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

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This article is about the album. For other uses, see In the Shadow of the Valley of Death and Holy Wood (novel).
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) cover
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Released November 14, 2000
Recorded 1999 – 2000 at the Mansion, Death Valley, California
Genre Alternative metal
Heavy metal
Industrial metal
Length 68:19
Label Nothing Records
Interscope Records
Producer Marilyn Manson
D. Sardy
Professional reviews

Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) is the fourth studio album by Marilyn Manson, released on November 14, 2000 by Interscope Records. It is a concept album, and the third and final album of a trilogy along with Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals. It spawned three singles ("Disposable Teens", "The Fight Song" and "The Nobodies") and a novel which remains currently unreleased.

Themes

Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) was Marilyn Manson's first studio album since the Columbine Massacre on April 20, 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.

Concept

Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) serves as a prequel to the albums Mechanical Animals and Antichrist Superstar, despite being the last of the three to be released.1 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 Mechanical Animals storyline.

Reception

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.

Track listing

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: a) Eden Eye, b) The Apple of Discord" – 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)" – 3:24
20. "The Nobodies" (Acoustic Version) (Bonus track on UK version) – 3:33

B-sides

Album credits

ALL LYRICS BY M. MANSON ·· 1. (music: MANSON) keyboards and bass · synth: Manson · Vocals: Manson · Guitars: John5 · Lead guitar: T. Ramirez · Ambience: M.W. Gacy · Synth: Bon Harris · Noise rhythm guitar: Dave Sardy ·· 2. (music: RAMIREZ., 5) Vocals and ouro-lead guitar: Manson · Guitar and Bass: T. Ramirez · Guitars: John5 · Keyboards and samples: M.W. Gacy · Live drums and siren loop: Ginger Fish · Synth and drum programming: Bon Harris ·· 3. (music: 5) Vocals: Manson · Bass and additional guitar: T. Ramirez · Rhythm and lead guitar: John5 · Keyboards and loops: M.W. Gacy · Live drums: Ginger Fish ·· 4. (music: 5, RAMIREZ) Vocals: Manson · Bass: T. Ramirez · Guitar and synth guitar: John5 · Synth and electronic percussion: Bon Harris · Live drums: Ginger Fish · Keyboards: M.W. Gacy · Pills: D. Sardy ·· 5. (music: RAMIREZ, 5) Vocals and Optigan: Manson · Bass and additional lead guitar: T. Ramirez · All guitars: John5 · Loop and live drums: Ginger Fish · Synth and loops: M.W. Gacy · Drum programming and synth: Bon Harris ·· 6. (music: RAMIREZ., 5, GACY) Vocals, syncussion, and mellotron: Manson · Rhythm Guitar and bass: T. Ramirez · Lead and rhythm guitar: John5 · Loop and live drums: Ginger Fish · Keyboards: M.W. Gacy · Backing Vocals: Alex Suttle ·· 7. (music: RAMIREZ., 5) Vocals and distorted flute: Manson · All Keyboards: M.W. Gacy · All guitars: John5 · Death Loop and live drums: Ginger Fish · Bass: T. Ramirez ·· 8. (music: RAMIREZ., 5, GACY) Vocals and piano: Manson · Rhythm guitar, bass: T. Ramirez · Rhythm and lead guitar: John5 · Live drums: Ginger Fish · Keyboards, loops and ambiences: M.W. Gacy · Insect hi-hat: Bon Harris ·· 9. (music: 5) Vocals and Ambience: Manson · Synth bass and keyboards: M.W,. Gacy · Live drums and loop: Ginger Fish · Bass: T. Ramirez · Acoustic, electric and slide guitars: John5 · Synths, sleigh bells and manipulation: Bon Harris ·· 10. (music: 5, MANSON) electric harpsichord: Manson · Guitars: John5 · Bass: T. Ramirez · Keyboards and ambiences: M.W. Gacy · Drum machine and live kit: Ginger Fish · Vocals: Manson ·· 11. (music: 5, MANSON) Vocals: Manson · guitars: John 5 · Bass: T.Ramirez · Synth bass and electronics: Bon Harris · Loop and live drums: Ginger Fish · Children's choir and canned laughter of dead people unsure of why they are laughing: M.W. Gacy ·· 12. (music: RAMIREZ.) Vocals, piano and pianette: Manson · Bass, lead and Leslie guitar, keys and drum loop: T. Ramirez · Acoustic, rhythm and lead guitar: John5 · Live drums: Ginger Fish · Ambience: M.W. Gacy · Synths: Bon Harris ·· 13. (music: RAMIREZ., 5) Vocals and synth bass: Manson · Bass and verse guitar: T. Ramirez · Guitar and lead guitar: John5 · Keyboards: M.W. Gacy · Drum Programming: Ginger Fish and Bon Harris · Bass and other synths: Bon Harris · Additional loops: Danny Saber · Recorded live February 14, 1997 ·· 14. (music: RAMIREZ., 5) Vocals: Manson Guitar and bass: T. Ramirez · Guitar: John5 · Live drums: Ginger Fish · Organic drum programming: Bon Harris and D. Sardy · Synth and destructive manipulation: Bon Harris · Keyboards: M.W. Gacy ·· 15. a)(music: MANSON, 5, RAMIREZ.) Vocals and clean rhythm guitar: Manson · Bass, warped rhythm guitars and add. lead: T. Ramirez · Phase, lead and rhythm guitar: John5 · Loops and live drums: Ginger Fish · Synths, ambience and keyboards: M.W. Gacy · b)(music: MANSON) Vocals and clean guitar: Manson · Rhythm Guitar: John5 · Bass and lead guitar: T. Ramirez · Loop: Ginger Fish ·· 16. (music: RAMIREZ., MANSON) Vocals and piano: Manson · Bass and noise lead guitars: T. Ramirez · Loop and live drums: Ginger Fish · Lead and rhythm guitars: John5 · Keyboards and mellotron: M.W. Gacy · Synthesizers: Bon Harris ·· 17. (music: RAMIREZ., 5) Vocals: Manson · Acoustic, rhythm and synth guitar: John 5 · Bass and rhythm guitar: T. Ramirez · Live drums: Ginger Fish ·· 18. (music: RAMIREZ) Vocals: Manson · Bass: T. Ramirez · Guitars and synth guitars: John5 · Keyboards and Synth: M.W. Gacy · Live drums: Ginger Fish ·· 19. (music: 5) Vocals: Manson · Synth strings and Ambiences: M.W. Gacy · Piano: Bon Harris ····· Celebritarian™ used by permission

