The Holy Bible is the third studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 30 August 1994 by record label Epic. While the album was being written and recorded, lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards was struggling with severe depression, alcohol abuse, self-harm and anorexia nervosa, and its contents are considered by many sources to reflect his mental state. The songs focus on themes relating to politics and human suffering. The Holy Bible was the band's last album released before Edwards' disappearance on 1 February 1995.
The Holy Bible (album)
One of the inspirations for the lyrics on the album was a band visit to Dachau concentration camp. A photograph of this gate features in the album's artwork.
French avant-garde writer Octave Mirbeau, quoted on the sleeve of The Holy Bible
Whitchurch Hospital, Cardiff
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire and cousins James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore. They form a key part of the 1990s Welsh Cool Cymru cultural movement.
Manic Street Preachers in 2010. From left to right: James Dean Bradfield, touring member Wayne Murray, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore; the open microphone on the far right is a traditional memorial to former member Richey Edwards, who disappeared in 1995.
Manic's James Dean Bradfield in Chicago circa 1992
Edwards performing in Japan in 1991
The "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" poster
