The Downward Spiral

Not even my favourite NIN album but still an instant 5*

Suena super industrial y super emocionante a la vez, lo había escuchado antes y no me había gustado tanto pero hoy sí que me ha molado lo denso y duro que es, mola.

The most abrasive top-40 album in history. A gloriously unparalleled aesthetic achievement.

Yes, Trent Reznor is a massive edgelord but my god does he have the tunes to back it up.

Finally, after enough cursory mentions on my album journey, I get to talk about Nine Inch Nails properly. I've been a long-time fan of the brainchild of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor, so I was looking forward to checking out his band's magnum opus, The Downward Spiral. After a listen, I feel I got perhaps a bit more than what I expected going in.

In contrast to the synth-pop styling of the band's debut, Pretty Hate Machine, or even the more direct gut-punch of the Broken EP, The Downward Spiral showcased Trent's desire to command atmosphere. Each song builds with dense electronic textures before seamlessly transitioning to the next, across this cinematic depiction of a man working his way down a path of self-destruction. It is uncanny how Trent and the rest of the session personnel worked these catchy melodies with grotesque, industrial sounds. The brooding drop-D tuned guitar line and pummeling drums on "Heresy", the breakneck alternating meters mixed with the piano breakdowns on "March of the Pigs", that pulsating beat sampled from Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing" with the whirring synths and bass squelches on "Closer", the sharply chopped synthwork on "Ruiner", the cavalcade of sampled screams behind the rhythmic clanks of "The Becoming", the quiet-loud dynamics centered around that haunting piano line on "I Do Not Want This", the full-blown stomping rager of "Big Man with a Gun", the menacing buildup of drum loops and synth patches on "Eraser", the slow, agonizing mechanical sounds that form the foundation of "Reptile"; it's amazing how punishing yet alluring these compositions are, even with the hindsight of how industrial metal has evolved over the years. Even the fewest of instrumental reprieves, such as on "Piggy", "A Warm Place", and "Hurt," feature some sinister elements that linger. Plus, it is kind of rewarding to connect multiple songs on this record through the same musical phrase, giving a bizarrely cohesive feel.

But getting back to that narrative of the protagonist's self-destruction, no punches are pulled with the lyrics. I understand that this record can get uncomfortable for people, given that Trent drew from his own struggles at the time with isolation, depression, and drug addiction, while touching upon other dark corners of the world. The loss of faith in "Heresy", the pushback against superficiality in "March of the Pigs", the obsession and self-hatred in "Closer", the loss of feeling on "The Becoming", the inner turmoil and anguish on "I Do Not Want This". Probably the most contentious song on the record is "Big Man with a Gun", where the main character has finally caved in to full-on madness. Except this isn't where it ends, as for a moment on "A Warm Place", his fleeting humanity starts to snap back into focus before battling for control on "Ruiner", followed by comprehension of the emotional damage taken on "Reptile". It all culminates in the contemplation of suicide on the title track, with "Hurt" offered as an end-credits song, laying bare that this man went through such excruciating pain but came out on the other side. I get it - this album gets vulgar, and really dark in places, but I feel that's kind of the point. This record is a thorough examination of one's psyche, should they choose to go down a harrowing path. It was never meant to be pretty, and I think that Trent realized that and channeled that darker energy while maintaining strong storytelling and melodic sensibilities.

The Downward Spiral is a truly menacing record, and I don't blame someone if they get scared or put off by it. But I do feel it's important, in not only cementing such a generational talent in Trent Reznor, but also in examining what it takes to process one's demons and still pull through at the end.

Won’t return to it but can appreciate the technical complexity. Just not my thing.

The layers and technical aspects could earn it a 3 even if my level of return to it would be a 1.5.

An industrial masterpiece. So much variety, so well sequenced... So depressing. 5/5

Super important album for, the most listened one and clearly 5 stars, and despite all of that I forgot to write a damn review!

Better than Coldplay

This is the album that started me down the path towards industrial and more abrasive music in general. It manages to be aggressive, depressing, and ugly, yet still remains beautiful at the same time.

I relate to some of their later anti-government themes, like on Year Zero, more than I do the themes of self-destruction on this album, but I still absolutely love it.

Not
For
Me
1

Just Noise

I was the perfect age when this album came out. I was not ready for it. I knew Closer and Hurt but didn’t appreciate its beauty…yes beauty. Reznor is a genius and I don’t use that word lightly. Here we are 30 something years later and he blew the younger acts away at Coachella and is making fresh musical and scoring soundtracks for Hollywood. Not an easy listen, but an essential one.

Nine Inch Nails er et klokkeklart eksempel på den gode gamle "det er ikke dig, det er mig". Jeg har endnu ikke fundet pladsen til NIN i mit liv, og det er ellers blevet prøvet et par gange - seneste gode forsøg var med kyndig vejledning fra Lasse V i en Renault Clio efter en omgang digitalisering i Kolding.

Der er glimt af noget, jeg rigtig godt kan lide, og som jeg sagtens kan forstå, men det er som om, det overskygges af noget andet, jeg ikke er lige så vild med. Det er hverken det tunge, det teatralske eller det fjollede, der er noget galt med - det er mig.

Det er et album, og et band, der fortjener mere, end hvad de får af mig.

2.8

Cool stuff. I can see why Trent was chose to make the Quake Soundtrack :D

The abrasive patchwork of distorted guitar loops, compressed drums and tortured, highly processed beats is unique and at times even ingenious. The most progressive and exciting instrumentals sit at the beginning of the album, but at no point does it sound disinteresting.

The lyrics however range from being at best obscure enough to happily ignore, and at worst elaborately unpleasant, fake deep and emotionally stifling. Also, Trent Reznor has a distracting obsession with animals.

Oh. I kind of hated the lyrics for the most part. They make me never want to listen to this album again. But everything else makes me never want to stop.

It was good, but I don't really want to listen to it again.

Not as nother growly, shouty thing. Not for me

In the past I was never a big fan of NIN, mainly because I preferred heavier music, but in a vacuum this is an incredible album. The creativity and production are off the charts. It's grating and very dark without ever losing a sense of melody, and this album was also super innovative and influential.

5.0/5.0: Iconic

this isnt my favorite but its pretty great. the songwriting is fantastic and the production is incredible. its hard not to give this a 5 if you are remotely into this/similar genres