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NINE INCH NAILS

Crossover Prog • United States


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Nine Inch Nails picture
Nine Inch Nails biography
Founded in Cleveland, USA in 1988 - Still active as of 2018
Michael Trent Reznor - Born May 17, 1965 (New Castle, Pennsylvania)

US band NINE INCH NAILS was more or less formed in 1988 by Trent Reznor, and while other musicians have participated in various manners over the years the band is first and foremost his solo project.

The early start of this band occurred when Reznor worked as a janitor and assistant engineer at Right Track Studios, and asked the owner Bert Koster to be allowed to record some music of his own in the studio when it wasn't otherwise occupied. The subsequent demo recordings, where Reznor handled all instruments apart from drums himself, landed him a record contract with TVT Records, and 10 cuts from these demos were polished and issued as the first NiN album Pretty Hate Machine in 1989. The album eventually sold to platinum, one of the best selling independently releases records of all time. Tours in the US and Europe followed until 1991, when his record label pressured Reznor to start recording more studio material.

1992 saw the release of two EP's under the NiN moniker. The 8 track EP Broken was another highly successful venture, and while arguably better known for the promotional videos made for the singles released from the EP it was commercially highly succesfull as well, and eventually lead to Reznor getting two Grammy awards. The remix EP Fixed followed towards the end of the year.

Citing inspirations by Pink Floyd (The Wall) and David Bowie (Low), The Downward Spiral was Reznor's next full length effort to be issued under the Nine Inch Nail's moniker. And like his previous efforts it proved to be a massive commercial success, and is regarded as a major artistic achievement as well. The album appears in numerous lists of the most important albums of all times, whether they are based on commercial or artistic principles. The tour in support of the album was as massive a success as the album itself, and lifted Trent Reznor once and for all up to the major artist level. Even the remix album Further Down the Spiral became a commercial success story, shifting enough copies to achieve the Gold Album merit shortly after it's release.

Addiction problems and writer's block stopped the further evolvement of the project dead in it's tracks though, but while battling these demons Reznor got the opportunity to produce the soundtrack for the David Lynch movie Lost Highway. He...
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NINE INCH NAILS discography


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NINE INCH NAILS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.43 | 128 ratings
Pretty Hate Machine
1989
3.97 | 180 ratings
The Downward Spiral
1994
3.97 | 141 ratings
The Fragile
1999
3.18 | 82 ratings
With Teeth
2005
3.19 | 82 ratings
Year Zero
2007
3.88 | 100 ratings
Ghosts I-IV
2008
3.17 | 65 ratings
The Slip
2008
3.66 | 64 ratings
Hesitation Marks
2013
3.73 | 22 ratings
Bad Witch
2018
4.12 | 20 ratings
Ghosts V: Together
2020
4.02 | 22 ratings
Ghosts VI: Locusts
2020

NINE INCH NAILS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.21 | 29 ratings
And All That Could Have Been
2002

NINE INCH NAILS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

3.91 | 11 ratings
Closure
1997
3.57 | 18 ratings
And All That Could Have Been
2002
3.52 | 25 ratings
Beside You in Time
2007

NINE INCH NAILS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.33 | 32 ratings
Further Down the Spiral
1995
3.41 | 25 ratings
Things Falling Apart
2000
2.38 | 20 ratings
Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D
2007
4.95 | 2 ratings
The Fragile: Deviations 1
2016

NINE INCH NAILS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

2.37 | 11 ratings
Down In It
1989
2.75 | 14 ratings
Head Like a Hole
1990
2.70 | 12 ratings
Sin
1990
3.75 | 4 ratings
Happiness in Slavery
1992
3.59 | 59 ratings
Broken
1992
3.27 | 20 ratings
Fixed
1992
3.33 | 12 ratings
March of the Pigs
1994
3.82 | 18 ratings
Closer
1994
4.25 | 8 ratings
Hurt
1994
2.67 | 3 ratings
The Perfect Drug Versions
1996
2.08 | 3 ratings
The Day the World Went Away
1999
3.00 | 1 ratings
We're In This Together
1999
3.00 | 1 ratings
We're In This Together (2)
1999
3.00 | 1 ratings
We're In This Together (3)
1999
3.00 | 1 ratings
Into the Void
2000
2.05 | 2 ratings
The Hand That Feeds
2005
3.00 | 1 ratings
Only
2005
2.00 | 1 ratings
Only Remixes
2005
2.33 | 3 ratings
Every Day is Exactly the Same
2006
4.00 | 1 ratings
Survivalism
2007
3.83 | 6 ratings
NINJA tour sampler
2009
2.30 | 11 ratings
Came Back Haunted
2013
2.00 | 1 ratings
Remix 2014 EP
2014
3.63 | 10 ratings
Not the Actual Events
2016
2.72 | 15 ratings
Add Violence
2017

