Cryptorchid (song) - Reception - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

"Too many tracks over all – the better songs didn’t shine through all the bluster. An interesting parallel to the band line-up/musicians working on the album. It’s a great record but the (lyrical/literal) writing could have been so much stronger."

The album received generally positive reviews by critics. Lorraine Ali of Rolling Stone commented "The rise of Marilyn Manson marks the end of the reign of punk realism in rock & roll The layered effect of the music recalls that of Ministry, but Marilyn Manson's execution is not as dense. Instead, Antichrist Superstar writhes with a cool, sinister and taunting feel before lurching out from the shadows with hammering percussion and static-loaded feedback For all of the album's attractions, the band could have compressed Antichrist Superstar into a more powerful blast of evil." Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly commented "With Antichrist Superstar, Manson offers a combination vintage concept record and cheesy exploitation flick to match his antisocial outbursts, Manson offers grinding metal guitars and death-rattle bass lines, letting his own deformed screech serve as the poison cherry on top At least Manson's high-concept depravity has its own sick charm." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of allmusic commented "Though the sonic details make Antichrist Superstar an intriguing listen, it's not as extreme as it could have been—in particular, the guitars are surprisingly anemic, sounding like buzzing vacuums instead of unwieldy chainsaws. Even with that considered, is an unexpectedly cohesive album and will stand as Marilyn Manson's definitive statement.".