In the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre on April 20 , 1999 , national news media reported that the perpetrators were wearing the band 's T-shirts during the rampage , and had been influenced by their music . As their first release after the massacre , the record was Manson 's rebuttal to the accusations leveled against him and the group , and was described by the vocalist as a " declaration of war " . It was written in the singer 's former home in the Hollywood Hills and recorded in several undisclosed locations , including Death Valley and Laurel Canyon . His ambitions for '' Holy Wood '' initially included an eponymous film exploring its backstory — a project which has since been abandoned and was modified into the as-yet-unreleased '' Holy Wood '' novel
Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)