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Rating: "Before the bullets, before the flies, before authorities take out my eyes, the only smiling are you dolls that I've made, but you are plastic and so are your brains" GodeatGod
"I am not a slave to a God that doesn't exist. I am not a slave to a world that doesn't give a shit." The Fight Song
The year is 2000, Marilyn Manson is public enemy no. 1, targeted by clergy members, parents, and even U.S. politicians. After the Columbine High School massacre, for which he was unjustly blamed as an inspiration, he received numerous death threats and lawsuits from so-called "right-thinking" people.
Disgusted by all those who hate him so unfairly, he decides to retreat to the desert of "Death Valley," described as a land of desolation, mystery, and death, and disappears from the scene, waiting to return with his most powerful weapon. The music.
Why do people "Hate"?
Everyone needs something to love as much as something to hate, and sometimes it's easier to do so in a group, allowing oneself to be carried away by others on a wave of disdain and anger towards someone who, in reality, bears very little guilt. Religion is a great example of how hatred can help manipulate the masses, driving them to fight wars against "infidels." It hardly matters then if the message should be of "Love and Brotherhood," as they do not sell as much as hate does. The same goes for the state, which, through fear and hatred itself, makes the population more united and open to dictatorship. Does the title "1984" ring any bells? Who knows if we, too, will one day participate once a week in the "hour of hate." Long live the "Big Brother," which in this case is us (after all, isn't "Big Brother" a metaphor?) and down with the freedom of thought, considered a real "Thoughtcrime." Rebellion and revolution have by now become mere commercial products to be consumed quickly and preferably hot, while those of the past are forgotten.
Manson knows all this, and not by chance, "Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)" is an album with a distinctly pessimistic and dark atmosphere. If "Antichrist Superstar" was the "Apocalypse" and "Mechanical Animals" represented a revolution undertaken by Christ transformed over the centuries into another commercial product, this album is undoubtedly "The Genesis," in a true and majestic Bible played in reverse and signed Marilyn Manson.
"I burned all the good things in the Eden Eye, we were too dumb to run, too dead to die" Coma Black a) eden eye b) apple of discord
"This is your creation, the atom of Eden was a bomb. We're damned and tomorrow's canceled because of things we did yesterday, they crucify us in our space." Cruci-fiction in Space
What was the first revolution in human history? You should have guessed the answer, and if not, I'll tell you:
The one undertaken by Adam when he ate the apple of discord from the "tree of knowledge of good and evil," rebelling against God's authority, followed by the "Fall of Humanity." Manson then decides to name his new character "Adam Kadmon," a Hebrew name for the androgynous (as it contained the soul of Eve) first man. The album is divided into 4 chapters: "In the Shadow," "The Androgyne," "Of Red Earth," and "The Fallen," representing the story of humanity and Adam. The symbol chosen for the album is that of mercury, considered by the ancients to be the primordial element of matter.
"If you die when there's no one watching, then your ratings drop and you're forgotten. If they kill you on their TV you're a martyr and the Lamb of God." Lamb of God
"Put me in motorcade, put me in the death parade, dress me up and take me, dress me up and make me your dying God." A Place in the Dirt
What do Kennedy, Christ, and Lennon have in common? All three are very much loved and have been great figures in history. What else?
Manson tells us. Their deaths remain etched in collective memory, making them even more loved and "martyred" by the people. "The death of one is a tragedy, the death of millions is just a statistic," says Manson in "The Fight Song," quoting Stalin. Christ is depicted as a nearly naked and crucified man, sacrificed for our salvation, and is hung in almost every house in America. Kennedy was one of the most beloved and extolled American presidents, and his assassination, which destabilized the entire world, along with his autopsy, has been broadcast on TV multiple times. Lennon, a long-time supporter of pacifism, was ironically killed by one of his own fans, shot dead. All three have given rise to a great post-mortem business. This means that even violence sells. But then why, if the president's brain appears on TV screens and Christ is crucified in every home, is Manson blamed for being a "bad influence on youth"? The album cover, which depicts Manson crucified, was censored in the USA and other countries for being violent, but why is it acceptable to see the original crucifixion even on the walls of elementary schools? Manson is blamed for crude lyrics, which inspire murder and hatred, yet few know that many lines are taken directly from the Bible. Isn't the Bible the world's best-selling book? It's also one of the most violent and bloody, yet it has never been blamed as a bad influence on children.
