Marilyn Manson's 'One Assassination Under God - Chapter 2' - Album Review

It is always great when a musician that has perhaps experienced something of a career lull returns with a bang - releasing a new album that makes people sit up and take notice again. Whilst I would not call much of what he released prior to his last album bad, I think that it is fair to say that 2024's One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1 (which I reviewed here) was generally considered to be Marilyn Manson's best album for quite some time. I had quite enjoyed the rawer, stripped back, bluesy sounds that he forged on 2015's The Pale Emperor (which I reviewed here) and 2017's Heaven Upside Down (which I also reviewed here), but they were unlikely for everyone. At the time, though, they felt like a bit of a breath of fresh air. Ironically, I think that it is fair to say that Manson's true golden age closed out with 2003's The Golden Age of Grotesque, and some would not even include that album in his generational early run of classic albums, and, for me anyway, The Pale Emperor and Heaven Upside Down were his strongest releases since that classic era. 2007's Eat Me, Drink Me saw Manson trying something poppier and more synth driven, with mixed results, whilst both 2009's The High End of Low and 2012's Born Villain were quite tame rehashes of the classic Manson sound. The Pale Emperor felt fresh, then, but Manson's star had faded quite significantly by then - and his live shows no longer received the reviews that they had. 2020's We Are Chaos (which I reviewed here) moved back towards his classic sound again, but the album has not really stuck with me despite enjoying it at the time. It was released during the pandemic, so it never really got all that much attention - and Manson's career was essentially put on hold shortly afterwards due to a string of sexual abuse allegations. Whilst he has never formally been charged with any crimes, various controversies still dog him to this day. He has settled out of court with at least one alleged victim, which could mean anything, and due to the age of some of the accusations they were not pursued by the prosecutors. We will probably never the know the truth, and Manson remains a controversial figure - with the stigma of the numerous allegations likely to remain. Despite this, though, he remains defiant - returning to his career in 2024 with a well-received tour and the aforementioned One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1. Despite liking those 2015 and 2017 releases quite a bit, One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1 was much better - and really the first truly classic Manson-sounding album since The Golden Age of Grotesque. It retained characteristics from the newer albums, too, so felt like a proper mix of old and new - with Manson renewing his creative relationship with Tyler Bates, who co-wrote and produced the 2015 and 2017 albums. I really enjoyed One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1, as well as the UK tour I saw him on last year, so I was really looking forward to what would follow. The 2024 album's title suggested more was to come - and last month One Assassination Under God - Chapter 2 was released. Recorded at the same time as the first part, Manson, Bates, and drummer Gil Sharone (Stolen Babies; The Dillinger Escape Plan) are responsible for everything here. This album hits nowhere near as hard as the previous one, and it is clear that it was intended to be more experimental and atmospheric compared to the harder rock edge of the last one. It is likely to be Manson's last collaboration with Bates, too, who has since left the Manson machine, perhaps under something of a cloud, to be replaced by a returning face from the classic era in Tim Skold.

I struggled with this album somewhat at first, and it is still a bit of a disappointment compared to the previous effort, but it has grown on me over the past month or so. The opening cut Unalive is one of the stronger tracks here, and it does somewhat hark back to the previous album. Swirling synths open up the song, before a strange keyboard melody, percussive drumming, and bluesy guitar leads take over. Manson has been sounding much stronger vocally of late than he has done for quite some time, and that is replicated throughout. He starts singing slowly here, against the strange keyboard melody as a lumbering drum pattern kicks in, whilst injections of heaviness act as something of a chorus - seeing Manson's more screamed approach against some stabbing, heavy guitar chords. These moments showcase more of the classic Manson aggression, but sadly those moments are fairly rare throughout this album - and even much of this song continues in a fairly low key manner, with rumbling bass playing and mournful vocals. That being said, though, there is quite an industrial mid-section later on - with effects-heavy vocals and screaming guitar melodies that do up the overall heaviness somewhat. The song in and of itself is well paced and put together, though, and it is certainly up there in quality with the songs on the last album - so it is one of the overall highlights here. Don't Answer the Door opens with some dark, chiming guitar melodies - under which a pulsing synth bass note rings out and Manson starts to sing in that semi-whispered manner that he has often adopted. The intro is quite effective, and it feels as if the song is going to explode further from this spooky intro - but the main song itself is pretty restrained. The opening guitar melody remains, albeit against a fuller, post-punk backing - with sparkling synth melodies and a driving bassline. There is no urgency to the song, though, and it somewhat creeps along. Manson sounds strong vocally, but the pace feels too deliberate and slow to ever get the blood pumping - although there is a slightly heavier mid-section that does include some tougher guitars, although this section is short so acts as a point of difference rather. This is the sort of song that would have worked well as a slower number in the middle of a heavier album, but as the second song in it rather does kill the early momentum whipped up. Front Toward Enemy is more energetic, though, and there are shades of the classic Manson sound here. Early on, the song gets underway with some thrashy, industrial guitar tones - stabbing away at pace as Manson screams rhythmically above them. This heavy section later resurfaces as a chorus, and there are some other generally tougher moments here - whilst the verses are the point of difference this time, with a snaking bassline and interesting drum groove the main backing for Manson's vocals. Whilst I had not heard the song before, it was actually released back in 2024 as the B-side to Raise the Red Flag. There are certainly similarities here with the last album - and it is a shame that one of this album's better cuts had already been released, even if in a limited capacity. That being said, this energetic and angry song remains a highlight here - with guitar tones that really hark back to the classic days and plenty of that Manson caustic nature that made him so popular in the first place.

