The Downward Spiral

This album was really good. I enjoyed almost every song. The sound was dark and incredibly unique, the lyrics were cool (although often crude) and there was an overarching story across the album. My one main critique is I wish I could hear the lyrics better. I often felt like the vocals were drowning in the mix, almost impossible to hear at times. This sound, this industrial rock sound, was very cool and I liked it a lot

While lacking in the lyrical department for me I found the music thoroughly enjoyable throughout and was never bored Trent Reznor is a sick lil lad

Love the sound. Especially the complicated rhythms and melodies in songs like Eraser and Mr. Self Destruct.

Not really my thing but Hurt is a classic

Masterpiece

1. Mr. Self Destruct - very loud and heavy production, not loving it. 2. Piggy - i don't mind this one as much, it's less loud and i like the vocals. 3. Heresy - it's an ok sound 4. March of the Pigs - this one is a little less industrial. 5. Closer - i do not like the lyrics very much at all, so I skipped. 6. Ruiner - I like the sound of this one more. 7. The Becoming - didn't really like this one. 8. I Do Not Want This - don't mind this one, but a little long 9. Big Man with a Gun - again i dislike the lyrics and sound 10. A Warm Place - this was a nice break from the aggressive sound and it did well to break it up. 11. Eraser - skipped 12. Reptile - skipped 13. The Downward Spiral - skipped 14. Hurt - i didnt mind this one. Overall, it's an interesting sound but not my style, it's a little too loud and aggressive for me (which I know industrial sounds are) but some of them were ok and definitely very influential. the lyrics also don't resonate with me at all. towards the end i got sick of it, not for me.

Best electronic album on here so far

So back when this came out I must have thought it's what I need to listen to both to be "cool" and and as rebellion against parents or something. I didn't really like it then but acted like I did at roughly age 12 I'm sure the lyric " I want to fuck you like an animal" was pretty edgy and cool back then. Don't really like it much now but unfortunately understand it. Also understand why my parents hated this lol. It sucks to be able to understand the concept of this apparent concept album now nearly 30 years later especially with how fucked in particular the last several years have been. Theres terrible war in Ukraine and now in Israel and Gaza, global pandemic killed millions and pretty much scrambled society as we knew it. Another nut with an AR-15 just massacred a bunch of people. A tropical storm turned into a category 5 hurricane in under 24 hours then slams into coast of Mexico. In 5 or 10 or 20 years what isn't under water will probably be on fire. Right wing Republicans not content with their coup failing in 2020 are doubling down on a presidential candidate who is dividing his time between 3 or is it 4 different criminal trials (and that fraud trial and that defamation one in NY). He has the unwavering support of approximately 40% of the population no matter what. So yeah hearing this today makes me wonder what the hell was so depressing back in 1994

Too much screaming for my taste.

One or two songs in a row is fine vut a while album gets tiring

RAPIST

¿Y éstos quiénes son?

This is a pretty great album.

Its very emo for my taste, the instramentals sound like static and the vocals sound like a guy trying to be seductive but failing misserably.

Not really a fan of how screamy it gets, nor am I particularly fond of the emo sad vibe. However, it does kind of go crazy in some select moments and I like most of the instrumental parts, so I give it a 1.5, leaning towards 2.

Not my fav

This surprised me, did not like the songs back in the day, but love the industrial, almost dance-y aspects.

Cool and forward thinking, very much not for me.

A few of these albums are really going to expose my soft spot for Alternative Metal. Trent Reznor is easily the biggest name to come out of the New Wave to Industrial Metal pipeline but is far from the only one who made the jump. The sound of this record is very much a product of this combo, and one I’ve always enjoyed. The overpowering noise mixed with heavy percussion and walls of synths is so cool, I still get impressed by the arrangements. There are certainly some things working against the album. Reznor is clearly not the strongest vocalist, although I feel his tone fits the sound very well. There are a couple tracks where the noise is too overpowering and the structure of the song gets lost (The Becoming springs to mind), and as the album builds there are more distorted guitar lines worked in which unfortunately make an otherwise fresh and creative arrangement sound a bit dated. Besides those knocks, this really stands out as a great record to me. Surprisingly complex and sophisticated considering at the time Reznor seemed hell-bent on being controversial in fairly juvenile ways (just googled, he was younger than I am right now when this came out, he gets a pass). All in all, this rips, and this version of Hurt is genuinely a phenomenal closing track.

Really cool, but gets 4 edgy 8 me. Great early work, but it feels like Trent could have done a lot more

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.

Honest answer? Some interesting stuff but not my thing.

They do their thing and do it well. I just dont like it. Cover of "hurt" was most listentoable

Solid

Too dynamic.

Interesting instrumentation and rhythm but a little too heavy for me.

2. I might have liked this had I first listened to it some years ago, but for now, it's just too angry-sounding for my taste. Turned it off after a few songs.

This was the absolute worst way to start my morning. I loved every second of it.

did not connect

Decent music but probably something I wouldn’t listen to again just due to taste

Can I give this a 6? My favorite album of all time

Decent album. Not exactly my favourite style of music, but there are a few good songs on there. Of course, "Hurt" and "Closer" are the two standouts

Groundbreaking and amazing particularly with how Trent’s production skills skyrocketed

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: No, not my thing Favourite song: didn’t have one

eigenlijk niet helemaal voor mij. Maar het is wel echt heel goed. er gebeurt veel en daardoor verveeld het niet. agressieve, pijnlijke emotie.

Just ok on this album. I tried to like NIN when their first album came out. For industrial metal I'd rather listen to Ministry any day.

I like loud abrasive music but couldn't get into this at all, the quiet vocal mixing annoys me and it feels edgy for the sake of being edgy. Think Hurt is the best track by far and would like to hear a bit more like that.

Not my fav

- Less 'metal-y' than I thought it would be - Pretty goof stuff - Not all of it was my thing though - 8/10

A bit rough to get into but liked it more on the second listen

Just not my style

This is a concept album. You feel that it is carefully crafted to sound a specific way, and invoke specific emotions. Joy is not one of them. It takes you on a journey and tells a story. A story that you probably didn't want to hear. Each song is musically distinct and interesting enough to catch your attention, but I wouldn't listen to any of them as part of my usual rotation. Lyrics are repulsive. Sometimes deliberately so, sometimes because of cringy edginess. The Downward Spiral is not to be enjoyed, but to be experienced.

Absolutely not my flavour. God bless Trent for being as angry as he was though.

Already heard it, good album.