"The Father: Do you love your Guns (Yeah!), God? (Yeah!) the Government? (Fuck Yeah!)" The Love Song
"Some children died the other day, we fed machine then we prayed puked up and down on morbid faith, you should have seen the ratings that day" The Nobodies
When Manson was accused of inspiring the Columbine massacre, he replied in an interview: "They label me a monster because they say my music drives them to kill. Maybe, but I've never sold a semiautomatic rifle to a 17-year-old." In America, guns are a hot topic, found in any supermarket and the drawers of any house. Yet, a less powerful scapegoat was preferred to the gun market and the president (who was launching bombs overseas at that time, Manson reminds us in the same interview) to blame for the incident. Guns are sanctified by Americans almost like a second religion, so Manson decides to use a cross composed of a rifle and two pistols as a symbol during his tour, aptly named "Guns God and Government."
"We sing the death song kids, because we've got no future, and we want to be just like you" The Death Song
"Multiply your death, divide by sex, add up the violence and what do you get?" Burning Flag
The band, strengthened by the addition of virtuoso guitarist John 5, presents itself as the best formation of Marilyn Manson. The intro to the album is GodeatGod, where Manson sings with a cold voice emanating an almost whispered hatred, the atmosphere is palpable. The background noises suggest an old worn-out reel while the guitar plays decisively. The Fight Song is one of Manson's strongest tracks, screaming vocals, and a text that extols rebellion, simply a musical pearl. We move through Disposable Teens, among powerful guitar riffs and visions of a burned-out youth, references to "1984," and rebellion to Target Audience, a suggestive start, Manson's voice calm and filled with disdain, breaking into the refrain with anguished screams. The title track is one of the saddest and most pessimistic moments of the album, with acoustic guitar and angelic choirs framing a calm and melancholic voice describing desolation and loneliness, while towards the end a falsetto lists various definitions of death. The Nobodies is simply magnificent, sung with a mysterious and sick voice that transforms into pure hatred in the chorus. The Fall of Adam begins with acoustic guitar notes and the sound of thunder, with Manson's voice introspective and whispered and an atmosphere that announces a tragedy. Towards the end, it completely changes, transforming under a chorus of screams and buzzing bees. The album closes with the melodic Count To Six and Die, a piano and soft voice describing a suicide. Five gunshots at the end, while the sixth suggested by the title is not heard, giving way to the noise of fireworks.
Every band member gives an outstanding performance across all nineteen tracks of the album. The work done by keyboardist Pogo, which loads each song with atmospheric and suggestive sounds, is masterful, John 5's guitar is decided and powerful, Ramirez's bass is, as always, excellent, and Ginger Fish's drums play excellently. Manson writes simply indescribable lyrics, granting the album a unique dimension while his voice is grotesque, sepulchral, sharp, screamed, and whispered in every song. The album's booklet is thoroughly curated, featuring alchemical and cabal symbols, up to tarot cards reinterpreted by the band's members.
"Is this what you wanted? this is what you get. Turned all your lives into this shit. You never gave me a chance to be me or even a fucking chance just to be." King Kill 33
"We have no future, heaven wasn't made for me. We burn ourselves to hell as fast as it can be. And I wish that I could be the King. Then I'd know that I'm not Alone." In the Shadow of the Valley of Death
"Holy Wood (In The Shadow of The Valley of Death)" is Manson's response to the accusations for the Columbine massacre. But it is also much more. The album is a true masterpiece with desolate and esoteric atmospheres, a study of the human condition, the relationship between religion, the state and weapons, fame, violence, revolution, and death.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Godeatgod (02:34)
Dear god do you want to tear your knuckles down
and hold yourself
Dear god can you climb up that tree
meat in the shape of a 'T'
Dear god the paper says you were the King
in the black limousine
Dear John and all the King's men
can't put you head together again
Before the bullets
before the flies
before authorities take out my eyes
the only smiling are you dolls that I made
but you are plastic and so are your brains
Dear god the sky is as blue
as a gunshot wound
Dear god if you were alive
then I would kill you.
