Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)

Performer: Marilyn Manson
Engineer: Greg Fidelman
Producer: Marilyn Manson; D. Sardy
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Marilyn Manson: Marilyn Manson (vocals, guitar, flute, piano, pianette, electric harpsichord, Mellotron, keyboards, synthesized bass, syncussion); John 5 (acoustic, electric, slide & synthesized guitars); Twiggy Ramirez (guitar, keyboards, bass); M.W. Gacy (Mellotron, keyboards, synthesizer, synthesized bass, samples); Ginger Fish (drums, loops). Additional personnel: Dave Sardy (guitar, programming); Bon Harris (piano, synthesizer, bass, hi-hat cymbal, programming, electronics); Danny Saber (loops). From the outset, as the slowly churning guitar riffs of "Godeatgod" pound their way into your ear, it's clear that Marilyn Manson plans to make few deviations from its previously established industrial rock ways on HOLY WOOD. This is an admirable display of canniness on the band's part, as the fruits of playing to their strengths are apparent throughout the album. The ironically titled "The Love Song" features a savagely pounding chorus and screamed expletives, while "The Fight Song" makes no attempt to hide its self-referential qualities, which concern being "a big rock star, celebrated victim of your fame." Despite its ominous title, "In the Shadow of the Valley of Death" offers some momentary solace amid HOLY WOOD's sonic maelstrom, by way of a melodic, softly sung refrain (along the way, it also happens to rescue the classic fuzz bass sound from the dustbin of '60s psychedelia). The closing track "Count to Six (The Vacuum of Infinite Space Encompassing)" drops the metallic guitars and thrashing drums in favor of gothic-sounding keyboards and creepily intoned vocals, making for a low-key but nevertheless unsettling brew that's equally reminiscent of Bauhaus and Manson mentor Trent Reznor.

Q (12/00, p.128) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Brutal gothrock...deadly and addictive....suggesting a shock-rock protagonist who finally has something to say." CMJ (11/13/00, p.4) - "...It's Manson's answer to his adversaries, sonically uniting the garish glam rock of MECHANICAL ANIMALS with the industrial dissonance and controlled chaos of the band's earlier work..." Melody Maker (11/14/00, p.50) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Compelling....A pouting, teeth-baring, stranger-snogging tart of an album, a glorious, blistering cacophony, an explosive death-glam rampage. Marilyn is to T.Rex what jungle is to techno..." NME (Magazine) (12/30/00, p.79) - Ranked #34 in NME's "Top 50 Albums Of The Year". NME (Magazine) (11/11/00, p.32) - 8 out of 10 - "...Melds the glam-frocked space-rock of MECHANICAL ANIMALS with the industrial crunch of ANTICHRIST, he has hit upon something thrilling....brilliantly executed..."

Initially mentored by Nine Inch Nails mainman Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson created an accessible, highly successful variant on the former's electronic-tinged industrial rock. Manson took shock-rock to a whole new plateau in the late-1990s, influenced by past theatrical rockers like Kiss, Alice Cooper, and Motley Crue--and not since the days of those bands had religious and parental groups despised a rock group so much. Of course, the resulting controversy endowed Marilyn Manson with publicity and album sales in equally vast amounts. Although Manson talked about retiring from the music biz after the release of his 2004 album, he came back refreshed in 2007 with EAT ME DRINK ME, inspired by his crumbling marriage to Dita Von Teese.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25