The Downward Spiral

Along with the wall, it’s been a good week for concept albums. While probably not quite as good as the wall, it’s definitely top 3 for concept albums that I can think of off the top of my head. I can just imagine this entire track list playing all at once in the final moments before the narrator shoots himself at the end of fight club. From disillusionment to depression to anger to horniness to brief glimpses of happiness back to even deeper sadness to a beautifully sad ending, it really does feel like you’re on the spiral too. It starts with the overwhelming mr self destruct and never really lets up except for a warm place. Closer and hurt were my other two standouts.

Such a great album. I listen to NIN a lot so this was just a reason to listen to the full album. One of my favs!

Classic NIN. March of Pigs, heresy, closer, hurt all quintessential tracks.

A dark and industrial hellscape that also happens to jam packed with hooks and emotional gut punches

I listened to this album endlessly as a teen. As I no longer exist in that state of frustrated anger and hormones, it hits different - but I still found myself really enjoying it. Raw and haunting and angry.

He sewed his eyes shut because he is afraid to see He tries to tell me what I put inside of me He got the answers to ease my curiosity He dreamed a god up and called it Christianity God is dead And no one cares If there is a hell I'll see you there He flexed his muscles to keep his flock of sheep in line He made a virus that would kill off all the swine His perfect kingdom of killing, suffering and pain Demands devotion, atrocities done in his name God is dead And no one cares If there is a hell I'll see you there Yeah, this is pretty fucking good. 5/5

Thought this was awesome

holy damn. a downward spiral is right, this whole album is pretty much the audio concept of someone experiencing just that. from denial to anger to lust to... completely hitting it rock bottom, accepting you're stuck in a big ol' pit. dark subject matter aside it's an AWESOME rock album with the craziest shreds and beats you've ever heard. like running nails against a chalkboard in the best way possible.

4/8/24. Yes, this album is abrasive and probably isn't a good introduction to show to someone, but I love the industrial sound and think Trent Reznor is a genius. I can listen to this over and over again and not get bored, whether it comes from the production, lyrical content (even if I don't fully relate), and how each song flows into each other nicely.

I never realised that this was a one man show. It’s really not my thing but Trent might be a genius. It’s really unique and it’s completely brutal. I’m tempted to go 5 stars but a little too much of unpleasantness for me to be honest. Oh fuck it, he’s done a really good job here - full marks.

This record is easily in my top 5 favorite records of all time. The first time I heard it, it scared me. I was not prepared for the anger that it delivers. And if your headspace isn't right when you listen, this record can do damage. There is nothing more medically abrasive than Trent Reznor at his peak. He tore through his first 5 records with a real anger. Not some spooky Halloween thing like Marilyn Manson or the NuMetal that followed this release. This record is a true masterpiece. It's hard to drink in. Just as it should be.

Amazing album, one of my favorites.

Terrific album through & through. Perhaps not safe for work but not a bad song on it.

An amazing display of space, layering and emotion.

I can see why this be overlooked or misunderstood to listeners not familiar with Trent Reznor's work. I wasn't keen on first listens back in the 90s, even as a fan of Pretty Hate Machine, it sounded inaccessible and chaotically angry in a way that I just didn't care for. But having listened so many more times, and being intimately familiar with the rest of his work, I have come to appreciate this as one of too five favourites of all time. Trent's meticulous attention to detail, his amazing mix of creativity and expression with an absolute perfectionist approach to production is extraordinary. Whereas lots of other 90s industrial rock efforts sound dated now, anything by NIN still sounds fresh and timeless, despite countless listens. It's a genuine masterpiece, a modern classic work of art.

got bangers

This album is so good. There is such raw emotion throughout and it really grips you as you listen to it

Incredibly tense, dark and aggressive, but undeniably hooky. It's an impressive tightrope act and it's easy to see how it's innovative blend of industrial, rock, pop, and avant-garde noise established Trent Reznor as an icon. It might drag a little in the middle, but it's never boring.