4,5

The music on this is an easy five star. Trent is absolutely meant for sound design and soundtracks. I can't stand his voice though. Control is the creepiest song i've ever heard

A fantastic album. Really love the second side (after Big Man With a Gun) and Piggy is brill. Just misses out on five stars. Hopefully, The Fragile also features and I can hand out a five stars reward to NIN later

10/10 one of the most beautiful yet bleak albums ever written

Crazy good

How did I miss this one growing up. Great angsty album

Not my favorite. But hurt is a phenomenal song

It has a deep feel and operates at a high level but it doesn't' speak to me personally

noise but not the good kind

Mr Self Destruct- 4.8/5 Piggy- 4.7/5 Heresy- 5/5 March of the Pigs- 4.6/5 Closer- 5/5 Ruiner- 4.3/5 The Becoming- 4.4/5 I Do Not Want This- 5/5 Big Man With a Gun- 4.6/5 A Warm Place- 4.2/5 Eraser- 4.8/5 Reptile- 5/5 The Downward Spiral- 3.8/5 Hurt- 5/5 Total- 4.7/5

Industrial rock-metal. Un 4 porque tiene la de Hurt.

Industrial rockalternative rockindustrial metal.

This album rips

Classic, lots of tracks I hadn’t heard since the 90s

Heavy and amazing album. "Heresy", "Reptile" and "Hurt" where new highlights for me, specially the later. I remember listening "closer" when I was younger and I thought it was to much, but now a days i like it a lot.

This is dark, industrial, bleak and super-heavy. It's a concept album about a man's downward spiral to his eventual suicide. I'm not averse to bleak albums. 'The Holy Bible' by Manic Street Preachers and 'The Terror' by Flaming Lips being two of my favourites. However, I didn't really like this. I think this is because the reason for this person's downward spiral isn't obviously explained. Therefore it just seems he's a bit of a dodgy scumbag type character, which makes it difficult to empathise. In the other examples, the bleakness is much more relatable, being a world-view based on man's inhumanity (The Holy Bible) and the bleakness that results from the absence of love (The Terror). In terms of form meeting function and delivering an artistic intent, it is hard to criticise this. However, it seems to be coming from a place that I can't relate to (thank goodness). It's all a bit much. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Hurt Date listened: 27/09/23

trash

Some 20 years ago, I went to a festival headlined by NIN. I couldn't care less about NIN, went there to see The Stooges. The show started quite late, no more trains or any other way to get home, I was drunk and tired, so I just layed down and slept through NIN entire set. Well, almost the entire set, I remember waking up and things were noisy and there were lasers and shit going on, so I just got up and left. Fast forward to today, I see this is my next album and think "well, it's gonna be boring". And it wasn't. Young me was utterly stupid and should've watched that damn show when he had the chance.

yeah this is not an album for me. i'm sure this album was a very influential album but i think it's influential for a lot of musicians that i am not particularly fond of. i don't mind dissonance and noise, but just the way these songs are laid out just does not do it for me. there's something about the lyrics that i cannot take at face value, like they are so over the top and corny. look i am a sad boy through and through but my sad boy tendencies are not this angry. this is just eye rolling to me. this resonates with people? go take a walk or something. yeah, not my thing.

Solid, but I've never found NIN remotely enjoyable to listen to.

AWESOME! Nine Inch Nails is incredible!

Tja, wat moet een mens hier nou weer mee? Een brij ruwe klanken, van ver weg over een oude telefoon ingezongen teksten, ik lees dat dit 'industrial rock' is, en inderdaad heeft het dat gruizige van een verlaten fabriekshal. Maar er is een reden dat de fabriek verlaten is, vrees ik.

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.

Ik ben niet zo'n fan van industrial rock of metal, maar af en toe een nummer kan ik prima hebben. Het zet een enorm beklemmende dystopische sfeer neer, zoals in films als Mad Max, Blade Runner, etc. Dat Trent Raznor dat kunstje wel beheerst, blijkt uit zijn enorme ouevre qua filmmuziek. Vaak is het wat eentonig qua drums, het moet ook altijd op een decibelletje of 140 afgespeeld worden. Maar als je de muziek afpelt, zoals Johnny Cash met Hurt deed, dan pas kom je er achter dat het soms uitstekend in elkaar kan zitten. Maar echt vrolijk word je er niet van

Ugh this is not my jam. I can respect it but getting through this album will be a bit of a slog for me, I can feel it. Down to keep an open mind, though! After more listening I was right, but there is a lot here going on musically that I totally respect. It's just too harsh for my delicate little baby ears. Definitely some interesting stuff happening in Eraser.

I can see the appeal of this album for hard industrial enjoyers but it's just not for me. Some really interesting sounds going on that I appreciate, but I can't see myself jamming to this album.

Pretty much every negative emotion comes together to paint one picture of a protagonist's downward spiral. It's unashamedly loud and unsettling, but it manages to weave in enough rock and electronic elements to be quite danceable. Crazy this is from 1994! Sound like this must have been pretty groundbreaking for the time and it certainly is still impressive today. March Of The Pigs is pretty cool. What a weird meter! And that bassline at the beginning reminds of that one song from Half-Life 2, randomly enough. The dumb PC gamer tangent will continue because, NIN sure had an influence on gaming didn't they? Considering they went on to compose the Quake soundtrack. Listening to this at work I can't say I vibed with it too much, so I listened to it again while playing Noita, and it made for a REALLY fun album to listen to then. The sheer chaos of that game made for a perfect vibe. Overall, I don't know if I'll really come back for much here any time soon, but I think I'll like a lot of NIN's discography when I come around to listening to it properly. Then I might revisit this and really understand it. Also, Cash's version of Hurt is better in my opinion, but I feel validated in that opinion by the fact Reznor agrees with me. Favourite: March Of The Pigs

schreckliches Album.

Teenager me was bouncing off the walls and loving this album. I still love it. I clearly remember hearing this album for this first time. A friend bought it on release day and we blasted it on his dad’s fancy stereo. That was one of the single greatest album listening experiences of my life. It’s up there with when I first heard Neutral Milk Hotel or The New Pornographers.

Kinda surprised myself with how much I liked this. It really works well as a full album, has a bit of a Swans-lite feel to it.

I wanted to like this more than I did and certainly don’t begrudge people who love this music. I just don’t think it was overall my thing. It has a couple of well known songs that I enjoyed, and I appreciated it overall, but it was too long for me and I didn’t like Trent whispering and/or growling in my ear the entire time. 3/5 - I won’t be buying one of those t-shirts.

Favourite tracks: heresy; hurt; march of the pigs

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.

Two great songs and the rest is loud angry noises.

It was alright

Sounds like Trent wrote the lyrics for these songs after getting stood up at the freshmen high school dance, sat on them for 15 years and said "Nah, this is perfect" and then made this album.

Not a big fan of Nine Inch Nails but this was pretty significant with the Industrial genre.

I did not enjoy this at all

Just droned on with the noise. I definitely could have been fine with never listening to this.

I like Nine inch nails

Nö

Wurde gegen später besser aber bis dahin Ohrenschmerzen. Mix wieder für die Tonne

Bipolar disorder the album

So good. Long time since I've listened to the whole thing. Chefs kiss

As far as 90's industrial rock goes, I think this is the quintessential album of the genre. Even at that young age Trent knew how to make his music sound big and profond. It's also really filthy, even to this day this album embodies perfectly the sentiment of self-hatred and mal-être that one can get. I personally prefer The more ambiant The Fragile over this one, but there's no denying that The Downward Spiral is a masterpiece.

