electric Interview, Opening for Marilyn Manson this Summer". SMNNews. 2011-01-28. https://www.smnnews.com/2011/01/08/9electric-interview-opening-for-marilyn-manson-this-summer/. Retrieved 2011-06-08. 
31. ↑ "Marilyn Manson - Born Villain (CD)". https://www.infrarot.de/marilyn-manson/born-villain/2010884. 
32. ↑ "CD MARILYN MANSON,BORN VILLAIN -DIGI-CDGO.COM - A sua Loja de Musica Online". https://cdgo.com/artigoDetalhe.php?idArtigo=5522808&nome=MARILYN-MANSON-BORN-VILLAIN--DIGI--CD. Retrieved 2012-04-23. 
33. ↑ "(Citation error)". https://www.amazon.it/Born-Villain-Manson/dp/B007LQJCFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332532081&sr=8-1. 
34. ↑ [2]
35. ↑ [3]

External links[edit]

• Web archive: Official Born Villain website
• Official Campaign website