THE industrial rock/metal album. The only one that matters anyway. Pretty Hate Machine and The Fragile I'd argue are different genres, so, (the broken EP aside) Trent came in and absolutely smashed it out of the park with this release. This album is probably the one that has the most profound impact on my life. I used to love other bands at earlier stages in my life - Oasis, Blink, Limp Bizkit (sorry), Queens of the Stone Age etc. But this was the first time I properly connected with an album on a much, much deeper level. The first and maybe only time I'd felt like an album was written *for* me. I havent listened to it properly in years so it's nice to be made to go back and listen to it afresh again. Mr Self Destruct is such a great opener. Basically tells you what you're going to get on this album. Other bands had mastered the soft/hard style of songwriting (Nirvana, Pixies spring to mind) but Trent shows he is equally adept at it here. Closer has perhaps been overplayed too many times that I didn't think too much of it on reflection despite absolutely loving it as a teenager. Ruiner/Becoming is such a good combination. The Godzilla samples he uses on Becoming are so perfectly placed. The last 5 songs though are just a phenomenal run. People (including Trent) have said that Hurt is now a Cash song, and I get that point of view, but also respectfully disagree. Cash changed it to something else which also had great meaning and sounded amazing, but in a different way. Similar to how the US office is totally different to the UK office but it's ok to love and respect both without feeling one ripped off the other or made it better. They're literally two different genres in each example. 5/5 on reflection, thought I'd like it less than I did listening back 20 years a later but it's an absolute beast. Phenomenal stuff.

This album is pure genius. Trent is a master of weaving musical textures together as well as playing with the dynamics of loud vs quiet. A powerhouse of a concept album.

Perfect.

YES.

One of my favs

A classic album of my goth youth! Accidentally downloaded disc 2 of the remaster and ended up listening to all of the remix as well having my daily bicycle commute, but then I listened to the entire the album on a moderate volume during the evening and it was great.

Possibly THE artistic masterpiece of the 1990s. For the truly hardcore fans it is referred to by its alternative title Halo 8. Easily one of three of the greatest albums of music that was released in the entire decade, the other two also being Nine Inch Nails (Broken 1992, and The Fragile 1999). This is the album that delineated what music was before and what could artistically be realized afterward. When I picked up this album I had limited experience with Nine Inch Nails previous songs. I didn't know what to expect and it was a musically religious experience. From the Russel Mills painting as the cover and the attention given to every little bit of every track on the album. It was the first time I really grasped how powerful a concept album could be. I was aware of Pink Floyd's The Wall, but it did not land with the impact and force that this record did. A production and engineering master class. The remix album Further Down the Spiral (version 1 and version 2 (for the amazing Ruiner and Heresy remixes by Charlie Clouser) might be the single greatest remix album ever.

10/10

Excellent all the way through.

The Downward Spiral is possibly the most unlikely commercial success of 1994. It's not metal or dance or industrial. This album was my whole personality in ninth grade. The lyrics might tend toward "edgelord" but as a kid in his early teens they really spoke to me. Thirty years later I still appreciate the themes though the words are maybe too obvious. As with all of the NIN albums the production and songcraft is top notch. As with many other albums from this era (the mass adoption of the compact disc) the length is too long. Trimming some of the tracks from the tail end would make this absolutely killer.

Love

The Downward Spiral may not be my most favourite NIN album (I do prefer The Fragile more) but! Trent Reznor, you depressed little man, you are—without any exaggeration—my Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit. And God, every time I listen to NIN I think there's something wrong with my earphones, amen!

A perfect fucking album.

An awesome album I haven't given enough time to. Gush incoming. But doesn't it make you feel better? I have listened fairly extensively to the albums either side of it, plus a lot of his later excellent soundtracky work (Pre-saged beautifully here much earlier with the extremely Eno (again, huge tick) 'A Warm Place'), but strangely not this, their hugest success. Not as much anyway. Not nearly as much as I should have. I finally listened to it in full about 15 years back after being 2nd handedly aware of it's greatness for 2 solid decades. The big songs of course I know like the back of my hand. Heresy, God is dead and noone cares. If there is a hell I'll see you there. Bow down before the one you serve, you're going to get what you deserve. Closer played endlessly in the clubs of my youth, and never, never ever got old. It's fucking brilliant. It has it's own dance. I could probably write a whole review on this one song. It's legit in the top 10 songs of the decade, absolutely no question. Ruiner, is almost effortlessly epic and anthemic. And just randomly stops mid fl- Eraser a wonderful and weird slow burner that explodes in an interesting way. Reptile a slower, dirtier (if that were possible) Closer. Complete with the title track as it's coda, the explosion of which is one of the most singular productions I've heard and this bleeds into... Hurt, which is simply magnificent. Yeah Johnny cash cover is better, but this is still so, so special. A magnificent song. One of the greatest ever written. This album's got dance, it's got metal, it's got dirt, it's got Depeche Mode. And all twisted together in a big old gnarled tree trunk growing through the centre. It's basically the perfect record for my tastes.

