The Downward Spiral

Iconic album of the time, great concept.

Love this

Think I was kinda disappointed in the this album from the AM top 100 and it's still not really clicking for me now either. I still think cash's version of hurt is better. 3

Soms heb je van die platen die een tijdsgeest en muziekstijl op zichzelf zijn. The Downward Spiral is zo'n plaat.

Perfect title for this exhausting album. Enjoyed Piggy and a couple of others though.

Well, it's hard to say I'm *pleasantly* surprised with Nine Inch Nails, as there's not much pleasant about The Downward Spiral. But given how turned off I'd been by some material of theirs I'd heard in the past, I definitely dug this a lot more than I anticipated. Reznor is a hell of a musician, composer, and arranger, and for my tastes, he consistently strikes a solid balance of the overall industrial sound with distinct humanity, be that with the use of organic instruments or his harrowing lyrics. I'm still not sure if I love the overall style, but after one listen, it's at least an easy, high 3.5, with lots of potential room to grow.

3.5/5

Contains quite a lot of bits and ideas that I really enjoy, along with with some fairly adolescent gesturing, all smooshed together to make something quite annoying.

Tortured, bleak, rough, and yet completely and utterly outstanding. Favorite track: Hurt

It's noisy and edgy but the sound is like contained in a chaotic atmosphere set to a rhythmic beat (3.5)

I knew nothing about NIN until I saw them at Reading festival about 10 years ago.
Well I say I saw them... what I actually saw was the shadows of some figures through the smoke and dry ice on the stage and an extraordinary light show. It was hugely memorable but I never saught out any of their albums so listening to this is something I've been looking forward to.
And I'm not disappointed.
When I listen to any album the first time it's naturally the music I concentrate on. And this is a sonic explosion. Sounded great on heaphones. But all I picked up from the lyrics was that NIN must be really into pigs. Later I read that it's an album laden with anger and angst. So that must be what all the screaming was about?
I will seek out more NIN.
But then I said that 10 years ago.

I discovered Nine Inch Nails through the soundtrack to Quake. I've been a fan ever since. This album represents a milestone in the history of NIN and Trent Reznor. Unfortunately, I can't enjoy it in all its glory today. But A Warm Place and Hurt are always good. Nevertheless, this album is one of my favorites. 5/5

I keep giving albums five stars but it’s because the generator keeps giving me iconic shit. I mean it’s THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL. Trent famously apologized for the album when he sent it in but the things that were inside him now seem so necessary for the understanding of our world. For scratching that particular itch, this album beats Nirvana or Pumpkins or even Radiohead. Even if it might not rank as high as those folks’ records on favorite lists, I’d argue its sound and style may be even more influential. And it remains so when you hear it today.

Weirdly I think the only part of the album that feels dated now is “Hurt” … because as Trent recognized, it’s Johnny Cash’s song now. But that just shows how much it mattered that folks who were still listening to it, still thinking about, still interpreting it.

I don't think I've ever given Nine Inch Nails a fair hearing before. I wasn't familiar with the term 'edgelord' in 1994, but if I had been, that's definitely how I'd have described someone living in Sharon Tate's old house while writing songs called Piggy and Mr Self Destruct. It just all smacked of trying a bit too hard to be shocking and dark. I shouldn't have been so quick to write them off though - this has some pretty strong songs. (I still prefer Johnny Cash's version of Hurt though.)

Such an intense album, just on the border of being too much to enjoy. But I do enjoy it, bordering on a 5 star album for me.

One of my weirdest concert experiences was seeing NiN in 2007. During Head Like a Hole I somehow found myself in a circle pit and got absolutely freight-trained in the chest by a gigantic sweaty bear of a man, easily three times my size.

The same dude then scooped me up off the ground, said he was very sorry, hugged me and… didn’t… let… go.

I slow danced with this bear for a full 5 minutes while Trent Reznor closed the show with Hurt.

Not sure if I felt comforted or violated. Basically the same experience coming back to this album.

Yesterday I got Berlin by Lou Reed: I think the generator is trying to send a message. I've spent my fair share of time with The Downward Spiral, and it's still fascinating that something this completely grim was a massive break-out. This is basically a character study about an individual representing all of Trent Reznor's aimless, impotent anger and worst self-destructive tendencies. Throughout the album, this character's rage and frustration are peeled back to reveal the sad emptiness at the heart of it all. Starting off, the oppressive world of The Downward Spiral is presented to us through four generational barnburners, before things shift a little with the chronically misunderstood Closer. To me, it's really about debasing sex beyond a coping mechanism, almost into a form of self-harm. It's here that we really start peeling the layers back. Some of the aimlessness, regret and alienation is laid bare before one final outburst of masculine violence in Big Man With A Gun. Then, following this, we follow the spiral to the aching, fractured Hurt, and it's implied suicide. Sonically, the textures of The Downward Spiral may be its single greatest draw. From the *searing* synth and guitar tone on Mr. Self-destruct, to the massive, bleak industrial soundscape on Reptile, to the eerie dance beat on Closer, these songs maintain distinct. Incredibly, the sheer knowledge of the equipment necessary to produce this is pretty much on display at all times. This album contains some of the most improbable and distinct synth tones ever. I think the biggest weakness of this album, generally is the lyrics. Don't get me wrong, a lot of Trent's best lyrics are here, and this album has its fair share of mantras and anthems. But on a song like Big Man With A Gun, he is almost *comically* on the nose. I will say, this album's sheer anger usually helps it out on this front. Even if what you're saying is a little stupid, saying it with conviction goes a long way. And this album has conviction in spades. I'm really trying to think if this deserves the 5. I think I'm gonna veer no, if only because the tracklist starts *incredibly* tight, and is observably a little less tight by the end. Despite that, this is a *very* strong 4. This may be industrial's greatest crossover with the mainstream, especially just because of how little Trent had to give up. This album is still *incredibly* personal, and its character portrait is uncompromised. One of the '90s most interesting moments for sure.

I see the vision but it's really not for me. I understand that it's not supposed to be a 'pleasant' listen, and as a concept album about the life of a tortured man it's excellently executed.... but to me the music itself was thoroughly unenjoyable the whole way through.

Standouts: March of the Pigs • A Warm Place • Eraser

“The Downward Spiral” is (perhaps together with the early work of Einstürzende Neubauten) the benchmark for industrial music and, as a result, one of the most influential albums of the 90s. Even after 30 years, I still find the opener “Mr. Self-Destruct” rather inaccessible, but it is followed by unusual but really strong material – examples of this for me are “March Of The Pigs” and “Closer.” And surely everyone knows “Hurt,” even if it's perhaps more likely to be the legendary Johnny Cash version. I think this album is the reason why I often find later experimental bands (keyword: noise rock) uninspired—Trent Reznor's creativity, as demonstrated on “The Downward Spiral,” was simply rarely matched after that.

música de jovem deprimido raivoso noventista. eh até que bem agressivo, né. umas pegada de synthpop e pa. algumas músicas até envelheceram ok, mas outras não...

bem percursor dum metal industrial, hein. bacaninha, mas não curto mto industrial não. pelo menos eh bem produzido e barulhento. e tem aquela música que só é famosa por conta do johnny cash

YES