Before the bullets
before the flies
before authorities take out my eyes
the only smiling are you dolls that I made
but you are plastic and so are your brains
03 The Fight Song (03:01)
Nothing suffocates you more than the passing of everyday human events
And isolation is the oxygen mask you make your children breath it to survive
I'm not a slave to a God that doesn't exist
I'm not a slave to a world that doesn't give a shit
And when we were good
You just closed your eyes
So when we are bad
We'll scar your minds
Fight, fight, fight, fight
Fight, fight, fight, fight
You'll never grow up to be a big-rock-star-celebrated-victim-of-your-fame
They'll just cut our wrists like cheap coupons
And say that death was on sale today
And when we were good
You just closed your eyes
So when we are bad
We'll scar your minds
But I'm not a slave to a God that doesn't exist
I'm not a slave to a world that doesn't give a shit
The death of one is a tragedy
The death of one is a tragedy
The death of one is a tragedy
The death of millions is just a statistic
But I'm not a slave to a God that doesn't exist
I'm not a slave to a world that doesn't give a shit
But I'm not a slave to a God that doesn't exist
I'm not a slave to a world that doesn't give a shit
Fight, fight, fight, fight
Fight, fight, fight, fight
04 Disposable Teens (03:04)
And I'm a black rainbow
And I'm an ape of God
I got a face that's made for violence and porn
And I'm a teen distortion, survived abortion
A rebel from the waist down
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I wanna thank you mom
I wanna thank you dad
For bringing this fucking world to a bitter end
I never really hated the one true God
But the God of the people I hated
You said you wanted evolution
The ape was a great big hit
You said you want a revolution, man
And I say that you're full of shit
We're disposable teens
We're disposable teens
We're disposable teens
We're disposable
We're disposable teens
We're disposable teens
We're disposable teens
We're disposable
You said you wanted evolution
The ape was a great big hit
You said you want a revolution, man
And I say that you're full of shit (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The more that you fear us, the bigger we get
The more that you fear us, the bigger we get
And don't be surprised
And don't be surprised
And don't be surprised when you discover it!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You said you wanted evolution
The ape was a great big hit
You said you want a revolution, man
And I say that you're full of shit (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
You said you wanted evolution
The ape was a great big hit
You said you want a revolution, man
And I say that you're full of shit (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
We're disposable teens
We're disposable teens
We're disposable teens
We're disposable
We're disposable teens
We're disposable teens
We're disposable teens
We're disposable
05 Target Audience (Narcissus Narcosis) (04:22)
Am I sorry your sky went black,
put your knives in babies backs?
Am I sorry you killed the Kennedy's and Huxley too?
But I'm sorry Shakespeare
was your scapegoat
and your apples sticking into my throat
Sorry your Sunday smiles are rusty nails
and your crucifixion commercials failed
but I'm just a pitiful anonymous
And I see all the young believers
Your target audience
I see all the old deceivers
we all just sing their song
Am I sorry to be alive
putting my face in the beehive?
Am I sorry for Booth and Oswald, pinks and cocaine too?
I'm sorry you never check
the bag in my head for a bomb
and my halo was a needle hole
I'm sorry I saw a priest being beaten
and I made a wish
but I'm just a pitiful anonymous
And I see all the young believers
Your target audience
I see all the old deceivers
we all just sing their song
And I see all the young believers
Your target audience
I see all the old deceivers
we all just sing their song
we all just sing their song
we all just sing their song
"the valley of death we are free
your father's your prison you see"
And I see all the young believers
Your target audience
I see all the old deceivers
we all just sing their song
you're just a copy of an imitation
you're just a copy of an imitation
("The president is dead. Let us pray.")
08 Cruci-Fiction in Space (04:56)
this is evolution
the monkey
the man
and then the gun
if Christ was in Texas
the hammer
the sickle
the only son
this is your creation
the atom of Eden
was a bomb
if Jack was the Baptist
we'd drink wine
from his head
this is evolution
the monkey
the man
and then the gun
I am a revolution
pull my knuckles down
if I could
I am a revelation
and I'm nailed
to the Holy Wood
this is evolution
the monkey
the man
and then the gun
we are dead and tomorrow's canceled
because of things we did yesterday
we are dead and tomorrow's canceled
they crucify us in our space
in our space
in our space
this is evolution
the monkey
the man
and then the gun
flies are waiting
09 A Place in the Dirt (03:37)
We are damned and we are dead
all god's children to be sent
to our perfect place in the sun
and in the dirt
There's a windshield in my heart
we are bugs so smeared and scarred
and could you stop the meat from thinking
before I swallow all of it,
could you please?
Put me in the motorcade
put me in the death parade
dress me up and take me
dress me up and make me
your dying god
angels with needles
poked through our eyes
let the ugly light
of the world in
we were no longer blind
we were no longer blind
Put me in the motorcade
put me in the death parade
dress me up and take me
dress me up and make me
your dying god
Now we hold the "ugly head"
the Mary-whore is at the bed
They've cast the shadow of our perfect death
in the sun and in the dirt.
10 The Nobodies (03:34)
Today I am dirty
I want to be pretty
Tomorrow I'll know that I'm just dirt
Today I am dirty
I want to be pretty
Tomorrow I'll know that I'm just dirt
We are the nobodies
We wanna be somebodies
When we're dead
They'll know just who we are
We are the nobodies
We wanna be somebodies
When we're dead
They'll know just who we are
Yesterday I was dirty
Wanted to be pretty
I know now that I'm forever dirt
Yesterday I was dirty
Wanted to be pretty
I know now that I'm forever dirt
We are the nobodies
We wanna be somebodies
When we're dead
They'll know just who we are
We are the nobodies
We wanna be somebodies
When we're dead
They'll know just who we are
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
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
Na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na
We are the nobodies (Na, na, na, na, na)
Wanna be somebodies (Na, na, na, na, na)
When we're dead (Na, na, na, na, na)
They'll know just who we are (Na, na, na, na, na)
We are the nobodies (Na, na, na, na, na)
Wanna be somebodies (Na, na, na, na, na)
When we're dead
They'll know just who we are
We are the nobodies
Wanna be somebodies
When we're dead
They'll know just who we are
13 Born Again (03:23)
Do you or don't you want this to be your song?