4.75

Groundbreaking album. Reznor continues to make a mark in so many musical realms

Ramble Time: Such a dark, dirty, grimy, depressing albums (the album cover matches this perfectly). This album sounds so good, the production on this is top notch. All of the synths have this great unique tone, and all of the overlapping synth parts (especially the outro on closer) are perfect. The drums/drum machines all sound super powerful, and I love the clean guitar tone on this album. Closer is such a funky little number with some of my all time favorite synth tones. The muffled screams on the Downward Spiral are such an interesting and unique idea. And hurt is such a powerful closer with those last three hits. This album also has great sequencing, with a good balance of quiet and loud moments The easiest 5 I have given yet.

This album is grim, horrifying, degrading, uncomfortable to listen to… but god is it so well made. It uses a massive sonic palette to take the listener on a full tour of a mind in trauma, from moments of quietly whispered fear to pounding, screaming rage. The word that comes to my mind is “unflinching” - NIN is unflinching in its portrayal of its horrible yet undeniably real subject matter here. Millions of people have gone, are going, and will go through their own downward spiral. God help them if it’s anything like this.

Iconic. A certain kind of aggression here that is missing from modern music. No surprise this connected so hard with its fans. Love it.

Many people smarter than me have written oodles on the subject of this album. It is difficult, it is angsty. It is industrial. What can't be underestimated is the production value behind this. There is not a note audible that wasn't decided on. There isn't a sound or a nuance that hasn't been selected to contribute to the overall picture. There's stuff hidden in the music that can't be heard that has been selected to contribute to the overall picture. I don't think I can even try and sum up what this album is. Yes, it hasn't aged particularly well in places, and no, it hasn't got any form of fun or frivolity to it. But it is a great album, a considered album and a masterpiece of production.

Iconic

nota 9

One of my favorite albums of all time.

Abrasive, connective - this album feels like darkness and chaos. One of the few selections that you can just as easily listen to on headphones to unwind, put on to boost your daily run, or hear while dancing at a club at 3 am. With all sorts of backing tracks permeating the songs to invoke the swirling keyboards and vocals, The Downward Spiral takes you to a fractured mental landscape.

This is one of those perfect storm albums. It was the right album at just the right time. There really isn't any other period in history that a concept album this abrasive and ugly could have been released and worked. In 1991 - 1995 people actively wanted music that pushed boundaries musically and had something to say lyrically.

honestly really liked this more than i thought i would, usually not much of a nin listener but the synths, clanging percussion, trents voice, and general arrangements won me over. love that warbly piano moment that returns for hurt

Everything is great : sound, imagery, energy, voice, composition, etc. Maybe I'm not objective with this one.

Reminds me of Black Dresses a lot, specifically forever in your heart. Favorite songs- A warm place, Mr. Self Destruct Least Favorite- The Downward Spiral 9/10

Trent Reznor at his angriest. I’ve loved this album since I was an angsty teen. Highlights: Piggy, March of the Pigs, The Becoming, Reptile.

