Portrait of an American Family

Carson gave this album on2009-01-18.

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Marilyn Manson's Portrait of an American Family is remarkably very well implemented for a first release.

Lyrically, several recurring topics can be found throughout the tracks including hypocrisy, subjugation, and censorship. "Cake and Sodomy", "Get Your Gunn", and " Dogma" are prime examples of this. For instance, "Cake and Sodomy" contains the lines "what's this, 'time for segregation'" and "Bible-Belt 'round Anglo-waste, putting sinners in their place" sum up the history of subjugation of minorities (ethnic and belief-system) in America. In fact, throughout the track, Marilyn Manson goes so far as to claim that having beliefs forced upon you is tantamount to being raped. "Get Your Gunn" focuses, in part, on censorship with lines like "the most that I can learn I is in records that you burn"; burning or banning media is a method often used by oppressive societies to suppress ideas. "Dogma" also focuses on censorship with lines such as "you cannot sedate all the things you hate". Unpopular ideas will always find ways to spread if there is enough support for them.

Musically, as is common in Industrial Metal, there is a heavy emphasis on rhythm with guitars and drums playing a role in the music. Tracks such as "Dope Hat", "Get Your Gunn", and "Cyclops" are excellent examples of songs focusing on rhythm.

There are several oddities that make Portrait of an American Family really stand out when compared to other albums. First off, "Prelude (The Family Trip)" is one of the few intro songs I have encountered that contains lyrics; not just a couple of words either, but vocals through almost the entire song. "Misery Machine" is three times longer than most of the other tracks on the album, and changes so often that it almost feels like a medley of other tracks. However, Marilyn Manson manages to make a long ever-changing song work where many others have not been able to.

Overall, this is a strong album containing I would recommend it to anyone who prefers the more Metal oriented side of the Industrial Metal genre.

Track	Name		Carson	Katherine		Track	Name		Carson	Katherine
1	Prelude (The Family Trip)					8	Wrapped In Plastic
2	Cake and Sodomy					9	Dogma
3	Lunchbox					10	Sweet Tooth
4	Organ Grinder					11	Snake Eyes and Sissies
5	Cyclops					12	My Monkey
6	Dope Hat					13	Misery Machine
7	Get Your Gunn