NINE INCH NAILS Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 The Fragile: Deviations 1 by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2016
4.95 | 2 ratings

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The Fragile: Deviations 1
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

5 stars If, like me, you're the sort of person who finds The Fragile a hard album to love due to the often cringeworthy lyrics and vocals, or if you just really dig Trent Reznor's instrumental soundtrack work - and there's plenty of people in both of those categories - then The Fragile: Deviations 1 is an absolute godsend. Collecting together both a set of instrumental versions of The Fragile tracks (though with most tracks having at least few alternate spins put in here and there, so they're more interesting than just "the original track, only no vocals this time") and a grab-bag of material which didn't make it onto the original album, Deviations 1 reveals it for the prog-industrial exploration that it truly was and is a truly revelatory listening experience.

The most exciting thing about it, though, is the "1" in the title, suggesting that future Deviations releases - perhaps focusing on other albums - are intended in the future. I certainly hope so, because for me - as a fan who originally got hooked on NIN via the Quake soundtrack - this is fantastic, an expansion of the sonic approach of the Quake material onto a far broader and grander stage.

 Ghosts V: Together by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Studio Album, 2020
4.12 | 20 ratings

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Ghosts V: Together
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by Dapper~Blueberries
Prog Reviewer

5 stars To be honest this listen took way longer than it should've, but that's neither here nor there. Nine Inch Nails, a band I am guessing needs no introduction. Industrial rock band slowly became a lot more experimental, and is led by Trent Reznor. I won't say I am a huge fan, but I do really enjoy their music and I really appreciate what they've done for music and for culture as a whole. I have listened to their entire discography, except for this album. This album has been an illusion for me. I always intend to listen to this but I never found the right opportunity or mood for it. I knew what it was about since I've already heard its companion album Ghosts VI: Locusts, but I didn't know what I'd think about it fully. That changes today, and I'll review whatever this album brings.

It starts with Letting Go While Holding On. This is a very elegant and droning track with a slightly muddy backing harmony in the back. This song brings me both comfort and a strange feeling of worry. This song feels very much like it is in the uncanny valley, where I feel like I am safe while hearing it, but I also feel like I am being watched, and the more I realize the thing that feels off with the song, the more I really start to see the big picture. Trent Reznor knows how to make someone feel ways they never felt before with songs, and no matter if it's loud and hard industrial sounds with Closer or this more quiet, and delicate piece, he has a knack for this sort of thing which I always appreciated. It's uncomfortable in the best way possible.

Next is the pseudo title track of the album, Together. This is also a droning melody, however with a much more clear harmony for a lead. Right off the bat all those uncomfortable emotions from the last song washes away, but are replaced with a feeling of sadness? Melancholy? Loneliness? I cannot tell honestly but I do feel something along those lines. The more the song goes on, the more it feels like it is drowning in bitter sorrow. It almost hurts to listen to. Strangely this sound and style reminds me of some of the music in Silent Hill, mostly the piano pieces where they express moods of uncomfortableness and or sadness to really heighten the fear, emotions, or messages the characters face in their terrifying journey through a desolate town. It's that sort of feeling that doesn't disappoint when done right, and here it definitely doesn't falter whatsoever.

Right up next is Out In The Open. The uncomfortability washes over again but stronger this time. While shorter than the first track, this one lets itself be known as a strong and very worrying drone piece that makes me feel very tense for some reason. It's that emotion and feeling thing I said before that makes you have a sudden feeling of negativity without knowing why, whether it be fear or sadness. I know I am safe, but this song makes me feel otherwise. It's strangely heavy, and I love it a lot.

