Marilyn Manson's last album got a lot of mileage out of playing with psycho-sexual imagery and shock-value lyrics. Although Manson has toned down his look ever so slightly, don't expect a choirboy conversion here: Mechanical Animals rips into organized religion with the ferocity of a demonic dog.

The album boasts a consistently spooky lyrical platform and surprising music diversity - something Manson's previous albums lacked. This makes for a solid follow-up to the band's 1996 breakthrough hit, Antichrist Superstar, if not an especially fresh one.

Manson's sound melds industrial rock with electronica. There are nods to mentor Trent Reznor, homages to David Bowie and even traces of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart scattered throughout the hour-long album. Of course, these tributes are filtered through the band's music blender - complete with boogeyman hauntings, raspy vocals and disjointed guitar hooks.

The thick guitar and loopy electronic grooves of I Want to Disappear capture the maturity of the band's sound. But more often, as on Rock Is Dead, Manson reverts to grinding guitar crunch and head-scratching lyrics.

Whatever you make of Manon's shock-therapy antics and lyrics, Mechanical Animals shows musical growth. Just not enough of it.

(Two Stars)

-Andy Summa