MARILYN MANSON HOLY WOOD (IN THE SHADOW OF THE VALLEY OF DEATH) ALBUM NOTHING, UNIVERSAL RELEASE: NOVEMBER 14, 2000 REVIEW: JANUARY 10, 2001

These are times when the Western illusion of democracy is becoming more transparent than ever. In its place, the "invisible hand" of capitalism is starting to take very solid shape, and its main feature is an index finger that's pointing down, down, down, down, down.
It's with this background you should view Marilyn Manson, and then he transcends from being a cartoon character to an important force. Especially in the United States, the origin of most de-evolution. Manson dares challenge the moral monopoly of the Christian right, and asks the question: "What happens to those who won't succumb to the capitalistic way of life?".
In interviews, he does all this with splendour: he's articulate, witty, and very intelligent. If he could translate that into his records, they'd be fabulous - but he can't. On "Holy Wood (in the Shadow of the Valley of Death), his lyrics are as banal as ever, almost adolescent, and often feel like more than provocations without a real core.
The music is also still very much 70's hard rock with a few loops and "spooky" synths, although undeniably better produced than ever. Still, not very exciting. The glam rock on Manson's best album "Mechanical Animals" was far better, much because the band dared tone the aggressive side down. All that said, I have to admit that "The Love Song" has a brilliant chorus - "Do you love your guns? Yeah! God? Yeah! The government?". Very funny.
Maybe Manson just doesn't want to go over his audience's head. Maybe he was just born to be a debater rather than a musician. No matter what, I'll continue to read his interviews, but I doubt that I will play "Holy Wood" many times again.

KRISTOFFER NOHEDEN