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L.A. Weekly

Yeah, it's a party. And it's great rock music. Those who claim Manson "went back to Goth" and reclaimed Antichrist's noise after Mechanical proved too subtle for kids are only partly right. Okay, he virtually cloned his hit "The Beautiful People" in "Disposable Teens." And there are several familiar yell-and-stomp numbers on Holy Wood. But even those almost all contain a double-take chord change or a textural overdose or a mind-blowing bridge, and they'll be terroristic in concert. More important, there are a bunch of plain brilliant tracks where Manson anoints bits of rock history into his own church.

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All Music Guide

There's so much effort, Holy Wood winds up a stronger and more consistent album than any of his other work. If there's any problem, it's that Manson's shock rock seems a little quaint in 2000.

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Billboard

Manson proves again that he's one of the most skilled lyricists in rock today.

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Q Magazine

Attacking God and country and rubbing his fellow citizens up the wrong way, is par for Manson?s course. Yet never has he done it with quite such passion.

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Entertainment Weekly

A pulverizing metallic symphony that makes Rob Zombie sound like elevator music.... The hateful huckster's most potent effort yet. [11/17/2000, p.126]

HOB.com

Holy Wood is strictly derivative, but done with enough skill to stay entertaining. Even when the borrowing is more blatant (the guitars of "The Fight Song," for example, sound like a cross between Hole's "Plump" and Blur's "Song 2"), the album doesn't suffer noticeably.... As hard rock albums go, this one's a keeper. The problem is, Marilyn Manson aspires to something greater than that. He's plenty articulate next to the competition, and plenty adept at selling his message with powerful imagery and catch phrases. But strip away those ornaments, and what he's saying seems a bit too obvious.

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Rolling Stone

The band truly rocks: Its malevolent groove fleshes out its leader's usual complaints with an exhilarating swagger that's the essence of rock & roll.... On Holy Wood, Manson is as ambitious, personal and heavy as he's ever been, but the album is not, as he has proclaimed, the band's White Album. The music of these L.A. scenesters, though still evolving, can't hope to match the Beatles' level of eclectic experimentation or melodicism.

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Dot Music

Where 'Holy Wood' does come together and threaten to transcend its at times cliched parts is in its clarity of vision. This is a lean, visceral album that is as tripwire lithe as its maker. Manson's also remembered to write some great pop-goth tunes this time out, nowhere more so than with first single 'Disposable Teens'.

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CDNow

Previously merely noisy screechers with no sense of how to play their instruments, Marilyn Manson is now an accomplished and complex industrial-strength hard rock band... It's a point driven home by the group's new album, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). Though not as strong or consistent as the glammy Mechanical Animals, Holy Wood instead bridges the gap between that album and its dirtier, raspier predecessor, Antichrist Superstar, with songs that are catchy on the inside, but noisy on the outside.

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Wall of Sound

Manson's most ambitious, musically accomplished, and -- dare we say it? -- mature album to date. Holy Wood treads too much over the same nihilistic territory, raging against a God he claims doesn't exist, and describing in detail a life that he says isn't worth living. That said, there are some musically powerful moments on the album, notably the eviscerating power chords on "The Fight Song" and the galloping rhythms of "Disposable Teens."

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Sonicnet

Nonetheless, while more ambitious than almost all of today's metal-flaked rock competition, the 19-track Holy Wood is not without its problems. On numbers such as "President Dead" and "Cruci-Fiction in Space," the band seems to be just rehashing old terrain. And, while The Wall may be a worthy role model, Manson and company don't quite have Pink Floyd's lyrical or musical range, adding to the rote feeling that troubles some of this overlong (60+ minutes) disc.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

As usual in Manson's world, the goal of maximum discomfort supercedes the music, which sticks to familiar and reliably doom-laden but catchy pop-metal on "Disposable Teens" and "The Love Song."... Here, he seems entranced by his own power, which may be why his dark worldview sounds baseless even as he offers sharp hooks others would kill for.

Spin Cycle

Manson still has the most bloodcurdling scream in rock. But the flat-footed musical backing on "Holy Wood" leaves his delivery sounding strained, like an overburdened star left naked on an empty stage.

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Spin

With nothing fresh to moan about, it's like a seventh James Bond movie without any new gadgets. [12/2000, p.223]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 59 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jacob N gave it a10:
Ok. Manson himself said hes not trying to corrupt people. He wants people to be more open about problems they have. The Album was totally fantastic. Manson knows how to blend fantastic lyrics with great beats. Marilyn Manson for president! 2008 bitch.

Rick gave it a0:
A terrible album that will only fill your mind with lies. The lyrics are disgusting. Rubbish pop rock - worth only to be thrown away. Don’t waste your time or money, or your mind on this music about suicide and death.

Hunter B gave it a9:
An amazing album. Manson has managed to blend the sound of Antichrist Superstar with that of Mechanical Animals, making this album both abrasive and melodic. Manson's lyrics are better than ever. While formulaic at times, this is a great album.

Randy B gave it a10:
This album is amazing. To date, 'Holy Wood' provides us with Manson's definitive work, combining the melodies of the amazingly underappreciated 'Mechanical Animals' and the noise of 'Antichrist Superstar'. The greatness of the lyrics here are in direct competition with those on 'Mechanical Animals', with a difference-the ones here are darker.

god of f gave it a 10:
i fucking love this album i´m a great fan of manson and i´ve heard all of is work and i think that this is THE album the best work of m.m and a pleasent way to get all the adrenaline out whith out smaking the shit out of youre neighbours ears like music from cradle of filth our some of that death metal shit.MANSON4EVER

Simon B gave it a 10:
I think that Manson is a genius and those people who says that his songs make people kill them self/or other people are nut. If people do such thing it's not only because of the song, I think that there has to be something wrong with you if you kill your self/or other persons. Just my opinion and Manson deserves a 10

Cham Z gave it a 10:
Genius. That is all.

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

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