Release Date: November 17, 2009
Even if you’re not a fan of Marilyn Manson, his latest Blu-ray release Guns, God, & Government will likely keep you more than a little mesmerized.
Guns, God And Government - Live In L.A.Featured review by: UG Team, on december 17, 2009 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: After watching the latest Blu-ray release Guns, God, & Government: Live In L.A., one thing becomes even more obvious than before: Marilyn Manson is just as much of a visual artist as he is a musical frontman. While recorded versions of songs like “Sweet Dreams” and “Beautiful People” have remained true to the creepiness that Manson delivers in person, it’s not until you see the vocalist’s live show that you fully recall why the controversial artist came to prominence in the first place. Guns, God, & Government, which was originally released as straightforward DVD release back in 2002 and featured a variety of footage taken during the world tour of the same name, now has been upgraded to Blu-ray quality and features the Los Angeles show in its entirety.
Manson has an uncanny ability to jam-pack his shows with a variety of strange, sometimes disturbing imagery. When you see the L.A. show from top to bottom, it’s easier to have an appreciation all of the work that goes into the making of a Manson show. Costume changes are par for the course, and you’ll see the vocalist don everything from a Pope’s vestment (“The Love Song”) to a dictator’s outfit (“Antichrist Superstar”) – and even looks somewhat tarred and/or oiled in the final song “Lunchbox.” One of the most dramatic visuals arrives in “Crucifiction In Space,” which features those creepy-looking monster stilts covered by a dramatic black robe as seen in the “Beautiful People” video.
You really can’t complain about Manson’s stage show in terms of novelty and/or keeping the audience’s interest. The camera’s shots of the audience shows a group of devoted Manson followers, singing every word to every song, and often providing their own lewd reactions (check out the extras to get the full extent). Musically, the hour-and-a-half live show is packed with all of Manson’s most well-known hits, including “Beautiful People,” “Sweet Dreams,” “The Dope Show,” and “The Fight Song.” It’s more likely than not that Manson was lip-synching during a good portion of the show and this fact may piss some fans off, but it never is overly distracting. The stage show relies just as much on the stellar lineup of guitarist John 5, bassist Twiggy Ramirez, drummer Ginger Fish, and then-keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy, all musicians who match the energy and drama of Manson. // 9
Content: If you’re already an owner of the 2002 DVD that shares the same name as Guns, God, & Government, this is one case where you’re actually getting new features. While it’s true there was a wider variety of concert footage in the original release, you have more continuity with the new edition because it all comes from the same L.A. show. Still included in the extras is The Death Parade, a 30-minute documentary montage directed by Manson. If you weren’t satiated by Manson’s onstage antics, the debauchery seen in the bonus film should tie you over to the next release. You’ll see everything from a transvestite peeing (with an extreme close-up of the process) to boob-flashing women to a gruesome look at Manson getting his bloody gash sewn up. // 8
Production Quality: The upgrade to Blu-ray certainly enhances the Manson concert experience, and this is one stage show that does deserve to be witnessed in the best-possible DVD quality. Just about every camera angle is explored, including great shots of Manson squatting, face-to-face with the front row (that crazy crystal eye of his comes through amazing well). The director made a smart choice of not switching between different film types (as many do for an artistic touch), and there wasn’t any reason to given that Manson doesn’t need any extra video enhancement. // 9
Impression: Whether or not you’re a fan of the consistently intriguing Manson, you’ll still likely find yourself pretty mesmerized by Guns, God, & Government. It’s true that many people probably have greater expectations for his stage show (given all his past antics and visually disturbing music videos), and he does an efficient job in the end. The vocals might not be 100 percent live, but the instrumentation is still incredibly vibrant and it does appear/sound that John 5 and the gang’s music is not canned. The bonus video might appall/shock/annoy some of you out there, but that is probably Manson’s end goal anyway. // 9
Guns, God And Government - Live In L.A.
