unofficial 2022 reissue - In 2000, Marilyn Manson not only was recovering from his fans' rejection of Mechanical Animals, he was scarred from Columbine and, worst of all, he was no longer America's demon dog. What was Brian Warner to do, standing on such uneasy ground? As a smart man and savvy marketer, he knew that it was time to consolidate his strengths, blend Omega with Antichrist Superstar, and return with a harsh, controversial, operatic epic: a vulgar concept album to seduce his core audiences of alienated teens and cultural cops. The resulting album, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death), is intended as the third part of the trilogy beginning with Antichrist Superstar, and its convoluted story line is fairly autobiographical, but the amazing thing isn't the story -- it's that he figured out to meld the hooks and subtle sonic shading of Mechanical Animals with the ugly, neo-industrial metallicisms of Antichrist. Consequently, it's easy to see this as the definitive Marilyn Manson album, since it's tuneful and abrasive. Then again, much of its charm lies in Manson trying so hard, perfecting details in the concept, lyrics, themes, production, sequencing, the tarot card parodies in the liner notes, the self-theft, the self-consciously blasphemous cover art. There's so much effort, Holy Wood winds up a stronger and more consistent album than any of his other work.
| A: In The Shadow |
| A1 | Godeatgod |
| A2 | The Love Song |
| A3 | The Fight Song |
| A4 | Disposable Teens |
| D: The Androgyne |
| B1 | Target Audience (Narcissus Narcosis) |
| B2 | "President Dead" |
| B3 | In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death |
| B4 | Cruci-Fiction In Space |
| B5 | A Place In The Dirt |
| A: Of Red Earth |
| C1 | The Nobodies |
| C2 | The Death Song |
| C3 | Lamb Of God |
| C4 | Born Again |
| C5 | Burning Flag |
| M: The Fallen |
| D1 | Coma Black |
| D2 | Valentine's Day |
| D3 | The Fall Of Adam |
| D4 | King Kill 33° |
| D5 | Count To Six And Die (The Vacuum Of Infinite Space Encompassing) |
| D6 | Bonus Track: The Nobodies (Acoustic Version) |