Afterwards it is With Faith. This song is scary for all the right reasons I said before. Leading with very strange and repetitive hymns with a weird and disorganized melody in the back, I feel strangely anxious, and I guess that is the theme with the album, strangely anxious. On one hand I am feeling safe and secure, but on the other I am looking around in case there is something that I might be missing, or something that might resolve all this tension even when there is none. I don't know what to fear more, the music, or Trent's ability to make this music, but either way I do find a strange love and passion to be brimming in this release, and I cannot deny that already it is shaping itself to be one of my favorite Nine Inch Nails album. Good work so far, hope it still leads into more and more great sounds.

Next in the wake is Apart. Wow, even after that scary track of With Faith, Trent really is cranking the same terrifying vibes in this one, and making it the longest song on the album, being 13+ minutes, doesn't help. I do admit at this point I do feel like I am sensing a pattern, a droney piece that is relatively long with a backing melody that evokes fear with each song getting a little more uncomfortable or hurtful. However I see this less of an issue and more of a flex on Trent's craftsmanship. Where some artists pale in creating a cohesive ambient album with a core structure, Nine Inch Nails, despite being the Da Vinci of heavy alt 90s rock, still comes out on top as even masters of drone music. It's strange but welcoming, and I think that is a perfect descriptor for this piece of music.

After all is said and done, we get into Your Touch. While being the shortest, it still effortlessly pulls out the strangeness the last songs have, but I feel no fear, rather an melancholic source that I had no idea was there. It hurts, it sounds like a melody trying to free itself, but in doing so deforms what it holds so dear, and that'd be its harmony, so it becomes a mess of beeps and boops. I cannot believe it, but I find myself feeling pity for this album, even when it isn't breathing. It's magical to say the least.

At this point it's best to keep going, and Hope We Can Again seems to take the melancholy of the previous track and reshape it back into uncomfortableness. Not all that pity is reshaped to a feeling of dread, a looming presence that only gets stronger with time. It spends my mind so it releases chemicals that make me feel nervous and dreadful, however strangely in a therapeutic sense. It's like facing your worst fears, and while scared by them, you go through them without an issue, leaving better and better, but still remembering what happened long before. And man, that middle part where all the melodies wash away and a high pitched ringing starts to play with ghastly synths in the back creating a scary sounding noise just brings me to such a state of mind that feels relaxing in its terror. I flat out love this track man.

And now we get into the last song, Still Right Here. I never really looked at the lyrics until now and I realized that this album seems to have a layer of grief, which definitely works for the feelings I sense with this album. This is probably the saddest, and most hurtful song on this album. It's almost like the album finally realizes it'll have to end soon, and so plays whatever it has left, a scornful and bitter melody with a ton of drones and harmonies. Heck the drone sounds like an ambulance siren, like the album is being rushed to a hospital on life support. The fact Trent Reznor perfectly made an album feel alive is just mind blowing. However the album does give one last thing that we haven't heard before, a guitar melody, showcasing the band's industrial side of things, almost like this piece is proudly showing what it truly is, a Nine Inch Nails song, as it switches gears to a beat driven song filled with weird and disorganized beeps and boops as that same guitar quietly plays in the back. Even in its final minutes, the album fully realizes what it is, at least for a few seconds, until it is stopped and leads back into those uncomfortable drones. If anything it just makes me feel even more pained by Trent's abilities, and I cannot deny that this album and how it feels are definitely the strongest I've ever seen in any electronic music album ever. I hope we get more like this cause it's glorious.

This album is such a banger, and one I hope for all that it is worth, gets appreciated as one of Nine Inch Nails' best projects. The band has evolved to the point where industrial rock is behind them and they can fully go wherever they choose and how they see fit. I'd say this is a masterpiece and should absolutely be listened to if you love Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor's other works.

 The Downward Spiral by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Studio Album, 1994
3.97 | 180 ratings

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The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars When I first spent some time with NINE INCH NAILS next album "The Fragile" I was really surprised as I was expecting a depressing and dark record like this one. It rocked hard with great vocals and it left me pleasantly surprised that I was so into it. That was some months ago and the only other NIN's record I have is this one. This was Rezner's breakout album that made him even richer than he already was. He clearly wasn't in the best place mentally when he wrote this as we get some shocking lyrics that are anti-police, anti-God, anti anything good. Such a lack of reverence.

