The Downward Spiral

I like the music more than the vocals. But overall, this is not really for me. Much as with RATM, I'm not saying this is bad, just not my thing.

Muzikaal misschien zo gek nog niet. Maar er wordt wel overdreven vaak gebruik gemaakt van ruis. Het is het ruige rock equivalent van bijvoorbeeld PJ Harvey, vooral bedoeld om artiest en luisteraar te helpen aan een kunstimago.

It was fun listening to the album for this project. I've heard many of the hits, but never listened to a NIN album front-to-back before.

It's a classic. One point off for being a tad bit monotonous.

And amazing ride from beginning to end!
Didn't really think I'd like it but it's a good one for sure.

The GOAT.

Angry gym music for the thinking man

I was never a fan of Nine Inch Nails, however, my music tastes have changed since I last gave them a chance, so maybe there's hope?

Nope, I still can't stand Trent Reznor's angst ridden wailing. You hear of people talking about albums that have a "wall of sound" effect to them. This record has a "wall of distortion and noise" effect which is so bad, it washes everything else out. No idea what Trent was wailing about throughout most of the album.

The production value on this record is super low. Some parts are so low that you have to turn your stereo up to hear what's going on, then all of a sudden they kick everything into overdrive and you go deaf for 5-6 minutes (I'd take being deaf over listening to this horseshit any day). Why does Trent find it important to whisper into the microphone, and then immediately afterwards shout into it? You're a singer, so sing ffs. This whole album goes through spells of sounding like it was recorded underwater. Also, when they are finished a song, it just ends....like running into a brick wall....no fade out, no nothing, just DONE!!

I spent the 6 minute runtime of the song Hurt wishing I was listening to the Johnny Cash cover version. This version sucks ass.

Industrial Rock is basically just electronica, but heavier, which explains why I was never a fan of the genre, because I hate electronica too.

Overall, a difficult listen today. Trent needs to cheer the fuck up. Will I ever listen again? No. Does it belong on this list? Probably.

Favorite songs: Closer, Heresy, Hurt

Least favorite songs: Eraser, A Warm Place, and most of the rest of this depressing dumpster fire.

2/5

Nunca he vuelto a disfrutar de NIN como lo hice con este disco y en esa época en la que incluso hicieron los sonidos del juego Quake. Eran los amos de esta electrónica grunge. Luego no volví a escuchar nada de este nivel. Y vuelto a escuchar años después sigue siendo un discazo. Desde "Mr. Self Destruct" pasando por "Heresy", la gran "March of the pigs", "Closer" o "Ruiner" para terminar con "Reptile", "The Downward Spiral" y "Hurt" la gran canción que versioneó Johnny Cash y la hizo ENORME!!!.

Never really got NIN. Until now!

When Trent Reznor brought the industrial sounds to a bigger audience by focusing on songwriting. It's a classic

I'm feeling the groove on Mr. Self Destruct and then on Piggy. Closer is an awesome genre bending single. Hurt is a banger.

Exceptional, uncomfortable, repetitive, draining, occasionally enjoyable, but mostly awkward, and always always moves the listener.

One of the most startling albums I have listened to, and still sounds as fresh and unsettling as it always did.

Awesome, in every possible sense of the word!

9/10

It's an album you just want to play LOUD. As loud as you can stand. Pure 90s industrial rock, in all the good ways. Yet for as loud as you want to play it the music is dark and depressing, but sometimes that's just what you need.

Great sound. Listened to this a decent amount when it came out, but I think I was too young to full appreciate it. Makes me want to go back an revisit full catalogue. 4/5

Trent Reznor certainly has a unique and original sound. And this is probably his strongest album. I used to own this album and a couple NIN Eps back when I was a teenager but ended up trading them back to get something else cause there was just never a time/place to play them. I give him big points for his sonic inventiveness in incorporating samples and noise and all that texture/atmosphere but I find the relentlessly dark/heavy mood and lyrics to be absolutely exhausting/draining by the end. I'd probably enjoy this much more as an instrumental album. Amazing that "closer" was a hit single. That post "Nevermind" era was incredible the way it opened the floodgates for things like this to at least temporarily become part of the mainstream.