Marilyn Manson toys with identity, reputation, and expectations on the smoldering, groove-heavy Born Villain. The metallic contortions of "Slo-Mo-Tion" illuminate the rocker's embrace of sensational, NSFW spectacle, while the splotchy, industrial downpour of "Pistol Whipped" favors sexual double entendres, establishing a link between seduction and violence. Manson even puts a gothic New Wave spin on Carly Simon's "You're So Vain," taunting anybody who thinks that they can pin him down.