Music for skinheads to do speed to while they consider their music taste to be peculiar.

It's a very important album from a music genre I just can't love.

It's a pretty complex album - NIN for music. Not as fun as their other albums but just a bit better.

This is a powerful, unsettling work from Trent Reznor and NiN. Rezner has created a textured, well-crafted sound, with a dark and gritty vibe. It's a noisy sonic hellscape, full grinding guitars, industrialized beats, and blistering vocals. That said, some the more interesting aspects of this album are Reznor's strategic use of quiet and melody. I found that to be kind of a relief from the intensity of the sound, but it ultimately has the effect of making that intensity feel more profound and disorienting. Add to that an effortless sounding use of loops and samples, and Adrian Belew's innovative guitar work, and you have a really haunting and compelling album. It's not the easiest album to get through, in fact it's kind of exhausting. But it's a high watermark for both its genre and its era. Fave Songs: Closer, Hurt, The Downward Spiral, Mr. Self Destruct, A Warm Place, Heresy

Eraser oli kova biisu

nostalgiaa

Top

I am so glad that they became popular enough to be producing music for so many artists nowadays. Fantastic album.

Seriously dark and heavy music; an unwell guy smearing his soul across an audio file. Maybe the weirdest thing about it is that beneath the abrasive layers it's kind of a groovy album, full of great rhythms and unique song structures. I come away from this thinking Reznor is an extremely legit musician who thankfully seems to have worked past his mid-90s issues that caused the subject matter here. Best song: Closer

Seemed a lot cooler and more transgressive when it came out. Really hard to tell what’s going on lyrically. The hi hat, on “closer” in particular, is grating.

- this album is very grimy in a good way - incredible production and sound - not something I could listen to on a regular basis, but I'm excited to check out more NIN - Hurt is a 10/10 song

- I really enjoyed this album - can hear different pieces (influences) from Radiohead and Korn - Hurt is one of the best album closers I’ve ever heard

A stone cold classic. This has grown on me over the years, despite some of the lyrics making me uncomfortable, which I suspect is the point . Am I wrong for finding bits of this kinda sexy?

good album! trent bangin out the tunes, 1994 favorites: heresy, march of the pigs, closer, hurt

Bit industrial for my liking

Ok, ikkje så inspirerande

I didn't mind this - interesting texture, though not really my thing.

I never really listened much to this record -- I had a roommate who would play it with some frequency in his room, but I didn't own a copy myself. Listening to it now, it just seems a bit depressing. I liked the energy of "Pretty Hate Machine" and saw NIN live during that era... I like industrial, but I prefer angry music to depressing music.

Not really my thing

I was like what could be worse than the name Nine Inch Nails for a band, then I heard their music... 1 star.

Never liked Nine inch nails. This album just sounds like noise. Will not listen again

YOUUU GET ME CLOSER TO GODDDDDDDDDDDD AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I WANT HUIS VOICE IN ME

I didn’t think this before listening, but now I think I’ll kill myself

Super interesting stuff, but too dark and chaotic for me to really enjoy. Perhaps would be cool at some point to just lie down and give it full attention and really sink into that world.

Not a fan

Very good

It was ok

Perhaps Industrial coming out moment. A SPECTACULAR sophomore effort and follow up from Pretty Hate Machine. Reznor is fueled by hate and disappointment it’s no wonder he offered the record label head an apology upon submitting it. Vitriolic, spiteful and sexy as hell. What a record.

Like pretty much everyone my age, I'm exceedingly familiar with "Closer" and "Hurt," and enjoy them both, but I've never been much of a NIN fan ... until relatively recently. I had an ex who was a huge fan, but I never gave them much thought. My wife is also a huge fan, and we ended up going to see them in concert a handful of years ago. Needless to say, I realized I'd been missing out. I've since spent more time familiarizing myself with Reznor's catalogue, and while I don't think it gets better than "Pretty Hate Machine," "The Downward Spiral" is a fantastic album.

This album influenced me so greatly, I discovered David Bowie, his album Low, and the love for music that challenges me. The Downward Spiral came out the year I graduated high school & went to a giant state college. The video for Closer was on heavy MTv rotation, and it simultaneously scared the shit out of me, intrigued & excited me - these were feelings about music I had never had before. My favorite NIN song, March of the Pigs, is burned into my brain also thanks to the video. It's raw, angry, and I loved the contrast of a blank room with super angry dudes in black going at it. Sidenote: the still image of Robin Fink standing with his guitar with that hair, leather & boots is permanently saved to my phone. If someone were to ask what 1994 looked like, I'd show them that pic. This is much darker album than its predecessor, and it was recorded during Trent's heavy drug phase. You can hear the self-loathing, dark depression, and the fuck you to Christianity...which spoke to me as a 20something having experienced a traumatic childhood. I'm so grateful to this band & this album. Last year was the first time I saw them live & was three rows away from Trent. I lasted three songs then crowd surfed my way out at the age of 46. I then gave myself a concussion from body slamming so hard. I also had this album on cassette & passed it onto my nephew when he was a teen. I think it helped him while he was going through his own muck. Incredible band, album, and memories.

This was a welcome departure from what we've been getting lately. NIN was a large part of my early 90s experience. I was already a fan of Skinny Puppy and Front 242, so the genre was familiar to me, but this blew the roof off of everything. Pretty Hate Machine will always be my forever favourite NIN album, but this one here, brings back a lot of memories to a pretty rad part of my life.

Much respect to the art and craft of this but it’s not my particular flavor of aggression. I'm sure its raw power is cathartic for a lot of fans but it’s a little exhausting for me. The album is mostly industrial beats, feedback-heavy guitar and screamed vocals about being horny and doubting the existence of god. Sure, hell yeah, man, go for it. But I’ll personally pass on this. “Closer” is a classic though and the one track I need off this album.

One of the most under-appreciated heavy metal acts. I think they never really had their own subgenre to fall into because they were too "heavy metal" for the industrial/metal bands, and too industrial for the straightforward "heavy metal" bands. So there wasn't really other acts that people could lump together and say "this is my genre of music that I like". This album I have some familiarity with but I haven't listened in years and years. Really nice to go back to this. Often it's easy for me to compare a band or musical act to a visual (to me, Meshuggah sounds like a robot breaking apart), or a movie (to me, High on Fire sounds like orangutans and elephants rampaging through a desert). NIN is a challenge though. They have this weird industrial sound that is very serious and electronic and distorted and grating and raw yet refined. They are consistent in their sound, but it's so unique. I love that. I love the challenge. I still don't have a visual that I can compare them to. The stand out tracks are definitely "Closer" and "Hurt" which are bonafide slappers and have done great things for the genre of metal music. I'll always remember being driven to high school by my grandfather and hearing "Closer" on the radio and thinking to myself "why oh why couldn't this have been "Hurt" instead?" Those 2 tracks bring it over into a 4/5 for me.

Never been a fan of NIN for some reason, could never seen to get into them.

Songs were hit or miss for me. I liked what I liked, but overall it didn't click with me.