The music itself does little for me as we get this techno, Industrial and electronics flavoured record with fake drums for the most part. It just doesn't sound good at all when compared to the next one "The Fragile". This was inspired by FLOYD's "The Wall" and Bowie's "Low" and hours were spent in the studio to make the record sound this way. There were four singles released from this record and the most famous isn't Trent's original version but Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt". Cash listened to that song over a hundred times and said it was the best anti-drug song that he ever heard. To each his own but I have no problem being the first collaborator to give this less than 4 stars. Not my scene.

 Add Violence by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2017
2.72 | 15 ratings

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Add Violence
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by Dapper~Blueberries
Prog Reviewer

3 stars This is a pretty good EP from NIN. NIN then from now is very interesting. Then they were a very industrial, heavy hitting band that did not mess around, now they still are just more experimental, and with that I respect Trent Reznor a lot. He makes music he wants too and if he is going down the Experimental rabbit hole with his rock music, than sure, why not. I liked all the tracks on this EP, I thought Less Than was a cool synthy and aggressive starter for this album and I loved the experimental beeps and hoops of The Lovers and I thought the piano of This Isn't The Place was very lovely even in the wake of some pretty creepy sounds, and I think Not Anymore is a very interesting but pretty loud and bassy tracks. However this EP comes to ahead with the Star shining track, The Background World. At first it's like any other track on the EP, beeps and boops, Trent singing his heart out, your usual, but then afterwards, this looping bass synth riff and drums start playing, and more and more these basses get even louder and bassier until they are only really loud static noise, like this song became an entire Drone track that loops infinitely, until it stops. All in all a very interesting EP from the band, and definitely one I might revisit again soon. Very nice.
 The Fragile by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Studio Album, 1999
3.97 | 141 ratings

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The Fragile
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars This is my first real experience with NINE INCH NAILS the solo project of Trent Reznor. I remember in the 90's watching some videos on TV but I don't remember what tunes. I just never investigated and I regret this now after spending a week spinning this double album. I am hard on doubles but I feel this reaches that 4 star plateau. I also feel the album tails off part way through disc two before ending with a strong closer in "Ripe(With decay)". This recording is surprisingly catchy at times, lots of electronics and atmosphere with heavy beats. Trent has a great voice as well but man the guy is like Klaus Schulze with all the synths and related electronics. Oh and I was very surprised to see Adrian Belew adding his guitar talents to three tracks. I think THE GATHERING must have been influenced with this album and "The Downward Spiral" the way they went to more of an electronic based sound with way less guitar.

Highlights include the first song "Somewhat Damaged" for the way it builds including passionate vocals. Heavy beats too and check it out before 4 minutes, just crushing it. "The Wretched" is a great contrast to the previous tune "The Frail", I mean so much emotion and passion. I like the contrasts on "The Fragile" including the piano parts and mellow sounds but of course the heaviness too. "Just Like You Imagined" is another highlight especially the piano 1 1/2 minutes in. "Pilgrimage" is almost apocalyptic with trumpet too. I like the bass and piano on "La Mer". So a very strong disc one called "Left". Disc two called "Right" opens with "The Way Out Is Through" and how good is this! Powerful before 3 minutes. "Into The Void" has catchy beats a minute in and I like when he screams the words later on. A memorable line "Trying to catch myself but my self keeps slipping away". Another highlight is "The Mark Has Been Made". Atmosphere galore to start, cello too. Drums after 2 minutes. I like this! Distortion too. Tracks 5 to 10 are good to okay before the closer "Ripe(With Decay)" ends it with dark atmosphere. Check out the bass in darkness before 5 minutes then it builds.

I hope to review "The Downward Spiral" in the not so distant future released 5 years prior to this one.

 The Slip by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Studio Album, 2008
3.17 | 65 ratings

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The Slip
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by progtime1234567

4 stars The Slip is, in my opinion at least, is one of the best Nine Inch Nails albums. It combines the best of the 90's era, with the more progressive and conceptual elements from the albums With Teeth and Year Zero.

Trent Reznor combined Industrial metal, Industrial rock, electronic music, and electro - industrial on this record to create a diverse sound, but at the same time, the sound is pretty constant, in a good way. The album doesn't ever get boring, mainly because it balances the softer and heavier parts almost perfectly. For instance, the song Lights in the Sky is one of the lightest and most grim Nine Inch Nails songs. Its heavier counterpart, 1,000,00, is one of the heavier songs in the bands catalogue.

