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

Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) is a Rock & Roll album by Marilyn Manson.

Released on November 13, 2000, it was Manson's first album since the Columbine High School massacre of April 20, 1999, which some elements of the media had blamed him for. Perhaps as a result, the album is focused on guns and death, and especially the fame a violent death can bring.

For example, "The Love Song" appears to target America's gun culture, suggesting guns rather than people have become the objects of true love. Lyrics include:

I've got a crush on a pretty pistol, should I tell her that I feel this way?

"Lamb of God" appears to comment on the media's presentation of death:

If you die when there's no-one watching, then your ratings drop and you're forgotton.

If they kill you on the TV, you're a martyr and a lamb of God.

"The Nobodies" seems to deal directly with the Columbine massacre:

We are the nobodies, wanna be somebodies.

When we're dead, they'll know just who we are.

External link

• Drowned in Sound review