Possibly would have liked this when I was a teenager and I can imagine they are great when you are in the moshpit but it's not something I will ever listen to again

Vägrar lyssna på den här clownen.

i want trent reznor to pegg me

🐷 >:(

Muy sucio, i like it 👍

Someone on Reddit recommended these guys to me (and it got 160 upvotes): "Also based on those same bands plus liking Yes and Kansas, I bet you'd dig the Nine Inch Nails discography. Spans the gamut of musical styles of rock and was often placed side-by-side with Radiohead in 90s music articles discussing bands that could "flirt with mainstream success while being groundbreaking and unique". Still a relevant band today, since the two main members recently won an Oscar and a Grammy for their soundtrack work on movies like The Social Network and Pixar's Soul. Don't ignore the second release, Broken, just because it's an EP. Ditto the three most recent releases, the "EP trilogy". The discography spans from 1989-Present and has 11 albums/EPs you'd want to hit." After this album, I'm not sure he's right that I'd like them. But I'm down to give another try one day

The first album was far better

Absolute classic. I love most of the NIN discography and this is no exception. I don’t revisit it much anymore because I don’t feel the kinds of feelings that led me to it in the first place (something Trent has also spoken about) but the songwriting is still on point.

5 because closer is such a banger

4/5. Not what I was expecting at all but a pleasant surprise. A lot more accessible, but still goes so hard. The lyrics are not something I can fully understand but the ones I can understand really do slap. Just a great, but depressing, vibe that does such a good job at conveying a mood. And that mood is “F this, and F you, and F me”

I can’t lie I don’t really understand nine inch nails. I listened to this album and felt like it was trying to sound super dark and edgy but it was just kind of goofy and even made me laugh a little. Not an album that I’ll come back to (maybe because it’s so long) but I know a lot of people consider it a masterpiece.

mmm un po' deprimente, mmmmm un po' inquietante, pure Hurt, finché non l'ha rifatta Johnny Cash non era niente di che

Not for me

Feel like this needs more listens to me, volume was all over the place on car speakers

Trent snapped on this one. Perfect soundtrack for riding a 45 minute bus to your miserable job in Leigh.

It teeters into the ridiculous and overly-angsty at time, but this album is a lot of fun. Fav Track: Eraser 3.5

Brings me such joy to imagine those spooky little 90s freaks wriggling around in their bedrooms with this on. They'd be having such a fun time thinking about how spooky they are. This album has a bit of cheese whiff to it now but the flashes of Trent's compositional brilliance are there to elevate it all. For a long record it ebbs and flows nicely from harshness to creepy ambiance to pop metal hooks. Deserving of its place in the Canon for mine. A strong three and a half. Fave track: I Do Not Want This/Big Man with a Gun

Textured, dynamic, and magnetic. An annoying morning at work made me a little angry so this actually was a perfect soundtrack for my energy. A little overly angsty at times to be taken totally seriously, but Reznor is clearly sits at the top when it comes to sharpening a style and producing a well engineered sonic cacophony. Fave track: Eraser

De las peores vergas que escuché. Cómo una mezcla entre heavy metal y electrónica.

there is a hell and taking this as a blueprint for life will lead you right there

Ditching the synth-pop flavors of their excellent first album for an even darker and grittier sound, I find the second record by NIN to be much stronger. It's got some real bangers on it as the kids might say. To my ear, this second album is more of an evolution from the first record than what you might say about Ministry's own change from an extremely synth-pop style to an industrial-metal sound. This second record cemented NIN in 90s music in a way that I don't think would've happened if they had just continued the direction of or repeated their first record. Funny thing is...(and by funny I mean, I'm dumb): I didn't really listen to this record so much when it first came out because, of course, I had dismissed them based on how I felt about their rising popularity off the first record. At that time, I was too anti-fame, anti-mass appeal to want to have much to do with them even if I liked the music.

Not as bad as I was expecting at all. Dour but some songs still had an unmistakable groove. Solid album

sick album

Hard to rate. But i enjoyed it overall.

i likey

Honestly, this is fucking awful. I should like it, but it's just noise.

Own on Vinyl

Excellent industrial soundscaping and textural art

Le daría 10 estrellas

I did not get on this train in the 90s when this album came out though I remember it being big and different at the time. And I have a handful of friends who would count NIN as one of their favorite bands. Happy to dive in to this and after a couple listens I dig how abrasive and eclectic this record is. I'm sure it would have been wild to get immersed in this nearly 30 years when it came out. NIN is not really for me, but this is a great album.

Couldn’t even make it through the album.

Okay

Loud, aggressive, disturbing and depressing, that's how i would explain the sound of this album. It's great. Really enjoyed the vocals, but the instrumentals on this one, are the thing that made it great for me. It's just really fun listening to all the sounds.

I’m split on this album. I like the industrial sound in a lot of places, but a lot of the lyrics are just kind of whiney. That said, ‘Hurt’ is a genuinely great song, and it’s still enjoyable enough, so I’ll give it a 3.

This really brought my mood down and it’s not a very comfortable listen in places but the songs are good and this version of hurt is BY FAR the better one.5/5

Really enjoyed this. Haven't had an album I've loved in weeks so it was nice to have an a reminder of why I do this, to discover new music that I like

Some of its cool, some of its angry, some it's sad. Mission accomplished?

Never been huge on NiN and the industrial music scene, but I understand the appeal. I think for those in that scene this is probably a great album. As for me, it runs middle of the pack. I find Pretty Hate Machine to be a more enjoyable listen start to finish, but this has a few high points (Closer, March of the Pigs, Hurt). Overall, not something I would go back to any time soon.

4/14, 29%

Je suis meme pas rendu à la moitié et c,est vraiment malade. J'aime l'originalité et le son est explosif. 5

The first time I heard this album, I hated it. Viscerally. Just sounded like pure cacophony. While those elements still exist to me, my appreciation for it has grown significantly, and the artistic decisions made on it are much more clear to me. It is a very jarring listen, and that was the intention. The arrangements are extremely particular and do well to portray the album. I can't say I will be revisiting this album very often, but I definitely get it a lot more now. Favorite track: Hurt

Ewwww

PREFS : Mr. Self Destruct, March of the Pigs, Closer, Ruiner, The Becoming, I Do Not Want This, Big Man With a Gun, Eraser, Hurt MOINS PREF : Reptile

Interesting but not amazing. Kind of wish it was more focused/less long. Overall like a 3.5 maybe, rounding to 4. Not sure if I'll listen more.

I'm starting to feel like a broken record, but here's another album that hits differently now that I'm older. Trent Reznor is a brilliant composer. And that shows here even in his early work. NIN is a powerhouse of industrial rock. There's not a missed note or a missed opportunity here. It's a perfect industrial album. Musically, at least. Lyrically, it's another matter. So much of this album that felt edgy and rebellious in my youth now feels juvenile and try hard. Don't get me wrong, there are still some great tracks on this album. But the big hits? They just come off kind of cheesy. Oh, did you say a bad word? Oh, I see It's because you're talking about having sex. And now you're screaming that God's dead. This isn't exactly breaking new ground, is it? This is just to try to be shocking. That's disappointing. You're capable of more intelligent writing.