Listen to this after you hear Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral, and The Fragile. Once you hear The Slip, there's a chance that it will put a smile on your face.

 Ghosts VI: Locusts by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Studio Album, 2020
4.02 | 22 ratings

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Ghosts VI: Locusts
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

5 stars Trent Reznor's project Nine Inch Nails 'Ghosts' albums have given progressive creds to the artist. First, in 2008, he released the 'Ghosts I-IV' album with a huge collection of somewhat short, but experimental and interesting instrumentals. The album was a pleasant surprise for many listeners that has been fans of previous NIN albums as it was something no one really expected. Then in 2020, during the pandemic, he released two more albums simultaneously that continued on with the 'Ghost' project, namely 'Ghost V: Together' (which is mostly ambient and atmospheric) and this album, 'Ghosts VI: Locusts'. These two albums differ a bit from the first album in that the tracks all have individual names. The tracks on these albums are much longer (for the most part) and as a result, but albums feel more like complete, concise albums.

The styles of these two album differ a bit from each other. They are both instrumental, but where 'Ghosts V' has more of a calming effect with fuzzy and unclear tones and styles, 'Ghosts VI' is brighter and has a more focused style, the notes clear and with less background noise. 'VI' also has more tracks than 'V' (most of the tracks on 'V' were quite long) and is about 10 minutes longer. The tracks are more varied as far as timing goes with a few tracks being over 10 minutes, a few more that are around 7-9 minutes, and a big handful that are shorter. This album begins with a more varied approach among the tracks, but as it moves into the 2nd half, things seem to get more and more bleak sounding. To me, this is the best of the 'Ghosts' projects to date, especially the first half, which is at times, surprisingly Avant-prog sounding, enough to even make pan-heads get excited.

The Cursed Clock - Sparse and spooky with a simple piano with treatments. This one proves that darkness and evil can be portrayed without a lot of noise. There is a running piano passage going on underneath the slower low piano chords and the constant chiming of the clock represented by repetitive piano notes and some cool treatments. Where the previous part of the Ghosts series was murky and muddled, this one in contrast is bright and upfront. Awesome!

Around Every Corner - We move right into the next track as the style from the previous gets built upon. A few more instruments get added into the mix and some surprising heavy riffs get thrown in from time to time. Some brass plays along plaintively, but tension builds and builds with the piano pushing it all forward. Things stay mostly sparse and clear giving this album a completely different feel. There is an undercurrent of uneasiness underneath everything with shifting, shuffling effects squirming along as the worms bore into your mind.

The Worriment Waltz - A slow, wandering waltz with more treated piano and etc. A sudden escalation of noise increases in the second half which is suddenly cut off as a dark drone and a solitary muted trumpet plays.

Run Like Hell - A percussive pattern carries this one forward as low synth notes rumble underneath and the muted trumpet plays. After a few minutes, a heavy beat comes in while the trumpet and effects carry on. It soon goes back to the original percussive pattern again while the sound tends to meld together as it continues along and then separates again.

When It Happens (Don't Mind Me) - Sudden bright, clangy tones play in patterns with other treated sounds while remaining rhythmic. Sudden eruptions of noise and harshness come and go.

Another Crashed Car - Quiet, sparse and dark mostly made up of a repeated piano note and a lot of unsettling noises.

Temp Fix - Distorted instruments against a strict rhythm, but no melody.

Trust Fades - Returns to the muffled feel of the last album with notes being bent and manipulated so that a melody can't be picked out. All the while, there is quite an uneasy and quiet tension to it all.

A Really Bad Night - Slow moving treated piano underlayed by nightmarish effects buried deep underneath.

Your New Normal - A microtonal line runs underneath a dreary synth while twinkling chimes and percussive tones chase each other around.

Just Breathe - The most ambient of the tracks on this album. Airy effects play alone until a bright piano plunks single notes slowly along with reverb effects sustaining the single notes out to infinity creating quiet drones through manipulation. The noise builds and layers are added after the piano starts and dark tension builds. Things soften down again when the piano returns. When the piano eventually stops, you are left alone with a building drone.

Right Behind You - Muffled keyboard chords in the darkness.

Turn This Off Please - A churning background against ominous sounds. A trumpet and piano emerge from the depths but remain mostly submerged under the percussive noises. Almost halfway through, the churning machine in the background becomes louder and tension builds, and then suddenly pulls back again.

