WITH TEETH

After the huge success of 'The Downward Spiral' and 'The Fragile' along with some EPs thrown in there for good measure, Trent Reznor was riding high, but was also battling with drug and alcohol addiction. Also, during this time, Reznor faced writers block. This was not a good time for Nine Inch Nails, or the fans. The public was getting restless for a new NIN album. 'And All That Could Have Been' was released in 2002 and it was a double album, one disc live, the other studio tracks. This was an excellent album, and worked to appease the fans for the time being.

Fast forward to 2005 before Reznor was ready to release another album. Excitement was generated when news started coming in that an album was on it's way. When the album did finally come out, it shot right up the charts. People were expecting that loud and inventive music that Trent was know for, the same wildness and ingenuity that existed before.

For the most part, the critics and the fans were happy with this album. I know I was happy with it, but there was a little something missing in there that was hard to pinpoint. Nevertheless, this is a decent album, not quite as major of a release as the previous albums, but it was still satisfying. The album was originally supposed to be a concept album with songs and music dealing with the way addiction can lead to either a downfall or to recovery. By the time the album was finished however, Trent admitted it wasn't a concept album except for maybe in a loose sense where the songs could be listened to individually, but would also fit together nicely as 'friends'.

Right off the bat, you can tell things are different in that the first track doesn't come blasting out at full volume like you would expect. However, there is a lot of tension in 'All the Love in the World' and it builds and builds. There was some electronics, but there was also some organic sounds that were mixed to the front, piano and percussion. This was a pleasant surprise. But the way the music builds and builds is just what this album need to start it off, and by the time you reach the end, your heart is racing and your blood is boiling, and hallelujah, NIN is back!

'You Know What You Are?' follows as an upbeat and loud track and carries on with the excitement. 'The Collector' veers off in a progressive direction with some interesting and constant meter changes, and you end up with a great track that continues in the same style as previously, and by now, you are convinced that NIN is back with a vengeance. Things would be amazing if only they would follow this same trend through the album.

But this is the point where we seem to lose the forward motion of the previous tracks. 'The Hand That Feeds' is only a straightforward rock song and sounded pretty typical for the time, so it was released as a single. This same straightforwardness continues through 'Love is Not Enough' and 'Every Day is Exactly the Same' not that these are bad tracks, they just don't have anything really different and unique about them. So things begin to get a little disappointing at this part of the album.

'With Teeth', the title track, brings the hope back however, and sounds a lot more inventive and unique, especially with the sudden drop in volume and intensity in the middle of the track where things become more ambient and spacey for a while and builds back up. Great use of dynamics in this track. 'Only' is another single from the album, and is an excellent reminder of the greatness of past NIN hits, and, even though the beat is steady and pretty standard, it is very catchy and the variation of instrumentation in the background keep things interesting and exciting. The chorus is repetitive, but it is easy to see why this song would be considered another anthem in NIN's repertoire.

'Getting Smaller' starts out with some great noisy and industrial sounding effects, but it soon lapses into mediocrity with a rapid fire beat and a song sounding too much like it's trying to repeat past successes, and only succeeding in sounding copycat more than reminiscent of the older NIN. 'Sunspots' has a great bass line, but other than that, it is nothing special again. There are some places in these two songs that approach being industrial, but the effects aren't enough to carry the song into greatness as before.

'The Line Begins to Blur' is a attempt to return to the slow, dark sound of 'March of the Pigs' et al, and it does so, but after following a couple of more commercial sounding tracks, it loses it's effectiveness. By itself, it would probably fit quite comfortable in the loudness of previous albums, but with it's placement on this album, it loses its power. 'Beside You in Time' is a study in tension with somewhat subdued vocals, and tension building over a drone. This one is better, and more unique. This would be a hint at the type of great music exploration on the album 'Ghosts'. 'Right Where It Belongs' ends the original release, but it is a little weak especially considering the previous track. Again, it isn't a bad song, but it is not the finale you expect to hear after the song preceding it.

Overall, this is still a great NIN release, and in the complete context, is a good album. Unfortunately, there are weak points among the very strong points. There is hope that the NIN of the past is still there, but there are tracks when that special something is missing, probably because Trent is experimenting with other styles and sounds. There is nothing wrong with this, and in this case, it doesn't completely destroy the album, but for a while, things won't get any better in the next album 'Year Zero'. Still, 'With Teeth' still manages to come out it all as a solid 4 star album.