A very heavy and haunting experience, and one of the most interesting and textured rock albums I've heard.

Too angry for me

There were a couple times during this album I could feel myself getting into the chaos that NIN was slinging, but for the most part it's not my cuppa tea. Reminds me of Twisted Metal. Is this Math Rock?

Bunch of noise which I was hoping would turn into something epic but that never came

Man there are some really iconic songs on here. Piggy, March of the Pigs, Closer, and of course Hurt (Johnny Cash's version is a GOAT cover). Listening to this in 1994 must've been a wild experience. Fun fact it was recorded where the Manson Family killed Sharon Tate +friends. This is such a tough album for me to rank. It has some serious high's and serious low's. 3 it is!

Long live NiN

Wasn't feeling it.

A lot of noise, not much substance.

The year before this came out, Kurt Cobain started off what would turn out to be the last Nirvana studio album with the lyric "Teenage angst has paid off well/Now I'm bored and old." That's a good summary of where music was that year. Grunge and alternative had been mainstream for a few years, and angst had become a commodity. Too many bands would sneer and mope and then take a peek to see if you were paying attention to how angsty they were. Into that environment came Trent Reznor kicking down the fucking door and demanding Fuck You, I'll Show You Angst. And so he did. This is dark, sad, mean, angry, demands to be heard, and most surprising to me, holds up better than I could have imagined. It's still hard to believe that something this nihilistic sold millions of copies and was a major hit. I guess we still had some real actual angst in us and needed the catharsis of a record like this more than we realized.

Fucking flawless. A sonic masterpiece.

Trent Reznor said: “I’ve written this techno-inspired metal album about a person’s suicidal downfall. Why not dance?” Ok, he might not have said those words exactly. But dance we did.

4,5

I don’t really like this. I strongly disliked the first 3 tracks, but somehow enjoyed the next two tracks (March of pigs & closer) quite a bit. The tracks afterward were either a miss or just unremarkable to me, with the exception of “hurt” which was another one of the songs that I actually enjoyed. The album has this interesting cyberpunk vibe to it & is super experimental, which I respect & when it hit, it hit. It just didn’t hit often enough for me.

I liked this album. It gave me the creeps at some points but I enjoyed it. Some of the sounds made in here are so unique to NIN it really defines their sound. Sometimes the album feels a little too repetitive but it only happens at some points. I did hear a lot of later Trent Reznor movie score vibes in this album especially with the unique sounds. Overall pretty good

NIN makes your skin crawl in the most pleasant way. What a creepy album, the cover always reminded me of the SAW movies, never listened to this one cover to cover though. I just know hits off it. WOAHHH heresy coming in hot with some synthwave. that fireee So more on the cover, it was a collection of art pieces created by Russell Mills. Super cool. So this album is a HIGH concept with perfect execution. I wan this project injected into my brain. The placement of "A warm place" the juxtaposition of the beautiful warmth knowing that its coming from a broken and morbid place. Its beautiful, its disgusting. I'm revolted and I can't stop listening. Fun fact that most of you probably know: NIN's 'Hurt' is actually the original while Jonny Cash's is the cover. Surprised me when I found that out. Easiest 5 I have ever given. I wonder how hearing the album earlier in my life would have impacted me.

Not my thing

Toen ik nog een onzekere puber was luisterde ik regelmatig het album "The Fragile". Nu als onzekere volwassene zet ik het eigenlijk nooit meer aan. Leuk dat het algortime mij nu beveelt NIN weer eens te luisteren. Lastig om er sterren op te plakken, want dit is geen muziek waar je altijd zin in hebt. Misschien zelfs vaker niet dan wel. Het heeft de warmte van een tochtige betonnen cel. Afhankelijk van de vorm van de dag is het kutmuziek of geniaal. Vandaag heb ik er wel zin in, dus ik ga qua sterren niet te moeilijk doen. Specifieke, redelijk unieke sound. De productie klinkt top, met als grootste compliment dat je niet hoort dat het uit 1994 komt.

I've always thought this album was overrated by critics at the time, and my view hasn't changed in the 29 years since. It's innovative with its recording dynamics and you can hear why Trent Reznor later moved into soundracks. Some of it is very good, but other tracks are just whiny and/or trying too hard. Definitely an album you need to be in the right mood for. As for the recording location, I'll leave the last words to Trent: "It's one thing to go around with your dick swinging in the wind, acting like it doesn't matter. But when you understand the repercussions that are felt ... that's what sobered me up: realizing that what balances out the appeal of the lawlessness and the lack of morality and that whole thing is the other end of it, the victims who don't deserve that."

Genuine conflict with this album. Love it, as it spoke to me on a visceral level, but also hypercharged my depression. Still an amazing concept album.

I've learned a lot about Nine Inch Nails listening to and researching this album that I didn't before. For one thing, Trent Reznor is the entire fucking band. There's a few small instruments and samples added as a cherry on top, but he's credited for "Vocals, All Instruments, Arranger, Producer" on this album. Not even just that, he was using early Macintosh software to edit and distort the sounds and frequencies used. The album is rough and erratic, and can be hard to listen to. I feel that's almost the point though. A concept album of a man so misanthropic he kills God before struggling to take his own life is relatable in a lot of ways. It speaks a lot to the underground scene in the early 90's and a bit to what some of these live shows must have been like. As I listened, this album grew on me much more than I would've guessed. Ultimately, an incredible accomplishment in music history that warrants more listens and analysis of the lyrics. It's time to come to terms with the drum machine

A great album.Its so harsh yet catchy.I love trent reznors vocals and Closer might be one of my favourite song ever.It dips at the end but almost all songs besides a warm place,eraser reptile and downward spiral are great.I love hurt so much his vocals are so tense and emotinal and i love the explosion of sound at the end.This album is just so good.Angry,nhilistic and sexually frustrated all in heavy industrial rock.

I think this dude has a lot of pent up anger and angst that only gets released through his music. I get the idea, but don't get most of his music. But, I do like several NIN songs and Hurt is my favorite song by these guys. Johnny Cash version is the best. Regardless. this song is painfully beautiful. A five star song. Recommend everyone check out Cash's version and video! A couple of other songs I enjoy are Closer and Heresy. Heresy has some great lyrics. As for the rest of the album, just a little (OK , a lot) too much in your face nonsense for me to enjoy. But for Hurt alone, I'm going to give this album a 3. A top song regardless of who performs. Back to my week of remembering Prince: I was dreaming when I wrote this So sue me if I go too fast But life is just a party And parties weren't meant to last People call me rude I wish we al were nude I wish there was no black and white I wish there were no rules

I have always respected NIN for what they did for Pop culture, but I could never quite grasp their style. On paper it has all of the elements of music I like but put together it is always disappointing or disjointed. This is an album that I'll always want to listen to and want to enjoy but I don't see it being an album that I love. 2.5

