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Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
by
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) Image
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 161 Ratings

Top Track

Fight Song
Nothing suffocates you more than The passing of everyday human events And isolation is the oxygen mask you make Your children breath in to... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. L.A. Weekly
    90
    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.
  2. AllMusic
    90
    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.
  3. Q Magazine
    80
    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.
  4. CDNow
    70
    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.
  5. HOB.com
    70
    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.
  6. Wall of Sound
    65
    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."
  7. Spin
    40
    With nothing fresh to moan about, it's like a seventh James Bond movie without any new gadgets. [12/2000, p.223]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 14 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 43
  3. Negative: 2 out of 43
  1. shimmy
    Jan 30, 2002
    10
    this album is just so fucking brilliant each time i listen to it it just seems to get louder better heavier deffinately worth a 10
  2. CourtneyS.
    Oct 17, 2001
    10
    I loved the album i thought that every song on it was great and very well written. I love all of mansons albums but i honestly think that I loved the album i thought that every song on it was great and very well written. I love all of mansons albums but i honestly think that this was the best one.… Expand
  4. JacobN
    Feb 9, 2007
    10
    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 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.… Collapse
  5. AndrewF
    Aug 21, 2004
    10
    Both the beginning and the end of his Antichrist tale, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) is a brilliant concept album- one Both the beginning and the end of his Antichrist tale, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) is a brilliant concept album- one that can be interpreted in many different ways. It can be seen as part of the story that also includes Mechanical Animals and Antichrist Superstar, or stand on it's own when viewed in a slightly more personal light. This isn't your mindless shock rock, kiddies (and critics). I won't reveal the concept and themes behind the album. Doing so would take away from the album, and pretty much insult Manson himself. But I am slightly discouraged by the reaction Manson gets from his albums- people see them as silly glam/gothic rock with no real meaning. "Sure, it may have some social commentary, but it's amateurish at best." How wrong they are.… Expand
  6. clinteastwoo
    May 11, 2016
    10
    ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Magnum opus of MM… Expand
  7. LoRevisor
    Nov 10, 2017
    10
    O Melhor Álbum sem sombras de dúvida já feito por Marilyn Manson, e Um dos melhores Álbum de Rock de todos os tempos...

    Do primeiro e    O Melhor Álbum sem sombras de dúvida já feito por Marilyn Manson, e Um dos melhores Álbum de Rock de todos os tempos...

    Do primeiro e mediano álbum "Portrait Of A An American Family" (1994) para o segundo Icônico "Antichrist Superstar" (1996) a inovação, revolução e crescimento da maturidade artística de Marilyn Manson foi algo extraordinário!!!.

    Se analisamos pelo ponto de vista do primeiro álbum, poderia ser apenas uma banda qualquer que lançou seu primeiro álbum mediano, do gênero Metal Industrial, com até algumas músicas boas mas nada tão impactante. Com isso poderíamos nem se empolgar por um segundo álbum que claramente já iriamos acreditar que seria outro álbum mediano mas não, Antichrist Superstar (1996) foi sem dúvidas um marco não só para o metal mas para o Rock também, foi algo novo uma nova força agressiva ambas lírica e melodiosa, com sons inovadores sintetizados que ao mesmo tempo é assustador e brilhante como por exemplo a bela e horripilante passagem do meio para o final da clássica faixa "Cryptorchid", Antichrist Superstar considerado pela maioria dos fãs e críticos como o melhor álbum de Marilyn Manson e não pra menos, Foi díficil eu escolher entre Holy Wood & Superstar, mas para mim Holy Wood comete a façanha de ser ainda melhor.

    Para o terceiro álbum "Mechanical Animals" vemos de novo uma reinvenção e evolução mais no quesito sonoro, Mas maduro que o som do Antichrist não estou dizendo que seja melhor a melodia do MA do que do AS, mas sem dúvida Mechanical tem melodias mais bem construídas e maduras exemplo para as Baladas "The Speed of Pain", "Coma White" & "Dissasociative".

    Digamos que por isso Holy Wood é o melhor, pois uniu a raiva do Antichrist talvez mais raiva ainda, num Metal mais rápido que do Antichrist, e as melodia maduras do Mechanical....

    Holy Wood, É um álbum excelente do início ao fim, ou melhor É uma obra-prima.    … Expand
  8. Rick
    Nov 21, 2005
    0
    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

See all 43 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Best Album of 2000
16
#16 Most Discussed Album of 2000
6
#6 Most Shared Album of 2000

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