Marilyn Manson - Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)

The impact of Marilyn Manson's subversive musical agenda has waned, and what's left is a provocative, talented artist writing affecting, powerful, and yes, controversial songs. Although Holy Wood is the third title of a trilogy that began with 1996's Antichrist Superstar, the album stands on its own. Rife with references to the Beatles and the Kennedys, and full of pop-culture barbs, Holy Wood is a musically diverse and powerful statement. The memorable sing-along "Disposable Teens" boasts the same kind of staccato, Teutonic, first-thrusting power introduced with "Beautiful People," while "Fight Song" is the Sex Pistols meets Blur by way of Nirvana. While a futuristic, nihilistic tint pervades Manson's work, passion is also prevalent, notably in the spooky acoustic number "A Place in the Dirt" and the brutal "Death Song." Like Marilyn Manson the man, Holy Wood is intelligent, dynamic, and multifaceted, with myriad charms that are evident to the tuned-in listener. --Katherine Turman