4 Not the first album to chronicle a nervous breakdown - Pink Floyd’s The Wall had done so 15 years prior (and 20 spots ago on this list) - but the first to do so so viscerally and aggressively. If you weren’t prone to a breakdown before listening, you probably are now. This album is violent, and it was created in a setting of violence. Frontman Trent Reznor wrote and recorded this entire album at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles, CA - also known as the home that actress Sharon Tate and three of her friends were brutally murdered in by members of the Manson Family. And while those violent themes may be off-putting for some, somehow they’re blended with a cross-genre fusion of industrial music and introspective lyrics in such a way that, regardless of your typical musical taste, it’s hard not to find the album compelling, or even borderline catchy at times. While crude, lines like “God is dead/And no one cares/If there is a Hell/I’ll see you there” and “I wanna fuck you like an animal/I wanna feel you from the inside/I wanna fuck you like an animal/My whole existence is flawed/You get me closer to God” are about as catchy as the industrial genre can get. Speaking of the latter, despite its outright vulgarity (or maybe because of it), Closer is one of the best and most enjoyable songs here, second probably only to Hurt. However, because of the song’s success as a single, many see it as a glorification of primal sex and completely miss the contextual emphasis on self-loathing and mutilative tendencies. Honestly, I’m not sure which is better. On a slightly lighter note, I wrote this song in as a submission for my high school’s graduating class song. It didn’t win. The back half isn’t quite as strong as the first, though it does a great job of maintaining the palpably hopeless atmosphere throughout, ultimately culminating into one of the single best and most painful closings of an album of all-time in Hurt. And I’m sorry, but I have to say it - the original is better than Johnny Cash’s. Johnny Cash’s version is excellent and especially impactful when paired with the music video, but there's a well-crafted feeling of isolation in Nine Inch Nails’ version that evokes a sense of utter despair so well. I know Cash’s version isn’t necessarily meant to convey the same message or feeling, so maybe it’s not fair to compare the two, but ultimately the NIN version is the one I found myself coming back to more frequently. Great album, but not the kind you return to often (or at least I hope you don’t). Happy birthday, Dad!!

Huh okay so I didn’t enjoy this album as much as I remember. There are a few standout songs that I still really love but felt like I was wading through kinda-meh tracks to get there.

Repeat album for me as I got this one early in my journey. Unique industrial sound with incredibly angsty (and many times cringy) lyrics. 2.5/5

It’s so crunchy and filthy. I feel like a need a shower after this album. It’s perfectly 90s. It’s five stars.

A good listen, Closer is a banging track

This is one of my favourites albums ever. So glad to find it here.

Epic in so many ways

Bummed I was too young to listen to this when it came out - didn't know what I was missing!

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

Great shit

The GOAT.

It’s an amazing coincidence. I had just 2 days earlier wondered what I would do if an album I knew really well came up in this project “like The Downward Spiral”, I thought. Crazy that it happened 2 days later. This is is one of three albums that were the soundtrack to my late teens (the other 2 being both Smashing Pumpkins albums; “Siamese Dream” and “Mellon Collie…”). I can’t overstate enough how much I love this album. 27 (!) years on since I first heard it, it still sounds as exciting, dramatic, powerful, and intriguing as it did when I was 14 years old. I didn’t need to listen to it again, but I chose to listen to it in one stretch on my AirPods Pro with noise cancellation on. This is an album that made synths heavy. It made the pain of longing cool. It reignited the goth movement for millions of kids. It’s so full sounding that it sounds like it was recorded on the floor of a huge chasm. It’s the angriest album I’ve ever heard. It’s the saddest album. It’s the deepest album. I feel it in my chest, and heart, and my head, and my gut, and in my pants. Stand-out Tracks: Eraser, Reptile, Heresy

Angry gym music for the thinking man

Started a bit weird, it was hard to get into this, but eventually with a second listen I did. Good journey, but musically it's sometimes very far from me. Still appreciatable.

I don’t know who the audience is for this but it sure ain’t me. Hurt is of course a classic but doesn’t make up for the aimless cacophony of the first hour.

I understand why they call this genre so industrial. Sounds like you’re in a factory and not wearing ear protection. Too much noise and not enough melody for me.

Man I hated listening to this. Who is this for?

Headache stuff.

Okayish.

First time I had pretty hate machine I really liked it. I bought the album. I listened to it a lot. I've not listened to it for ages, but I'm assuming I'd still like it. This is far more industrial and not particularly appealing, to me. Was enjoying eraser and then halfway through it just stops and turns into something completely different, like someone messing around on garage band. Struggling with the first listen, don't think I'll be returning for a second listen. No redeeming features.

bn bu album icin fazla yasliyim sarkilar birbirine cok benziyo ve sozleri cringe biraz

Probably haven't listened to this in full in more than 20 years. My appreciation has grown.

OH FUCK YEAH!!!! I have listened to this hundreds of time!! What interesting album art. I've always been fascinated by NIN and their artistic expressions. 5 stars on this one obviously. I love the darkness of this album. Crazy that I came to know and understand a lot of the anger and depression and darkness that comes from this album. Absolutely love it.

Weird

Dark, grimy, classic, and not cringe. This holds up on production and concept despite it's age.

если честно, то это восторг слушать это было великолепно и прекрасно, моментами ооочень экспериментально (поэтому не 5) работа не для всех, но музыканты точно кайфанут

я фанат NIN, поэтому будет тяжело оценивать. С одной стороны, не такой прорывной, как первый альбом, с другой стороны, он стал более мрачным и тяжелым. Не хватало иногда вокала, как будет дальше, но с точки зрения образов один из самых сильных альбомов NIN

Имя знакомое, но всегда почему-то обходил стороной. Казалось, что это что-то не моё. Причём, почему-то я думал, что это какой-то жёсткий хард-метал. Как же он ошибался... По крайней мере, этот альбом не такой. Неиронично, мне прям как-то очень вкатило. Когда идёт смесь инструментальной музыки и работы с синтезом/электроникой/драм-машиной — это делает композицию интереснее к прослушиванию. Мрачно, страшно, дух захватывает. Я добавил себе, в следующий раз тренировочку на велосипеде под это проведу.

Absolutely seminal album in my life. My friends and I, 14 years old, in my basement bedroom screaming "God is dead, and no one cares" - convincing the DJ at our 8th grade mixer to play March of the Pigs, and a dozen of us slamming into each other while the rest of the school stood in disbelief and awkward silence. I had the NIN long sleeve black t-shirt, Trent Reznor wearing shiny black leather poster, all the albums. Easy 5/5 on Downward Spiral.

I was only familiar with the song Closer prior to listening to this album, but this album still surprised me at how unique, creative, provocative, and honestly enjoyable it was to listen to. It's not really an album to put on while hanging out with my friends or family, but it most definitely has its place.

Loved every second of this. I saw these guys in Dallas with A Perfect Circle in the summer of 2000. Best summer of my life.

Your god is dead and no one cares.

Very raw and aggressive. Some of these tracks had so much bite it hurt. Appreciate the fusion of hard rock and electro.

