A step ahead from Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals sees Marilyn Manson turning up the glam, finessing the melodies and pushing further up the charts thanks to its flavour of David Bowie and T. Rex. It was also Manson's breakthrough moment, making him a type of internationally famous celebrity the like has never been seen before.
Mechanical Animals sees a move away from Trent Reznor's input, with Billy Corgan as an unofficial consultant and Soundgarden's Michael Beinhorn as producer. It's the second in the concept album trilogy and sees Manson's androgynous alien - the shock cover star - falling to earth, into captivity and becoming a rock star. He says, "I think in the past our music was lacking feelings. It was harsh but not melodic and that was OK. It was suitable, but this album is far more personal. It's more vulnerable. The music and the lyrics have to go together so the music had to follow the lyrics, otherwise it wouldn't have worked at all."