What is the name of the album for which Manson describes the sound as being "very cinematic"?
In a January 2014 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Manson described the sound of the album as being "very cinematic", saying that the "redneck in me comes out in my voice" owing to the album's inclusion of blues influences, while still retaining the harder elements of previous work. The album has been compared to the music which was used to soundtrack Sons of Anarchy. Manson called himself "a man of few words" [on the record], opting to allow melody to be its primary focus, instead of using characters or extended metaphors to compose lyrics. Lyrics for the album were all derived from a single notebook, with Manson admitting that the content of previous work was too scattered, as they were composed of material taken from up to 20 different notebooks. He has described it as being intentionally sparse lyrically, elaborating that blues music stems from the "guttural, visceral element of music. I [left] holes in these stories so it becomes your story, it becomes more cinematic. For example in the film Rosemary's Baby, you don't see the baby but in your mind you do."The Pale Emperor is a departure from the band's usual style, leaning away from the industrial production that appeared on much of their previous work and incorporating a sparser sound, which has been described as alternative country, blues rock, gothic metal and hard rock. Manson cited the music of Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones, and The Doors as inspirations. Steven Hyden of Grantland identified several parallels between The Pale Emperor and the Doors' 1971 album L.A. Woman, suggesting that in the two albums both bands were re-energized in the latter part of their career. He also compared Manson's vocal style to that of Jim Morrison, and claimed the album's lyrics echo Morrison's "self-destructive self-aggrandizement".
The album's title is a reference to Constantius I – or Constantius the Pale – who was the first Roman emperor to deny the existence of a God. Manson has said its meaning can have several interpretations: "complexion or Goth music or 'beyond the pale' or [...] everything 'pales in comparison' to it". Lyrically, the album deals with mortality, war, violence, slavery and religion, and includes references to Greek mythology and German folklore, specifically the story of Faust and Mephistopheles. "The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles" was the original title track and, according to Manson, the album's heart. The Pale Emperor makes use of an extended metaphor, in which Manson compares his own career to the life of Faust. He told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he "sold [his] soul to become a rock star, and this payment in full—with interest, considering the last few bills I didn't pay," explaining that he considered The High End of Low and Born Villain lacking in focus. He elaborated to Classic Rock magazine:
The Pale Emperor