Bit too eclectic to really draw me in tbh. If it was given it more time it may have climbed to a 3. Johnny Cash version of Hurt is maybe 5x better than the original

Metal heads get bored of metal. Interesting enough, can see why people think it’s great, but not entirely for me. 2.5/5

Somehow, 29 years later, this album still sounds disruptive, innovative, urgent, & transgressive. I have a hard time imagining any relatively mainstream artist who could do something like this today. If they could I’d love to hear it. And yes, in 1994, NIN was mainstream, after the first Lollapalooza tour, and heavy airplay of the “Broken” EP & its videos on mainstream radio & MTV over the previous 2 years. This album also has transcended multiple generations as Johnny Cash’s final hit is a cover of this album’s closing song—which is great in its own right. Nothing released in 1965 still sounded so groundbreaking in 1994 as listening to this in 2023 sounds compared to what’s being released today.

Enjoyed the music but likely won’t revisit

I didn’t hate it as much this time!

Lol, imagined you walking in the woods listening to this Like the noises, don't like the way the vocals are drowned out by the music

I was initially listening to this using the speakers on my phone as I was out on a walk in the woods. After the first minute of the first song my expectations were that I was not going to like the album at all but by song three or four I realized that I had to turn the album off and listen to it properly with good headphones the album is actually sick. songs like Piggy, Heresy and The Downward Spiral hit hard as fuck and Ive relistened to them several times and will be relistening to this album. Closer is a good song too but its not the best on the album, solid chip core audio tho its 3 am and im just relistening to this album over and over, its so good might genuinely be one of the greatest albums ive heard. its beautiful reading up on the backstory on the album i found out that the song Hurt is a nine inch nails original and that Johnny Cash's version is only a cover thats crazy while I had to argue whether or not Beyond Skin was a 4 or a 5, the difference in enjoyment between these are so incredibly vast and apparent that I cannot give this anything but a full score

I used to love these vibes when I was in school. Now it doesn't seem really interesting, but I like the concept.

Makes sense that "Closer" is the only single I recognize. Might be okay with the right atmosphere, but on casual listen it just drones on.

Excellent album, great atmosphere and energy to it

Ok, I was expecting to absolutely hate this but a few tracks in and I was already enjoying it far more than I expected. As it goes on, it gets worse though. The lyrics get cringy AF and I can imagine this attracting what you might call an incel crowd these days. Probably one of the reasons I never listened to it before: I associated it with people I wanted nothing to do with. I enjoyed this enough, however, to consider exploring the rest of NiN's output and that's something I definitely wouldn't have said this time yesterday.

This is powerful stuff meant in earnest. Lots of jagged textures here. An Industrial Icon.

Undecided. Quirky, moody. Previously, I was only familair with the Johnny Cash cover of "Hurt".

Interesting at times but 65 minutes of harshness is too much.

“You get me closer to god” is so romantic 10/10 this single song beats out all other weirdly sexual albums, not to mention the rest of the album is extremely good extremely 1994

Yeah a classic of course! Everyone was so good damn horny in the late 90’s!

I didn't quite like NIN until I saw them live, by chance (and afterwards 3 more times, on purpose). I still think prefer their live sound to the records, but nevertheless this is a great album. Strangely I never listened to it in full before.

Angry but good.

Still listen to this album regularly to this day. My read on much of the lyrical content has changed over the decades, some for better, some for worse, but overall I still love this album and all the great audio tricks used in its production.

No way not to rate this 5/5. Classic album that I love entirely.

When I was getting into metal and rock, I thought synth was the enemy and poo-poo’d NIN. By the time I got over my biases, they were a little too mainstreamy for my liking and I struggled to get into them. I… still don’t get it. It’s like Trent Reznor wants Skinny Puppy’s credit but also wants to be as big as a new wave act, and the sounds don’t work for me. Also, “Hurt” has really embarrassing lyrics and only works with a Johnny Cash to class it up. D

Bowie, Iggy inspired NiN. Can cause headaches, but good stuff. Has a couple of 4 stars on it, but not enough to rate 4.

There's a lot in this album that's really great! And some that isn't my normal cup of tea. I probably have to be in the right mood to listen to the whole album again, but there are some great songs and moments on this album. It certainly captures a distinct mood that still stands out today.

yeeehaw elsker det her

Brilliant

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

Has some interesting music and blend with metal that I didn’t expect. Lyrically terrible though and abit too messy at times

I love out beautifully dark and vicious this album is

Grimey grungey goth industrial

already listened to this. 4/5

“She spreads herself wide open To let the insects in She leaves a trail of honey To show me where she’s been She has the blood of a reptile Just underneath her skin Seeds from a thousand others Drip down from within Oh my beautiful liar Oh my precious whore My disease my infection I am so impure” “Got me a big old dick and I, I like to have fun Held against your forehead, well, I’ll make you suck it Maybe I’ll put a hole in your head, you know, just for the fuck of it Well I can reduce you if I want, I can devour I’m hard as fucking steel, I’ve got the power I’m every inch a man and I’ll show you somehow Me and my fucking gun, nothing can stop me now Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, I’m gonna come all over you” This came out before I was born and I’d never heard any of Nine Inch Nails’ stuff before though I had heard of the band. So no nostalgic influence here. Honestly I quite like the sound of the songs on this (I like loud wall of sound music most of the time) but the lyrics were either ridiculous or disgusting 90% of the time. Like “poetry” written by a angsty teenage incel who thinks objectifying women and hating the world is super edgy and makes them superior to everyone else. It even ruins their hit song “Closer”. Was unsurprised to discover this album and this artist are linked to some truly horrible individuals. It just doesn’t really hold up lyrically in this day and age. There’s nothing subversive or edgy about misogyny or male sexual violence, guys. Best tracks: Hurt (excellent), Closer (despite the lyrics), Reptile (despite the lyrics), A Warm Place (fortunately no lyrics) Worst tracks: I Do Not Want This, Big Man With A Gun 2.5 rounded down, could have been a 4 with different lyrics!

I hate industrial metal

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!!!.

One of the greatest albums of all time. There's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. 10/10

Never really got NIN. Until now!

I never really enjoyed listening to NIN, but I appreciate them. Trent definitely brought something new to the way he composed, arranged, and recorded. There’s an art to it. Plus, I just learned that he lived in and recorded this at the house where Sharon Tate was murdered - that’s creepy cool. It’s probably a three for me, but I’m giving it a bump because it’s deserving of the list.

The record sets a specific mood. Probably exactly the mood they intended to set, but not a mood I like or can relate to very much. That being said, it's not bad at all. Favorite song: heresy

Phenomenonenal album. It came out at a great time. 1994 was a year of love, lust, heart break, experimenting with drugs and self destruction but most of all being plagued by crippling depression that I hid from the world. Downward Spiral soundtracked those times. Thankfully it was a guide to getting through it all. Amazing music too

Darker than Pretty Hate Machine, still great.

I forgot I experienced this album. Based on the opening track, I thought, "F this sh*t bro why do I still do this to myself." As much as I wanted to give this a 1, I wasn't cringing at every moment. It basically means I affirm that banging on undisclosed, non-conventional-instrumental objects and shrieking fervently is considered valid music. That's pretty pathetic.