Pop-industrial masterpiece. One starting with what sounds like an S/M "séance". Do I need to say more at this point? Yes, I do, because rarely have depression, perversion and self-hatred produced so many intense, aggressive, and, most of all, *catchy* moments, The first five or six tracks of this album are a perfect string of songs, with all sorts of uneasy electronic details and rhythmical flourishes finding their way into your brains like so many infected earworms (Those spiky sunth basslines! Those drilling sounds in the background! That time signature on "March of The Pigs"!). Over this hellish but highly seductive program, Trent Reznor sets no filters for his lyrics, for better or for worse. "Closer"'s chorus still sounds as gratuitous and offensive today as it was in 1994, but it's the overall energy and musicality of the music carrying this sick chorus which sells the whole thing. Drawing as much from Ministry and The Killing Joke as he does from Prince or that recent so-called "grunge" wave, Trent Reznor applies a musical program that is not also violent, haunted and anxiety-ridden, but also rich and highly flavored. After such a raucous start, the first half of the second side is even more stifling and claustrophobic--maybe even a little too much at times, admittedly. Yet you soon realise this claustrophobic dead-end of sorts was all on purpose when heartrending ambient instrumental "A Warm Place" surges to terminate that particular "downward spiral". Then, you start hoping that the sick, psychotic, drug-addled protagonist at the center of this record is going to find redemption at last. Alas, the last batch of songs slowly but surely place you into the boiling water again, with some of the best build-ups in the whole record--sometimes suggesting a little optimism in their first seconds, but then increasingly invaded by all sorts of unsetlling noises. Up until the finale "Hurt" (famously covered by Johnny Cash) ends the proceeding on one last desperate, but highly moving note. No wonder Trent Reznor became a film composer. *The Downward Spiral* might not fit with every listener's taste, but it's an impressive narrative, with the sorts of dynamic twists and turns that bear the mark of the best concept albums in the history of modern music. And it's a narrative mostly conveyed through effective soundscapes, memorable melodies, and a care for detail which easily place Reznor as a genius of the nineties. 5 stars, what else? Number of albums left to review: 315 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 308 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 167 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 223

I can see why Trent and Atticus are tapped to create soundtracks for dark movies.

Piggy is my least favorite song. It sounds ok but the lyrics don’t do anything for me. I genuinely disliked it though. There are some fun synthesizer/electronic noises on this album. Coupled with the bass guitar is a vibe I’m very much into. Awesome album The song exploder for Hurt is awesome.

Ikke musik man tager med hjem til forældrene

Masterpiece

🤩🤩

This was a teenage favourite so may be a bit coloured by that but I love this album. The production is still insane 30(!) years on

Still is a breakthrough piece that disturbs and fascinates while still entertaining.

NO FUCKING WAY DUDE mr self destruct- 10 piggy- ehhhh 7 or 8 heresy- 8 march of the pigs- 8 closer- 10 ruiner- 7 the becoming- 9 i do not want this- 6 or 7 big man with a gun-6 a warm place- 6 eraser- 6 reptile- 7 or 8 downward spiral- 10 hurt- 10 favorite track- idk it used to be mr self destruct but i love a lot of it easiest 5

Depression put into music and it works with this style. Trent does a great job with this one.

It's been years but this has aged well. Music for an industrial world. I remember hearing this for the first time as a boy and feeling intense fear but also fascination. Almost 30 years later and this makes me miss the boy I was, and reflect on the animal I have become.

Fucking loved this album. I love the story and sound to it

Love the crescendos of some of these songs. Industrial vibe. The melodies really catch you off guard, contrasted with the heavy distortion and unpredictable transitions. I would say that at least 6 of the tracks on this album would be single-worthy anywhere else.

I fucking love this album. I went through a huge NIN faze in my teens. I can’t listen to it often, as it can take me into a dark headspace. Also glad that Trent Reznor dealt with his demons and seems like a happier guy now

Years ago, I was in a play with a girl who used to strip and she said that Closer was one of her songs. I say that to underline what I love about this album and Nine Inch Nails in general- the music is dark, intense, and angry but also catchy and danceable. That is definitely a sweet spot for me and this album is one of the foundations of that taste.

4.5 Grimy, gritty and vile at times. Captivatingly beautiful in others. I know this album well enough but I hadn’t listened to it, front to back, in ages. Trent is a musical genius and this is him at his best. Loved it.

Raw, noisy, abrasive, and full of emotion. This album being recorded in the Tate murder house (whilst Reznor also lived there) adds to the eerie, visceral themes too. This record is packed with interesting sounds and experimentation. It's an fascinating concept album that explores the dark depths of the human mind.

I loved this album. So many listens back in the day. It holds up really beautifully. I also like the instrumentals a lot. They have ages very well.

Absolute all time classic

Cet album m'a botté le cul, excessivement intense et énergique. Aussi, le mixage est incroyable mais il faut plusieurs écoutes séparées dans le temps pour dompter le chaos!

Fantastic follow up to PHM. This concept album is phenomenal. Watching Trent play this live in the 90s was amazing…and makes me feel so old,

9/10

A tour de force.

Nostalgic

Piggy piggy piggy piggy. 5 pigs. piggy.