All the Vilest Things is a song going for a much more expansive and cinematic sound. It is also one that somewhat returns to the more organic sounds of the 2015 and 2017 releases - as the verses have a strong acoustic guitar backing that is not something very commonly found on Manson's albums. Dirgy and fairly slow-paced, the song has a strong ballad feel - with emotive verse vocals, backed by the acoustic guitars and chugging bass playing, and spacey synths doing quite a lot of heavy lifting during the chorus. I do like the keyboard playing throughout the song, as it is surprisingly melodic and has shades of a progressive rock approach. I noted that the last album had occasional shades of 1998's Mechanical Animals, and this is another song that harks back to that approach. The synths are reminiscent of that album, as is the slightly rounded-off guitar tone - with something of a guitar solo thrown in later on which helps to elevate the song further. It is certainly a grower, as it was not a song that stood out initially - but I really like the overall expansive approach, even if there is little of the classic bombast and anger from Manson here. None of the Suns is strangely groovy, with a bit of a classic rock strut on show from the off. An ever-present bassline sets a kinetic and groovy tone from the off, whilst Sharone lays down another pretty interesting drum beat. The classic rock vibes here are in the groove, really, as this is not a song that ever really feels all that heavy. There is an energy to it, largely thanks to the rhythm section, but there is little in the form of big riffing here - with the guitars often stripped away. When they do join in, they tend to be laying down mournful leads or occasional rhythms - with the bass instead the main driving force, whilst the synths also flesh out the arrangement. This is also another song with a bit of a 1980s post-punk influence - but this time it is presented in a more energetic manner, even if the song overall is still relatively restrained. Lucifer's Tear continues on in a similar manner, although it ups the pace somewhat - with a bit of a Sisters of Mercy-esque groove and energy throughout. Like the last song, too, there is no real heaviness here. The chorus does feature more of a classic rhythm guitar backing, but it is not all that heavy, with the bass once again the main driving force - whilst the guitars lay down old-school gothic clean guitar melodies. The energy of the song largely comes from the snappy drumming, then, as well as from Manson himself who has more of a spitting vocal approach this time. Faster, snappier vocal melodies are a big feature of this song - whether during the gothic verses or the somewhat more rocking chorus. The song's main pace and groove never really lets up, either, regardless of what is in the background - and I do like this consistent approach even if I wish that parts of the song were heavier.

The Arsonist slows the pace right down, going for a mournful and creeping approach - with chiming, dark guitar melodies and some fuzzy bass playing. Despite the slower pace, though, there are some moments of heaviness here - and the song overall has a real darkness to it. This is, at least, until the chorus - which is surprisingly bright. The chorus again reminds me of the approach taken throughout Mechanical Animals, with those 1970s-style vocal melodies and guitar leads, but the rest of the song is darker and much more overtly industrial. The drumming feels much more processed and programmed at times here, whilst juddering, heavier sections see darker guitar chords and slightly more aggressive vocals that are a bit of a contrast compared to the slower-moving and more atmospheric main bulk of the song. It is quite a varied piece, then, which is welcome - and some dark piano playing towards the end fades the song out nicely. Lead single Exit Wound is a bit more overtly rocking, with a loud, industrial drum beat kicking in early off - over which some aching, distorted guitar melodies are soon overlaid. In many ways, though, this song is very much classic Manson in approach. There is a good mix of melody and aggression here, with some strident and confident vocals - crooned in a powerful manner against a driving verse bassline. There is also some heaviness here, with some true riffing during parts of the song - adding a classic heavy metal sound at times with snappy power chord patterns that are pretty hooky and stick in the brain. This riffing gives way to a pretty hooky chorus, too, that is quite anthemic and sure to go down well live. This song is more akin to the sound forged on the last album. It is clear that Manson wanted to try something a bit different with this second part, leaning more into his atmospheric side - but this song is overtly rockier, with stronger initial melodies that latch on from the off. It is one of my favourite cuts here as a result, and hearing Manson sounding this vital is always a good thing. The album then comes to a close with Enantiomorph, a song that opens slowly with some distorted and mournful spoken word - as some strummed guitar chords fade into view, only then to be replaced by some deliberate piano notes and some white noise drumming. In many ways, the song is the culmination of many of the other slower moments on this album. It really is a slow-moving, mournful piece that goes for a more emotive and atmospheric sound and there is no weight to this song at all. Occasional screaming guitar leads mixed into the background are the closest the track gets to a proper distorted sound - with much of the song being mournful bass playing, percussive drumming, and layers of synths. Manson sounds strong vocally, and there are some organ sounds mixed in later on which work well, but this sort of sound is generally my least favourite of Manson's sides. It does have a closing vibe in the sense of songs like Coma White, and it is clear Manson was trying something similar here, but the song is nowhere near as memorable as that example - and the album does end on something of a dreary note as a result in my view. As I said earlier, this album has grown on me but it does lack the power of the previous album. That was likely intentional but it just feels less vital overall for me - and some more riffs here would have been welcome. With Skold back in the fold it will be interesting to see if they revive their previous creative partnership - so it will be fun to see where Manson goes next.

The album was released on 14th August 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is Manson's promotional video for Exit Wound.