Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) is the fourth full-length album by the Rock band Marilyn Manson. Released on November 13, 2000.
The Album
Holy Wood was Marilyn Manson's first album since the Columbine shootings (20 April 1999), for which he was accused of encouraging the authors of the massacre by some elements of the media. Consequently, much of the album's content addresses the issue and poses several questions about the role that parents and the media alike play in these matters. This record underlines society´s obsession with guns, religion, and the fame that can be achieved through the national media - who apparently thrive on violent death as well as martyrdom.
It highlights several references to icons like John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, and other people that have gained "martyr" status in American culture as a result of their famous yet seriously violent deaths. This heavy alluding is partly a result of the sentiment that the two students who committed the massacre were allegedly just out to get their 15 minutes of fame, and escape their standings as social outcasts, by perpetrating the largest school massacre in American history and then turning the guns to themselves. Manson points out that, ironically, that was exactly what happened as the media turned the incident into a ratings parade. According to Manson, the media views tragic death as a form of entertainment for the masses.
For example, in the chorus of the song "Lamb of God", on the media's presentation of death:
- If you die when there's no one watching, then your ratings drop and you're forgotten.
- But if they kill you on the TV, you're a martyr and a lamb of God.
"The Nobodies" seems to deal directly with the Columbine massacre:
- We are the nobodies, wanna be somebodies.
- When we're dead, they'll know just who we are.
also:
- Some children died the other day:
- We fed machines and then we prayed:
- Puked up and down in morbid faith:
- You should have seen the ratings that day:
And "The Love Song", a hard rock song that blasts the harmful values of conservative Middle America and what he believes are its 3 core preoccupations: Guns, God and the Government, metaphors the father as the arm, the mother as the gun, and the children as the bullet.
Album's Concept
Holy Wood is a prequel to the albums Mechanical Animals and Antichrist Superstar. The main character in the over-arching storyline is Adam Kadmon who has previously manifested as the androgynous Omega in Mechanical Animals and "The Worm/Antichrist Superstar" on Antichrist Superstar. The character Coma White also has a starring role in this album, albeit, this time she's now known as "Coma Black". The plotline of the album follows Adam as he leads the population of the Valley of Death, where the rejects of the world dwell, in a revolution against Holy Wood, home of the beautiful and famous. The revolution is a success, but becomes as fake and hollow as the original Holy Wood, leading to Adam's attempted suicide and the start of the Antichrist Superstar storyline.
Criticism
Though critically-acclaimed and more popular amongst newer fans, the album is Manson's worst-selling. After debuting at number 13 on the Billboard, it free-fell off the charts in the weeks that followed. It was also meant to be accompanied by a book and a movie of the same name which further delves into the concept album's backstory. While the book is known to be finished for years, the movie has yet to start production. Neither has been released to date. The commercial failure of this album can be attributed to waning interest in Manson's "shock rock" tactics, to which the public had become habituated at this point.
Notes
"Godeatgod", the album´s opening track, is spoonerism of the term Dog Eat Dog.
"The Love Song" refers partially to society´s obsession with fire arms.
"The Fight Song" is a Nietzsche inspired song that is often seen as reminiscent of Blur's "Song 2"
"Disposable Teens" was the first single released from "Holy Wood". Marilyn Manson is said to have duplicated his hit "The Beautiful People" with this track.
"Target Audience" is basically a pun utilized to mock the media´s sole interest in ratings.
"President Dead" resembles "Great Big White World" with its heavy use of synthesizers.
"In the Shadow of the Valley of Death" is characterized by the presence of acoustic guitars that are quite similar to many of the ballads found in "Mechanical Animals"
The term "Holy Wood" was once used in a poem by Aleister Crowley, to whom Marilyn Manson frequently references. It is also used as a mockery of Hollywood, as per the imagery in the album's cover art
Track listing
Tracklisting:
A: In the Shadow
1. GodEatGod 2:34
2. The Love Song 3:16
3. The Fight Song 2:55
4. Disposable Teens 3:01
D: The Androgyne
5. Target Audience (Narcissus Narcosis) 4:18
6. "President Dead" 3:13
7. In the Shadow of the Valley of Death 4:09
8. Cruci-Fiction in Space 4:56
9. A Place in the Dirt 3:37
A: Of Red Earth
10. The Nobodies 3:35
11. The Death Song 3:30
12. Lamb of God 4:39
13. Born Again 3:20
14. Burning Flag 3:21
M: The Fallen
15. Coma Black 5:58
16. Valentine's Day 3:31
17. The Fall of Adam 2:34
18. King Kill 33° 2:18
19. Count to Six and Die (the vacuum of infinite space encompassing)
Credits
- Marilyn Manson - Arranger, Vocals, Producer, Art Direction, Concept
- Paul Northfield - Engineer
- Dave Sardy - Guitar (Rhythm), Producer
- Twiggy Ramirez - Bass Guitar, Guitar, Keyboards
- D. Sardy - Producer, Mixing
- Bon Harris - Synthesizer, Programming, Editing, Electronic Percussion
- P.R. Brown - Art Direction, Design, Photography
- Greg Fidelman - Engineer
- Ginger Fish - Drums
- Nick Raskulinecz - Assistant Engineer
- Joe Zook - Assistant Engineer
- M.W Gacy - Keyboards
- John 5 - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar
- Kevin Guarnieri - Assistant Engineer