Each song is its own audio story. Even at its most chaotic you can feel the connective tissue of good composition just underneath the surface. The voice work perfectly matched to the instrumentation, tourtured but varied. Even on the slower tracks the sound is full and audibly varied. Good ass album

If I had to describe this album in two words, they would be rough and dynamic. No two songs on The Downward Spiral sound the same. This was a great listen and it gives me great confidence that NIN will do a good job with Tron.

Great band, great album.

Love this

I tried listening to these guys before and wasn't super into it but listening through this now it really clicked with me. Definitely going to be listening again

Sonzeira, este é um álbum emblemático.

NIN a le génie d’utiliser des synthétiseurs en les faisant sonner comme autre chose, ce qui leur évite de paraître datées. Les pièces ont un goût d’angoisse et d’infini, un martèlement inlassable.

Probably one of the more ground breaking albums of the mid-90s, which is saying a lot due to the sheer volume of incredibly influential albums happening at that time. Reznor creates so much tension that it's palpable and then completely pulls the rug underneath you with abrupt changes and soft, almost whispered passages. His understand of mood and dynamics is top notch. Like it's namesake, this album is what I imagine someone who is really going through it in life feels like before hitting rock bottom/the brink of insanity. Well performed and executed. A definite classic whether you enjoy the genre or not. The closing track has always been my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs and inspired one of the greatest covers to happen during my time on this Earth by the Man in Black himself, Mr. Johnny Cash. Well worth the price of admission. Stand out tracks: Piggy, Closer, A Warm Place, Hurt

Can’t believe I’ve never listened to this. Amazing

this album is a bunch of noise trying to be louder that the other noise and i love it

Never really gave it a full listen but I recall the significance in my own time. Truly great album!

This is the music they play when the main character has to walk through a gay vampire nightclub in a tv show. Nickelodeon gross out humor but music. Closer is about cumming, nice. This album borders on being too industrial to actually enjoy and being just industrial enough to be bearable. Trent Reznor is a horny freak. Every song is about fucking something or someone, nice. In conclusion, I would listen to horny angry man scream at me with aggressively industrial beats in the background again. 9/10

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

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

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

4,5

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

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

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.

AWESOME! Nine Inch Nails is incredible!

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.

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.

Top

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

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?

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

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.

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.

i want trent reznor to pegg me

Muy sucio, i like it 👍

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

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

sick album

Own on Vinyl

Le daría 10 estrellas

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.

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

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

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

Long live NiN

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Excellent album, great atmosphere and energy to it

“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

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.

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.

Brilliant

I love out beautifully dark and vicious this album is

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!

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

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.

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

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

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

Good stuff

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

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.

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.

Funny listening to this now and thinking I was listening to these lyrics as a 14-year-old girl, but hey, I had good taste back then! I've loved this for years, so innovative and creative and satisfyingly abrasive. Nothing else to say, it's just a masterpiece.

Incredible album from start to finish. I don't know how much I have to add beyond that.

An incredible album. Listened to it far too much, then it became an album with too many (bad) memories so didn't listen to it for years, but in recent times give it a spin every once in a while to marvel at how good it sounds. Who'd have thought the follow-up to Pretty Hate Machine would have sounded like this?

The album that launched a million crywanks.