It doesn't take a rebel to sing along.
This art is weak
in its pretty frame
and I am a monkey with
a misspelled name
"I'll put down you disco
and take you heart away.
I'll put down you disco
and take your heart away"
I am born again
I'm someone else
I'm someone new
I'm someone stupid just like you
I'm someone else
I'm someone new
I'm someone stupid just like you
do you or don't you want to take this hit?
Does it make you feel like you're a part of "it."
"I'll put down you disco
and take you heart away.
I'll put down you disco
and take your heart away"
I am born again
I'm someone else
I'm someone new
I'm someone stupid just like you
I'm someone else
I'm someone new
I'm someone stupid just like you
the valley of the dolls is
the valley of the dead
the valley of the dolls is
the valley of the dead
(CHORUS)
I am born again
14 Burning Flag (03:23)
They want to sell it out
buy it up
dumb it down
a good god is hard to find
I'll join the crowd that
wants to see me dead
right now I feel I belong
for the first time
multiply your death
divide by sex
add up the violence and
what do you get?
We are all just stars and we're waiting
we are all just scarred and we're hating
we are all just stars on your burning flag
you can point your gun at me
and hope it will go away
but if god was alive,
he would hate you anyway
my right wing is flapping
the left one is gray
let's hear it for the kids but
nothing they say
they gyrate and G-rate
on Election Day
we got out ABC's and our F U C K
multiply your death
divide by sex
add up the violence and
what do you get?
We are all just stars and we're waiting
we are all just scarred and we're hating
we are all just stars on your burning flag
you can point your gun at me
and hope it will go away
but if god was alive,
he would hate you anyway
We are all just stars and we're waiting
we are all just scarred and we're hating
we are all just stars on your burning flag
stars on your burning flag (x6)
17 The Fall of Adam (02:34)
The Abraham Lincoln town cars
arrive to dispose of our king and queen
they orchestrated dramatic new scenes
for Celebritarian needs
When one world ends
something else begins
but without a scream
just a whisper because we
just start it over again
Do you love your guns?
Your god and your government?
Let me hear you
Hey
Do you love your guns?
Do you love your god and your government?
Let me hear you goddamn it
Hey
Do you love your guns?
And your god and your government?
Let me hear you
Hey
Your mother?
And your father?
And your baby?
Goddamn it let me hear you
Hey
Do you love your guns?
I want your mothers and your fathers
To hear you say it
Hey
Every single one of you motherfuckers
Let me hear it from you
Hey
Do you love your guns?
And your god and your government?
Hey
I wanna hear it from everyone
I wanna hear you say you want a gun
Let me hear it
Hey
18 King Kill 33° (02:18)
Is this what you wanted?
This is what you get.
Turned all your lives into this shit.
You never accepted or treated me fair
blame me for what I believe
and I wear.
You fucked yourselves and you
raised these sheep
the blue and the withered seeds
you will reap.
You never gave me a chance to be me
Or even a fucking chance just to be.
But I have to show you that
you played a role
and I will destroy you with one simple hole.
The world that hates me has taken its toll
but now I have finally taken control.
You wanted so bad to make me this thing
and I want you now to just kill the king
and I am not sorry, and I am not sorry
this is what you deserve
and I am not sorry, and I am not sorry
this is what you deserve
King Kill 33
and I am not sorry, and I am not sorry
this is what you deserve
King Kill 33
and I am not sorry, and I am not sorry
this is what you deserve
King Kill 33
King Kill 33
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Other reviews
By CoolOras
Holy Wood is a dark, gloomy, angry album with gothic-style atmospheres that needs to be listened to with great attention before being judged.
MM has inserted various hidden messages, from 'Death Valley' to 'flies,' symbolizing the mass media's commodification of originality.
By (sic)
"Now this is what you call a masterpiece of a song, damn it!!!"
You can say anything about Manson, except that he is a great musician.
By MiseryMachine
His true response would come a year later with the album 'Holy Wood,' a concept album centered on the cult of weapons, the capitalistic 'American Dream,' the various attacks on American presidents, and religion.
It's an album that has aged very well, it’s still relevant, perhaps even more so now than it was then.