···ALL TRACKS ©2000 EMI BLACKWOOD MUSIC ON BEHALF OF ITSELF, SONGS OF GOLGOTHA MUSIC (BMI), BLOOD HEAVY MUSIC (BMI) & DCLXVI MUSIC (BMI). ALL RIGHTS ADMINISTERED WORLDWIDE BY EMI BLACKWOOD MUSIC INC. · MANSON: ALL TRACKS, SONGS OF GOLGOTHA MUSIC · RAMIREZ: ALL TRACKS, BLOOD HEAVY MUSIC, EXCEPT 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 15b, 19 · JOHN 5: ALL TRACKS, GTR. HACK MUSIC / CHRYSALIS MUSIC ASCAP, EXCEPT 1, 12, 15b, 16, 18 · GACY: TRACKS 6 & 8 DCLXVI MUSIC ©2000 NOTHING/INTERSCOPE RECORDS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN CANADA.

HOLY WOOD CONCEIVED AND ARRANGED BY MARILYN MANSON
PRODUCED BY MARILYN MANSON & D. SARDY · MIXED BY D. SARDY
ENGINEERED BY GRED FIDELMAN · ALL PRO-TOOLS: GREG FIDELMAN · EDITING, PROGRAMMING & PRE-PRODUCTION BY BON HARRIS · ADDITIONAL ENGINEERING BY PAUL NORTHFIELD · RECORDED @ THE MANSION · ADDITIONAL RECORDING @ HOLLY STUDIOS, SUNSET SOUND FACTORY AND WESTLAKE AUDIO · MIXED @ LARRABEE EAST
ASSISTANT ENGINEERS: NICK RASKULINECZ, JOE ZOOK, KEVIN GUARNIERI AND STEVE MACAULEY · MASTERING: MARCUSSION · MANAGEMMENT: TONY CIULLA/CIULLA MANAGAMENT · BUSINESS MGT: JAY SENDYK · LEGAL: JEFFREY TAYLOR LIGHT · AGENT: RICK ROSKIN, CAA · EU AGENT: EMMA BANKS (HELTER SKELTER) · ART DIRECTION: P.R. BROWN AND MARILYN MANSON · PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN: P.R. BROWN @ BAU-DA DESIGN LAB [LA]. · MAKE UP: MARILYN MANSON & RALLIS KAHN
CLOTHING: DEBORAH @ T'AINT · OFFICIAL WEBSITE: MARILYNMANSON.COM
INFO: 7336 SANTA MONICA BLVD., #730, LOS ANGELES, CA 90046

Charting positions

Album

Year Chart Position
2000 Billboard 200 13
2000 Top Internet Albums 10

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
2000 "Disposable Teens" Mainstream Rock Tracks 22
2000 "Disposable Teens" Modern Rock Tracks 31

Trivia

  • 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.
  • There are three different covers for this album: The standard cover depicting Manson as The Hanged Man, the censored UK cover depicting "stains" on its cover, and a rare German cover depicting Manson with yellowish skin in what appears to be a bathroom, with blood and a gunshot on the back. This version of the album also contains a separate booklet with the lyrics printed in German.

Personnel

  • 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