CD

"The Downward Spiral" is the second full length studio album by American industrial band Nine Inch Nails. It is a concept album following the self-destruction of a man from the beginning of his disliking of humankind and society to his suicidal breaking point. It was also recorded in the LA mansion of Sharon Tate where she infamously was murdered by Charles Manson; a house NIN leader Trent Reznor had rented. You had me at either point. The album wad conceived by Reznor during NIN's 1991 Lollapalooza tour where he was feeling alienated and disinterested. The album has elements of industrial, rock, techno, metal and ambient music. Reznor avoided straight-forward guitars and synths and designed and recorded the sound with his computer using loops, distortion, and samples. He also used samplers, digital drums and various digital synths. Yeah, this is a very unique and textured album. Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins and guitarist Adrian Belew were also involved. Reznor drew inspiration from David Bowie's "Low" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall." Oh boy, where are we going? Well, we get to meet our antagonist/protagonist in "Mr Self-Destruct." Drum machine/mechanical pounding. Noises. Reznor whispering and screaming. Fast-slow-fast. He's powerful, violent, and has urges of sex and addiction. Synths soften things up on "Piggy." The song builds. The song is based on a NIN guitarist leaving the band and his nickname but in this story it's about a girl leaving our guy. The dance gets going on "Heresy." This sounds like a mix between Prince and Ministry. Actually this song rocks. "God is dead and no one cares." God is dead to him. A pounding fast, repetitive drum beat begins "The March of Pigs." Our protagonist hates the conformity of society. Also, supposedly about Reznor's viewing people dance at his concerts. A subtle piano ending. And then we come to "Closer." A weird, eerie and somewhat funky song. The video is something everyone remembers and, of course, the line "I want......like an animal and feel you from the inside." About sex? Reznor says no. It's about self hatred and obsession. Hmmm? Samples Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing." "Ruiner" continues the dance beat. Another cool groove. The Ruiner takes control. Mechanical drums dominate "The Becoming" and our man is transforming into something non-human. Albeit, there's hope in "A Warm Place." His human side trying to shine through. An instrumental and ambient music. The only happy song on the album. It's short lived as he's losing his mind in "The Eraser." Evil sounding synths and Reznor screaming. His life appears to come to an end in "The Downward Spiral." Eerie insect and mechanical pump noises. Reznor is barely audible. The video game makers of Halo, Biosphere and Resident Evil were listening. The album concludes with "Hurt." I'm a big fan of both the NIN and Johnny Cash versions. The NIN version has swirling background noises, hypnotic guitar and Reznor taking his emotions all over the place. Cash goes to a place and stays there. About heroin addiction? Self hate? Is our protagonist looking at himself as s ghost and regretting what he did? Yeah, probably all of that. Whew, what a ride. I got this album when it came out and liked it for certain songs. Listening to it now knowing the story takes it a whole other level. Maybe a level you don't want to go to. I liked the way some of the songs can be interpreted within the context of the story or separately on their own: each maybe having different meanings. However, influential, it definitely is. The industrial sound you hear in other artists, video games, movies and probably more. You can absolutely see why Reznor became very successful in making movie soundtracks and also why he went himself into a drug downward spiral.

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

One of my all time favorites

I mean, that industrial sound when well executed and not just done to alienate the masses really hits for me.

One of my all time favorite albums. Very dark, but beautiful.

So intense and weird. Only Trent Reznor (and Johnny Cash) could make these lyrics work. Its so personal and uncomfortable but also super broad. It feels like such a window into someone’s head who’s having a downward spiraI who’s not really w/ reality any more. love the ambient sounds and textures that give the whole thing this disturbing sound. This was my older brothers favorite album and I grew up with this album. Not sure how would I feel about it if I were to hear it for the first time now. Closer is such an amazing song. Super challenging listening through but satisfying every few years. I always used to used to skip a few songs too.Trent Reznor definitely made something with a sound so unique I really can’t think of anything that sounds at all like it. The production is so good!

Hey pig... yeah you... So good. I love this album.

Great album. Closer and Hurt are great tracks

Nine inch dildos

Notes - Industrial rock/electronic music with metal elements - its a concept album about a man’s downward spiral - Lots of recurring lyrical and musical motifs across the album - Lots of references to pigs on here - Recorded in the house where some of the Manson murders took place - Features guitarist Adrian belew! Love him! - Wasn’t expecting to enjoy it this much based on the other times I’ve listened to them, but it really hit! Fav - Ruiner - Love the big synths at the chorus and the drum sound - Bonus shoutout to eraser, really cool song\ Least Fav - The becoming - I like the vibe a lot but it didn’t hit me quite as hard as the other songs 5/5

The album that gave us Closer, but is so much more than that. It takes a bit to warm up in my opinion but Closer till the end is just bangers Saved tracks: Closer, Ruiner, A Warm Place, Eraser, Reptile, Hurt

Very few artists are capable of the tremendous courage and unabashed vulnerability it takes to bare their whole soul in all its most disturbing glory to the world through their art. So many of them try, but so few succeed in exposing themselves and their central existential struggles with the conviction and compulsion that Trent Reznor does. This album feels like it wasn’t just a cathartic exercise for him, but a soul saving necessity, a blood-letting, a desperate attempt to cure the incurable darkness within. Almost 30 years later and it looks like he has slain those demons, or at least pacified them, and has made it on through to the other side. Good for him. I don’t particularly care to wallow in Reznor’s misery, he’s too dark and too disturbed for me to enjoy musically in a heaping dose. But I appreciate that this is a lifesaving work of art and I rate it as such.