Reviewed by:
twiggz33, on march 04, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: The sound is great. Its' loud, has a good balance of bass and treble, the mic sounds good, everything sounds good. One thing I love about the sound on this DVD is that you can actually hear the bass unlike most other live concert dvd's. One reason I love that is because twiggy is no doubt my favorite bassist of all time. He kicks ass haha. The only thing that affects the sound is that it's dubbed. // 10
Content: This Blu-ray is AMAZING. It's my favorite DVD that I own. It sounds awesome and has great HD footage of the show. My favorite songs on the DVD are "The Reflecting God", "The Nobodies", "Cruci-fiction In Space", "Sweet Dreams", "The Love Song", "Antichrist Superstar", "Astonishing Panorama of The Endtimes"(my favorite from the show), and "Lunchbox. This DVD also feature the special film "The Death Parade". It's a short film about the band's trip around the world on the Guns, God, and Government tour. I highly reccomend this to any Manson fan out there. // 10
Production Quality: The production is great. It looks a ton better than the original GGG Tour DVD because its all filmed from just one show. The video quality is amazing. It looks best on a big hd tv. I also like the menus for the dvd. It has a nice balance of colors and the background video of "The Love Song" adds to it. // 10
Impression: This DVD doesn't compare to others I've seen in the past. It is AMAZING. I love the whole entire thing. Every single song is great and I can't stop watching it. It is f--king awesome. I'm glad I spent the extra money on this blu-ray. If it were stolen or lost, I would DEFINATELY buy this again. // 10
Manson isn't lip-syncing any of the shows.
The audio for each song is used from one particular night, whilst they show clips from several different performances of the same song. So the audio is 100% live, only it occasionally does not correspond to what's being shown.
Manson is an underestimated artist
and for the right reasons man
Which are.. ?
Also, marilyn manson doesn't come near underestimation when you're talking about John 5. The man is really a great guitarist, and he doesn't do anything worthy of his skill in MM.
Manson is an underestimated artist
and for the right reasons man
Which are.. ?
Also, marilyn manson doesn't come near underestimation when you're talking about John 5. The man is really a great guitarist, and he doesn't do anything worthy of his skill in MM.
He's not in MM anymore; and I agree. He's a brilliant guitarist.
Playing something technical and tricky however, is not the only thing in music. In his solo stuff, it's awesome, considering that he does instrumental music.
With a band however; it's different.
MM isn't technical death; and the guitar has to fit the style and the music. Doesn't make it any worse, or better. In fact, he did some really good guitar playing with MM.
Manson is an underestimated artist
and for the right reasons man
Which are.. ?
Also, marilyn manson doesn't come near underestimation when you're talking about John 5. The man is really a great guitarist, and he doesn't do anything worthy of his skill in MM.
John 5 is amazing, his solo stuff is so great, loved his cover of "welcome to the jungle" i highly recomend people who have not heard it, go and listen to it.
i don't have anything against marilyn manson but he hasn't really done anyting interesting in a while now imo. Hopefully he will come out with some really great shock horror stuff in the future.
Manson isn't lip-syncing any of the shows.
The audio for each song is used from one particular night, whilst they show clips from several different performances of the same song. So the audio is 100% live, only it occasionally does not correspond to what's being shown.
that is not correct. ive owned this dvd for years and i only ever watched it like once because its so obvious that they over dubbed every song on the dvd with the album version of the song. its not even a live dvd, its just concert clips put to the recorded songs. its cool a dvd i guess, but not live.
Manson isn't lip-syncing any of the shows.
The audio for each song is used from one particular night, whilst they show clips from several different performances of the same song. So the audio is 100% live, only it occasionally does not correspond to what's being shown.
that is not correct. ive owned this dvd for years and i only ever watched it like once because its so obvious that they over dubbed every song on the dvd with the album version of the song. its not even a live dvd, its just concert clips put to the recorded songs. its cool a dvd i guess, but not live.
Manson is an underestimated artist
and for the right reasons man
Which are.. ?
Also, marilyn manson doesn't come near underestimation when you're talking about John 5. The man is really a great guitarist, and he doesn't do anything worthy of his skill in MM.
im i talking about johny 5?
i meant brian warner, hes a sellout, consuming (w)hore, ego maniac and hes not mm as he calims
I remember thinking John 5 was over hyped because I only listened to Manson and not his solo stuff. It was back when I first started playing that I listened to Manson, and I was like "I can play this. What the heck?"
Then I heard his solo work, and I was really surprised and confused as to why he never brought any of that skill into Manson's work. Everyone says it "Wouldn't fit in" with that style, but I mean just because it's not death metal doesn't mean it can't have a solo or a quick little lick here and there.
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The audio for each song is used from one particular night, whilst they show clips from several different performances of the same song. So the audio is 100% live, only it occasionally does not correspond to what's being shown.