Marilyn Manson is one of the few artists who tries to reinvent his persona, along with his music, on each one of his releases.

His latest offering, “The Golden Age of Grotesque,” finds him creating an album rooted in art forms of the 19th and early 20th centuries. For the album, Manson dabbled in absinthe and explored various elements of surrealism, vaudeville, burlesque, dandyism and cabaret, somehow creating a modern sound while staying true to the original artistic styles. The result is mixed, but like his artistic heroes – Wilde, Van Gogh and Dali – Manson has achieved a plane of creativity that allows him to produce a unique, well-thought-out product.

“The Golden Age of Grotesque” opens with a sampled montage, appropriately titled “Theater.” It gives the impression that the listener is inside an old style movie theater where the show is about to begin. From “Theater,” the album segues into “This is the New S—,” a track that incorporates a dance beat feel with industrial rock overtones. While the track doesn’t exactly fit with the heavier work Manson has produced in the past, it does signal to the listener that this album is going to be a diverse experience, and it won’t be everything that rock and metal fans have come to expect.

The album’s first single, “mOBSCENE,” sounds like it could have easily been included on Manson’s first album, “Portrait of an American Family.” It’s a welcome return to a time before Manson was so conceptual, and could turn out killer rock songs without a theme necessarily being attached to the album. The song drives with a heavy, distorted guitar and a pounding drum beat reminiscent of earlier songs like “Lunchbox.” The song also has an anthemic quality to it, as Manson encourages audiences to “be obscene/be obscene baby/and not heard.”

Three tracks, “Use Your Fist And Not Your Mouth,” “(s)AINT” and “Ka-Boom Ka-Boom,” are returns to the “Antichrist Superstar” era that made Manson a heavyweight on the national scene. It’s easy to forget the album’s themes when Manson returns to his roots and his characteristic dark, angry snarl. He doesn’t so much as sing the lyrics as he does viciously spit them out at the listener, raising a giant middle finger to anyone that thought he had become too artsy to deliver old-school aggression. All three tracks are mid-tempo rockers, but there is definite anger in Manson’s words that belie the tempo. His lyrics reflect the stress of an artist trying to meet everyone’s expectations and wondering who his true friends are, struggling with his own perfectionism.

“The Golden Age of Grotesque” isn’t without its stranger moments – the title track and “Doll-Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggety-Zag” are drastic departures from Manson’s usual industrial rock. The title track is hypnotic, even though Manson comes in off-key at times, and the deranged carnival-like atmosphere of the track draws the listener in. “Doll-Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggety-Zag,” is a heavy rock song, but it also has an uncharacteristic jazz-swing feel to it, making it one of the more interesting tracks on the album. On the dissonant “Spade,” Manson manages to craft a vast soundscape using looped drum beats and carefully placed effects or noises. While this style of song is bizarre, it’s nothing new to Manson fans that have come to expect and anticipate experimentation in his work.

The album comes to a strong close with tracks “The Bright Young Things,” “Better of Two Evils” and “Vodevil.” These tracks showcase Manson’s evolution over his last five albums, but still draw heavily from his past work. Thankfully, the songs skew more toward those on “Portrait of an American Family,” “Antichrist Superstar” and Manson’s last album, the underrated “Holy Wood,” than they do toward “Mechanical Animals.”

Manson seems to have exorcised many of his demons over the course of his last five albums, and while “The Golden Age of Grotesque” has its angry or tormented moments, it’s nothing like past efforts. The new album represents a new phase in Manson’s life and career, and he’s made an impressive album. It may take a few listens before some of Manson’s older fans will embrace the album, but it is well worth the while. Fans who haven’t experienced Manson’s back catalogue should check out some of his past work to fully appreciate his evolution to “The Golden Age of Grotesque.”

-This CD was provided for review by CD Warehouse.