Very impressive album. I love the synth sounds in here and the electronic sounding drums. I have never listened to this album before, but I certainly see why this is considered one of the best albums from the 90s.

i mean come on. This one's a Certified Hood Classic (tm). deranged, obsessive, embittered - i get why all the goth kids from early 2000s were obsessed with NIN. instrumentation is wildly inventive, lyrics dark and frankly concerning. Good shit!

Fajne

It was just good front to back. It fell into place on a day where I wanted to listen to it. If I was in a different mood, it might've gotten 4 stars.

Crazy that so much good music can come from so much noise. Closer was the hands down MTV favorite, and I think it won best video award of the year- and rightfully so, but the real winner on this album is the original emo classic, March of the Pigs. Oh yeah, I said it... March of the Pigs is emo... deal with that, people. Regardless, the range of emotion on this album is incredible. NIN is often thought of as a goth industrial band, but this album illustrates some of the far reaching talents of Trent Reznor. This album is so different from the music then or even now. Absolutely brilliant.

Really amazing industrial rock album. Feels like a complete piece of work that is meant to be listed to in full. Very heavy and negative, so not something I'm going to put on every day personally but a great album. Standout tracks: Mr. Self Destruct, Heresy, Closer, I Do Not Want This, The Downward Spiral, Hurt

Reptile, eraser, heresy - what an album this is.

A key album in its genre

A modern(ish) day classic. 5/5

I want to fuck you like an animal. I want to feel you from the inside. You get me closer to god.

I hear something new each time I listen.

Lost track of this site for a bit. Glad to have come back to this album. One of the best from the era.

Unique experience.

Love that Freznor chose to work with Russell Mills for the cover art. Art that come about in the mid century and inspired the grungy aesthetic of 90's music. First album I've played twice. The album I had previously was Frank Sinatra's wee small hours so it's jarring to go from wee small hours to the downward spiral. It's like I'm going backwards on the 5 stages of grief. I started at acceptance and sadness with Frank Sinatra and now NIN has moved me to anger, bargaining, denial, and blissful ignorance.

Nice album

It was like being back in high school...I had all the angst and energy all over again.

Hurt (one of my favorite songs of all time), Closer, March of the Pigs are some of the greatest industrial rock songs of all time. This album was instrumental in my music tastes growing up. So so so good.

4.5

Love this album. Its concept is nightmarish, but in my opinion. it’s best listened to as a full album, start to finish. - Nick

Damn. I don't think I've every just sat down with this album and listened but this time I was at my parents in a completely dark room with no windows and gave myself time to just absorb it. For an album made in 1994 it sounds so modern. Could have been created yesterday. Super dark and gritty and I appreciate this album a lot more than I ever did before. Hurt is still the standout to me, but I definitely want to try to find this on vinyl sometime. Another album where the songs individually aren't that appealing as far as adding them to spotify or whatever, but the album as a whole is something to experience.

Every bit as brilliant and disturbing as it was almost 30 years ago.

Amazing not just for NIN but for the genre and for music, especially at the time it was released.

Not first listen, still as disturbing and catchy as I remember it. Standouts: Closer, March of the Pigs, Eraser 11/07/22 PS the last note in “Hurt” will scare me every time I hear it, it seems

From Trent Reznor’s Wikipedia page: the artist describes himself nowadays as “a pretty happy person.” You got to stare the Devil in the face to wrest your soul away from Him. This album, to me, is that. Transcendent.

idk yet

A+ from beginning to end

Excellent. Ce band a défini un courant. Cet album fait le pont entre une musique expérimental, la recherche d’un son nouveau, une attitude métal et les pistes de dance.

A big fan of Pretty Hate Machine and a fan of NIN but never spent much time with this particular album so looking forward to getting to know it a bit more. Still, A Warm Place is one of my favourites

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!

One of the best!

A pure metal/industrial/electronic masterpiece

Banging tunes and great guitars ... Loved it.

Incredible album and really gnaws at you when you listen to it. Really unsettling.

Simultaneously dark and catchy. Brooding and angry. I'm not usually big on industrial but I've always liked NIN. This is album just takes you to such a dark place but it's got a hell of a soundtrack on the way. It's great. There's a reason why I still hear Closer on the local rock station almost 30 (yikes I'm getting old) years later. Or maybe the local station is behind the times. That's a debate for another time.

