Marilyn Manson announced on his Instagram page today (February 17, 2026) the return of Tim Skold to the band following last months departure of Tyler Bates. He did this with two photos of him and Skold together, captioning one with the anticipated announcement: "We are the things of shapes to come. MM + TS." According to the dictionary, "If you say that something is the shape of things to come, you mean that it is the start of a new trend or development, and in the future things will be like this." Tim Skold likewise posted the photo on his Instagram page, after wiping out everything else, including those who he follows, choosing to follow only Marilyn Manson. This indicates that he is all in on his return to the band. Skold was a pivotal member of the band from 2002 to 2008, serving as producer, bassist, and guitarist. He was the primary collaborator on the albums The Golden Age of Grotesque and Eat Me, Drink Me . Tim Skold has been one of Marilyn Manson's mos...
27 years ago, in an interview with Rolling Stone (March 6, 1997), Trent Reznor gave a good summary of what Marilyn Manson brought back to the music scene in the 1990's, which not only made him a controversial and misunderstood figure, but unique and successful as well.
When I was growing up, rock & roll helped give me my sense of identity, but I had to search for it. I remember I loved the Clash, but I was an outcast because you were supposed to like Journey. Before that, I loved Kiss. The thing these bands gave me was invaluable - that whole spirit of rebellion. Rock & roll should be about rebellion. It should piss your parents off, and it should offer some element of taboo. It should be dangerous, you know? But I'm not sure it really is dangerous anymore. Now, thanks to MTV and radio, rock & roll gets pumped into your house every second of every day. Being a rock & roll star has become as legitimate a career option as being an astronaut or a policeman or a fireman. That's why I applaud - even helped create - bands like Marilyn Manson. The shock-rock value. I think it's necessary. Death to Hootie and the Blowfish, you know. It's safe. It's legitimate.
Look at Marilyn Manson: They have no qualms about taking that whole thing on. The scene needs that, you know? It doesn't need another Pearl Jam-rip-off band. It doesn't need the politically correct R.E.M.s telling us, "We don't eat meat." Fuck you to all that. We need someone who wants to say, "You know what? I jack off 10 times a night, and I fuck groupies." It's not considered safe to say that now, but rock shouldn't be safe. I'm not saying I adhere wholeheartedly to all that in my own lifestyle, but I think that's the aesthetic we need right now. There needs to be some element of anarchy or something that dares to be different.