So Tired - Treated piano chords ring out solemnly above a continuing drone buried deep into the background and then it all fades to silence.

Almost Dawn - Tonal percussion plays over a ominous background sounding like a nightmare nursery. All seems to be in place for a short while until the background becomes louder and louder taking things over and then suddenly disappearing leaving behind the threatening quiet again.

I find this album to be the most enjoyable, dynamic and versatile of the Ghosts series albums. Even though it is possibly the darkest of them all, especially in the ominous 2nd half of the album. It all comes off quite effectively and proves once again that Reznor is a musical genius. Many people doubt that NIN's should be included in the Archives, but those people seem to only be familiar with NIN's earlier, industrial-style albums and haven't heard the 'Ghosts' albums. To those listeners I suggest you give them another try, especially with the two latter ones in the series. This one, in my opinion, is an avant-prog masterpiece that utilizes noise rock, ambience, some use of drones at times and electronic wizardry to create some very deep instrumental tracks that can be very emotional and expressive.

 Ghosts V: Together by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Studio Album, 2020
4.12 | 20 ratings

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Ghosts V: Together
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

4 stars In 2008, Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor) released an all instrumental album that also hinted at some experimentation, and named it "Ghosts I-IV". This very intriguing record showed the creative side of Reznor that we all knew was there, but was often buried under heavy industrial rock, not that was always such a bad thing. This new direction for NIN came somewhat as a surprise and also merited NIN's inclusion in ProgArchives. After this album, NIN returned to the basic sound that was prevalent previously, but it was a bit more accessible and slanted to a less noisy style. Then, in 2020, Reznor surprised everyone again by producing two albums that carry on the experimental style of the previous Ghosts album. These were albums released and recorded while the world was mostly in isolation because of COVID and were offered for free streaming.

The first of these two albums is "Ghosts V: Together". This album differs from the first Ghosts album in that most of the tracks are much, much longer. This time, you have 8 tracks that span a total of around 70 minutes, so most of these songs are quite long. As a result of this, the individual tracks are much better developed which was the main thing missing from the original Ghosts series. The tracks are also named and work better as individual ideas. This is all made cohesive by keeping the style on this album quite ambient, usually muted melodies and drone foundations that are also manipulated to create some interesting mental pictures. The music is both dark and hopeful, though a bit cautionary. It also features some nice melodies that are kept somewhat muted.

Letting Go While Holding On - Airy drones surrounded by a slow and mysterious, somewhat stifled melody. Drones continue for a while before a descending cadence plays. Background gets a bit more intense as this cadence continues and then calms.

Together - Subdued piano plays quietly with multi-layered background softly acting as a foundation creating a feeling that the music is playing far away being carried by ebbing breezes through the air. The last few minutes turn quite dreamy as the "winds" die down and the muted piano comes back to the foreground.

Out in the Open - Movement is more prevalent as the dreamy background cycles through a chord sequence. Soon, high bell-like notes join in providing a quasi-melody the repeats while variations of the sequence continue.

With Faith - Low register vocal effects give the feeling of a breathing choir while a percussive tonal instrument provides what seems to be an improvised line based around a simple melody. There is some build as it continues along creating a feeling of warmth, soothing, yet a little unnerving at the same time.

Apart - Dark drones ebb and flow while a lovely melody played by treated piano plays slowly evoking emotions of solitude, distance and melancholy. Later, droning and atmospheric synths keep things moving forward, but also keep things dark and dangerous. The last few minutes become a bit more hopeful as twinkling synths bring a bit of brightness to the song, however, the dark drone stays tucked away far into the background.

Your Touch - Glitchy tones and sounds join the piano/synth combination.

Hope We Can Again - Smooth bassline and twinkling melody provide a contrast that evokes more hope, but the slow tempo makes the hope cautionary.

Still Right Here - Very ambient, yet softly moving forward. Sudden change of pace after 4 minutes in as a steady, upbeat tempo suddenly comes in. This acts as a bridge to "Ghosts Volume VI" and is a bit more indicative of the industrial vibe that NIN usually produces. This continues for a while, then suddenly the beat stops as dark and glitchy sounds and noises take over creating the most uneasy feeling of the album. Things calm down to the ambient feeling again evoking a sense of never ending solitude.

