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

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)
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Released	November 14, 2000
Recorded	Death Valley, California, 1999-2000
Length	68:19
Label	Nothing Records Interscope Records
Producer	Marilyn Manson & D. Sardy

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

Reception

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.

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

• "Diamonds & Pollen" – 3:55
• "Five to One" (A The Doors cover) – 4:22
• "The KKK Took My Baby Away" (A Ramones cover) – 3:43
• "Working Class Hero" (A John Lennon cover) – 3:42

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.

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 ans 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. (

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