PRETTY HATE MACHINE

This is the second album here I've given five stars that isn't really prog at all, but just like "The Bends" this one deserves it nonetheless. People didn't really notice Pretty Hate Machine at the time of its release, and even now I don't think it's gotten the attention and acclaim it deserves, but it (along with Reznor) has received much more popularity than it did before. It has metal in it, synthpop, industrial rock, indie rock, and even dance-rock, but it's pretty far from prog.

That doesn't mean prog-fans won't enjoy it, not at all. It has just enough experimentation and thought-provoking lyrics to attract any thinking man into checking it out. Really the only downside it has is its length, clocking it at under 50 minutes with not very many songs (none of which are over six minutes) and a slight feeling of incompleteness. And even that is nitpicking, especially considering that it never lets up all the way through through the entire ride, and I highly recommend it.