There is a nice sense of warmness to most of this album that has been absent on most of NIN's previous releases, and even with the sense of the isolation being eternal, there are several passages that evoke hopefulness. The music is very sensitive and even quite healing. With the album being around 70 minutes, some might argue that it is a bit long, however, it seems like the tracks just fly by if you really get lost in them. All in all, it is a lovely and emotional album that evokes the feelings that many in the world feel during the pandemic of 2020. But the album also offers hope which gives it a brightness in some sections that keeps it from being a total downer. The development of each track shows how Reznor's writing has become more mature and helps us cut through the noise and experience his brilliance in composition.

 Hesitation Marks by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Studio Album, 2013
3.66 | 64 ratings

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Hesitation Marks
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

4 stars After about 5 years without hearing from Trent Reznor's project Nine Inch Nails, "Hesitation Marks" was finally released in 2013. It seems, however, that now Reznor's band has fit into this new "skin" of sorts. No longer following the self- destructive style, NIN had mellowed out a bit, but not enough to alienate fans too much. The music is now a bit more melodic but also more daring and experimental, which is a good thing. While this seemed to be somewhat of a weakness in "The Slip" album, now there is a show of confidence. The music is still somewhat dark, but the subject matter ventures into more positive territory, making it feel like there is some hope out there. To me, previously this sounded a bit too fake with Reznor's vocals sounding too forced. But on this album, it seems much more convincing, plus there are some great tracks here that rival some of NIN"s earlier tracks, as in "In Two" and "Copy of A". These tracks can easily be considered classic NIN sound.

Reznor uses some excellent support on this album too with both Adrian Belew and Lindsey Buckingham contributing some guitar on various tracks along with some other guests, thus allowing the music to expand beyond the sound of NIN's earlier sound, while not exactly betraying the early sound. "While I'm Still Here" brings in an aura of dark mystery, but also adds in some brass treatments later in the track that help transport the music, and it's surprises like this that show that Reznor is willing to progress the band to new places. While not as experimental as the fantastic "Ghost" sessions, there is still plenty of opportunity to explore here, which is what happens.

The one complaint I have also applies to some of the more recent albums before this one, and that is, the middle of the album tends to sag a bit as some of the tracks tend to lose their steam as they start to sound a bit similar, however on this album, things start to get interesting again on the last third of the album, and if you have the deluxe version, you also get 4 stellar remixes which are almost just as great as the originals, even though the remixes can almost hold their own, as with many of the NIN remixes through history. As far as the proper album goes though, the first and last third of the album is great while some of the tracks in the middle third of the album tend to make the album droop a bit. Still, it's a worthwhile album when all is said and done and it's great to hear that the confidence seems to be back.

 The Hand That Feeds by NINE INCH NAILS album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2005
2.05 | 2 ratings

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The Hand That Feeds
Nine Inch Nails Crossover Prog

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

2 stars "The Hand That Feeds" is a track that comes from Nine Inch Nails 2005 album "With Teeth", and is the highest charting song from the band in Europe where it saw a wide release. It is a heavy song with a lot of emotion and drive even if the melody of the chorus tends to repeat itself a bit too much. The song was also caused a bit of a controversy as it was to be used on MTV's in a live performance from the band, but MTV decided not to go with it because Reznor wanted to have a video running behind the band that had an image of President Bush, so the went with Foo Fighters instead.

The single begins with the single version of the song. It is followed by two remixes of the same song. The 2nd version is called the "Straight Mix" which retains the heaviness of the track, but also emphasizes the synths and utilizes a catchy and driving beat that would work very well in the clubs and is also extended to just under 8 minutes. I actually like this version much better as it doesn't wear itself out with a boring beat and adds enough embellishments and heaviness to keep it from getting stale. The third track only comes on the limited edition package. It is the "Dub Version" which has more of a rave feel to it with most of the lyrics missing and the mix concentrates on the beat and a repeating synth riff, though it does vary at times with a heavy drone that drowns out the riff and the beat during the "chorus" bits. There are some echoing vocal effects throughout also. This is also just under 8 minutes, and to me is just too repetitive, but it obviously would be one for the dance floor.

The single is one that takes a great track and spins variations on that, but the first two tracks would have been enough as the 3rd track is not as interesting. Is it worth looking for though? Probably only if you are a completionist, collector or rabid fan.

Thanks to windhawk for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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