Marilyn Manson
Holy Wood

THE REVIEW

- GODEATGOD: A reassuring title, right? God eats God... alright, let's move on. The intro gives a good idea of how this CD will be, and it's done very well.
- THE LOVE SONG: Great song, with a Twiggy Ramirez (bassist) who seems more on form than ever. Finally, I hear the screams I missed in "Mechanical Animals."
- THE FIGHT SONG: Now this is what you call a masterpiece of a song, damn it!!! Sarah Lee Lucas (drummer) does something magnificent, supported by an excellent guitarist (John 5) and Marilyn Manson's more brilliant voice than ever. My favorite.
- DISPOSABLE TEENS: The beginning scared me a bit (reminds me too much of the terrifying "Mechanical Animals"), but it gets better, much better. Nice track.
- TARGET AUDIENCE: The start of the song is spot on, the rest is decent.
- PRESIDENT DEAD: An eloquent title... the track is good, with a bass that really shines.
- IN THE SHADOW OF THE VALLEY OF THE DEATH: Despite the acoustic guitar (which I don't really like), the track is very calm and very enjoyable. A sort of pause, let's say.
- CRUCI-FICTION IN SPACE: Good song, although the chorus is quite lacking.
- A PLACE IN THE DIRT: Great start, too bad about the not-so-exciting chorus. This track and the previous one sound good together, by the way.
- THE NOBODIES: Dedicated to Marilyn Manson's fans, the song shines thanks to another splendid job by Twiggy Ramirez and the reverend's excellent voice. My second favorite track.
- THE DEATH SONG: Very interesting song, although I find it a bit too monotonous.
- LAMB OF GOD: Quite a calm song, with the same purpose as the previously mentioned IN THE SHADOW OF THE VALLEY OF DEATH (that is, a moment of calm, a pause). At least there's no acoustic guitar...
- BORN AGAIN: The beginning reminds me a bit of IRRESPONSIBLE HATE ANTHEM from the magnificent “Antichrist Superstar,” though the rest is completely different. Good track.
- BURNING FLAG: Here again, the beginning reminds me of a Manson song, the beautiful THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. It's the track on the album that most resembles those on “Antichrist Superstar” (except for the drums, which are a bit different compared to the 1996 Manson album's tracks). Very good track.
- COMA BLACK: I don't like it at all. It reminds me too much of “Mechanical Animals,” and that album is nothing but trash. There's not a hint of bass, and Manson sings without character. The worst track on the entire album.
- VALENTINE’S DAY: The beginning is very similar to THE LOVE SONG, although later, the song turns out bad for the same reason as the previous one. Lousy voice and too much electronics.
- THE FALL OF ADAM: And here comes that lousy acoustic guitar again... at least, in the chorus, you can hear Manson go back to screaming. The end, where there's a buzzing fly making that annoying sound, is cool... and integrates well with the next song.
- KING KILL 33: Here comes the electronics again, but here it fits, really fits... finally, I hear the throbbing bass, and the various voices heard in the track only make the song more intriguing...
- COUNT TO SIX AND DIE: The final song of the album. Too melodic for my taste.

HOLY WOOD. After the horrendous “Mechanical Animals” and the decent live “The Last Tour On Earth,” the reverend Manson finally delivers a good work. It's not perfect like “Antichrist Superstar,” but let's just say it's the album that most resembles the 1996 work. Some tracks really rock (THE FIGHT SONG, above all), while others leave something to be desired... in my opinion, the reverend should stop using this electronic stuff, which already ruined an album (guess which one...) and could have ruined “Holy Wood.” But, unlike “Mechanical Animals,” this time the CD turned out well, very well... and deserves a good rating.
And then; you can say anything about Manson, except that he is a great musician.