Goth legend Marilyn Manson now has the blues

Marilyn Manson thrived on shock value as the Goth rocker and self-proclaimed Antichrist Superstar rose in the 1990s. Now approaching middle age, Manson's vision is no less violent but he has found a more subtle musical outlet - the blues.

The Pale Emperor, Manson's first album in three years that was released on Tuesday, moves beyond the searing aggression of the distorted guitars and synthesized minor chords that helped define him as he became one of rock's most controversial stars.

The opening track on the new album, Killing Strangers, starts with the heavy thump of bass and drums familiar to longtime fans but is immediately followed by a guitar that owes more to Mississippi Delta bluesmen than to the arena heavy metal that was Manson's most obvious influence.