I thought my speaker was broken. They’d be whispering to the point where I understand none of it, then I turn the volume up slightly and they’re screaming at me 3 seconds later. I felt slightly violated, like that time with Father John. I actually thought I would like this album at first but it disappointed me much more than words can describe. Industrial rock is not a genre, it’s just screaming over leaky pipes. I can go to any low income housing complex to hear that.

they tried really hard to make me not like this music. “You did please me some of the time.”

classic, zo veel goede songs maar vooral closer en hurt. Al blijft hurt van mr cash toch iets beter

Ja daar kan ik toch enorm van genieten en die hurt die maakt dat dan ook wel af! ik ga het gewoon geven

Has great moments but it’s tiresome.

Dissapointed

A bit of a mixed bag. Enjoyable overall though.

I’m suspecting that this dude might be depressed or summn 🤷‍♂️

I loved this album. You really need to listen to this at a louder volume as there is so much happening all at once. You can tell this was made before compression ruined dynamic range in music. Such an impressive piece of work. I love it.

I shouldn't like this album just based on genre. But I was to some extent raised on Nine Inch Nails. My mo has been sideside at Lollapalooza when they were playing. "March Of The Pigs", "Closer", and "Hurt" are my favorite songs on the album. The last of which most people forget Reznor wrote, I drop that fact nearly anytime somebody mentions the Johnny Cash version (which is amazing). Best industrial rock album there is.

Ya. A certified a classic. What more is there to say?

This was a tough one to get through for me. I tend to avoid “noisy” music that provokes visceral reactions. Where would I see myself listening to this? The future, after society has collapsed and I’m battered and torn and in my welding shop crafting weapons to stave off bandits. For that reason, and also because there’s no other music left and I have no choice.

It feels..... It feels like I'm in a garbage can that's on fire and being beaten by chains and hammers in the middle of an iron ore refinery in a prison colony on a moon of Jupiter. Was that the intent? The grunge and distortion on that guitar are grating - I'm just not that angry. Closer is a weird song(watch the music video), but I do like it I think you have to be in the mood to listen to NIN and I'm rarely there anymore.

Familiar

A powerful album that winds its way through different genres including EBM, electro, techno, metal, and synthpop creating a deliciously diverse yet coherent musical story. It is also an extremely influential album that can be heard in a lot of the music that came after it. 5/5

Difficult album for me. Some tracks I didn't like, but other I did. But definitely something I did not have heard before. Favourite tracks: 'Closer', 'Hurt'. 3/5

Incredible and was mind blowing when it came out. Had never heard any of the deep cuts, but they are great too.

Mostly liked it, some stuff I didn't

Ya los conocía y en general me han gustado todas las canciones. Closer es que me flipa. Pues yo no les conocía y me han gustado (LNB)

Can someone check on Trent please.

Irredeemably awful. Putrid and stupid, not to mention silly and sophomoric. Negative numbers should be an option for the likes of this.

Seemed fine, not my style.

3 Cyberpunk

I thought I liked Nine Inch Nails more than this. I didn't listen to them much outside of their hits. Most of this is just muddied with too much going on and poor mixing. The production sucks. I thought my headphones were fucked up when I put this on. Hey, let's have 23 "instruments", and crank them all to 11. Then we'll turn the vocals down to 5. That was probably smart actually because most of the lyrics sound like a 14 year old wrote them. I still can't help but get nostalgic when Closer comes on. A Warm Place was by far the best track. Beautiful ambient piece without any vocals to ruin it. 9/10 for that track. Obviously, Hurt is another one to pull from the wreckage here. I can't for the life of me figure out why this album is so beloved by anyone outside of depressed teens. It's not unlistenable, but it's also not good. I was pretty relieved when it was over. 5/10

Good stuff

kiinnostava albumi. mutta ei niin kiinnostava... olenko tekemässä tutkimusta? en... gradua? pff, heh... en todellakaan. tarvi pomppimaan lähteä... b (B) osio paljon parempi, höpötykset pois alta. PASKAA.. mutta myös OK. influenced by t-t-t-t-the w-w-w-w-w TH- THE WALL... tykkäsin industrial saundista a warm place

Another album that I can't believe I haven't been listening to for years.

So glad I got this album on a weekend and could spend more time enjoying it. Love it.

I knew this album was going to be hardcore getting into it but nothing like what it actually was. This album was so ahead of it's time with the soundscapes and use of electronics. I could hardly process this album within a single listen

This is five-star music if you're in a club or are just some poser who thinks that listening to this makes you "edgy". Thank heaven I'm neither of those things.

Garante uma noite funcionando com a energia das camadas do rock em direção ao metal com a série de elementos industriais e eletrônicos. Sucessão de emoções é projetada até o ápice em Hurt.

Bättre än jag trodde. Har aldrig lyssnat, men har tänkt på Nine Inch Nails some ett screamo-igt emo-metal band. Det var mycket mer industriellt, hårt, art-rockigt, och till och med lite brittiskt big-beatigt än så! Rätt häftiga låtar bitvis. Även om texterna absolut är rätt gymnasiala och emo. Gillar ju konceptalbum! Här bara en dryg timmes ångest och mörker och depression som kulminerar i berättarjagets självmord. Vissa låtar drar ut och blir lite för långa, även om det är spännande att vara i kaoset länge. 'A Warm Place' är en skön vilostation. Spännande att höra den här versionen av 'Hurt' i kontexten med resten av albumet. Blir spöklikt och kittlande bra. Bästa låt: Ingen specifik som fastnade extra. Nog bäst som helhet. Även om det var lite för utmattande för att jag ska känna mig manad att återvända (okej kanske 'Hurt' då).

Edgy. Trent Reznor’s emotional palette and lack of self awareness leave a lot to be desired but he’s matured beyond screaming nursery rhymes at least. Try not to think too much about content and let the production’s noise and detail impress you, it’s too good to deny.

Panostin tämän kuunteluun enemmän kuin ajattelin. Kuuntelin kahdesti mutta en siltikään ole varma tähdistä. 3 tuntuu liialta ja 2 liian vähältä. Ajattelin että pitäisin tästä enemmän mutta ei tuo industrial tyyli lähtenyt. Levyllä oli kuitenkin elementtejä mistä pidin ja Hurt lopettajana aivan loistava. Annetaan kuitenkin arvostuksesta 3

My introduction to this album was hearing "Heresy" on the post-midnight Sunday program on my local rock radio station sometime around '95 and being absolutely floored. (I discovered Marilyn Manson around the same time thanks to the same program playing "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and finding it so delightfully creepy - but even prior to his latest controversies the past couple of years, he didn't hold the longevity for me that NIN has managed to) The song was so HEAVY. So Angry. So blasphemous. It was awesome! I got myself a copy of the album a few weeks later and until Antichrist Superstar was released nearly a year later, it was by far the heaviest album I owned. I regret not grabbing a copy last time my local had this in on wax. Stone cold classic.