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

Marilyn Manson had mastered the art of shock rock with Antichrist Superstar when he decided to extend his musical reach with the glam rock strokes of Mechanical Animals. However, his audience didn’t respond as emphatically to such considered maturations and Manson quickly returned to the guttural and instinctive abrasion of his industrial rock roots with Holy Wood, a loose concept album about a world caught in the post-Columbine climate. The “shocking” imagery feels a bit gratuitous in spots, since the tunes underlying “The Fight Song,” “Disposable Teens,” “Burning Flag,” and “Born Again” are strong and forceful enough on their own not to require any extra fuel for the fire. But this is Marilyn Manson we’re speaking of and it’s part of the band’s DNA to find ways to keep the controversy on the front page. As the years pass, however, it’s the riffs and swaggering military rhythms that remain long after the initial surprises have played themselves out.