Shock-rock band
Marilyn Manson's second legitimate album, released in 1996. Many count it as the third, when they include his Smells Like
Children remix EP.
The album includes three main singles, "The Beautiful People", "Tourniquet" and "The
Man That You Fear", and is considered a "concept album", in a three-part storyline about an abused and apathetic character, the
Worm, who becomes a big rock star and finally becomes the Almighty Disentegrator.
The album is a 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.
CD CASE:
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.
TRACK LISTING:
Cycle I - The Heirophant
1. Irresponsible Hate Anthem
2. The Beautiful People
3. Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World
4. Tourniquet
Cycle II - Inauguration of the
Worm
5. Little Horn
6. Cryptorchid
7. Deformography
8. Wormboy
9. Mister Superstar
10. Angel with the Scabbed Wings
11. Kinderfeld
Cycle III - Disintegrator Rising
12. Antichrist Superstar
13. 1996
14. Minute of Decay
15. The Reflecting God
16.
Man That You Fear
99. Track 99
Track 99 is also known as "Empty Sounds of Hate".
Tracks 17 through 98 are blank; these blank tracks are on average four seconds
long. The first and last blank tracks are 9 and 5 seconds
long respectively.
While "The Beautiful People", "Tourniquet" and "The
Man That You Fear" are the main singles off Antichrist Superstar, there are still other fine songs, like "Irresponsible Hate Anthem", "1996", "The Reflecting God", "Kinderfeld" and "Deformography".