Album is phenomenal, I couldn't wait for it to be released and it's well worth the wait. Industrial perfection.

-An awesome industrial metal album -"Heresy," "Closer," "Ruiner," "I Do Not Want This," and "Eraser" stand out as really strong tracks

Un álbum para la eternidad 10/10.

Take Pretty Hate Machine and make it angrier, meaner, louder,… Perfect record for the time and still great.

Трент Резнор гений

Electronic in substance, hard rock in spirit. This is confrontational and challenging

9/10

Wall of sound experience

NIN has been and continues to be one of my favorite bands, and one of the most consistently good over their career. Downward Spiral is among my favorite albums of theirs, surprising nobody.

A classic. I don't know how many times I've had conversations about this album or the music video for Closer.

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.

I know Closer and Hurt, and love both (though prefer Johnny Cash's version of the latter). The rest I'm less familiar with. Mr Self Destruct is a great opener, pitching somewhere between Suicide and Metallica. Piggy is a fun funky jazzy thing. Possibly a minute longer than it needs to be. Heathen is amazingly heavy and fun, Closer is a stone cold classic, A Warm Place is ambient beauty and Hurt is gorgeous in either version. This is a stunning album. A little chubby in the middle, maybe, but seven years later, Radiohead used some very similar tricks and got hailed as geniuses. I feel like maybe Trent Reznor's love of heaviness and slightly OTT edginess meant less people took NIN as seriously as they deserved to be taken at the time.

Rules

🤯😍 A master work of angst and raw emotion. Incredible sonic textures and layers. I love the rawness and power of this album, and the way it effortlessly shifts from tone to tone

Great record but it's a genre (90's alt rock) that forever has a soft spot in my heart so I'm crazy biased. I'm not the biggest NIN fan outside of this record. I think I had The Fragile back in the day and I've listened to some of their more recent stuff every now and again. I think this is the most guitar-oriented record of theirs, which is probably why I connect with it the most. Could be wrong because I haven't listened much very recent stuff but I know I checked out a few of their records in the late 00's and it seemed they were going a more electronic direction. For me, Reznor doesn't have the most compelling vocals (they're fine) but the soundscapes he produces are top notch. Having said that, he does have a decent scream. Some of the songs on this are actually pretty strong under the roar of the guitars and synths. Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt can attest to that since it proves that it meets the old rule: If it doesn't work on an acoustic guitar it's not actually a good song. Great stuff, from the intro sampling THX 1138 to the final crackling end.

I can see how this isn't for everyone, but it sure does hit my spot. A real life sickos.jpg situation. At the time, I loved this album for the pounding manic tracks like "Mr Self Destruct" and "Big Man With A Gun", but these days I appreciate all the little dark ambient flourishes that connect them. You can definitely hear the signature sound that they've brought to all the score work they've done. The soundtrack to the Watchmen series is _badass_. Fave track - "Hurt" is an obvious choice - amazing song. This version's great, even if the Cash version is better. This play through, though, I'm gonna go with "Eraser", as it had that lovely soundtracky feel...

it nin

Mr. Self Destruct Piggy Closer Hurt Skip track Reptile

It's a brilliantly gritty album with some dark lyrics in there. Most of the time I wouldn't be in the mood for an album like this, but the small percentage of the time that I am, this would be perfect. The drums and the buildup on some of the tracks are so good. Really liked this one. Favourites: Piggy Ruiner Eraser Hurt

I’m finding that I really enjoy concept albums and the creativity and storytelling that goes with them. Familiar with NIN most notably for Closer and Hurt from this very album I have never explored much further, but appreciated this listen.

Like

I accidentally invoked this album by watching Lost Highway for the first time yesterday, sorry! I watched Lost Highway since it influenced Silent Hill 2, and I can now see Trent Reznor's influence in SH 2's music. The album was pretty good. I don't care for the lyrics or vocals, but the industrial ambience and instrumentals carry themselves well. My rating for this album could wildly vary by mood, but I overall like it.

I wasn't a fan of NIN when this album came out, but they grew on me over time. Overall this is a decent album.

Honestly, probably the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been listening to a record. Exceptionally disturbing. But it is very good. Very well crafted, obviously every part was thought out and perfected before going on tape. I’m probably not gonna touch this one again. But it is definitely a piece of art.

Hard to listen to - by design. Ist, wie soll ich sagen, künstlerisch wertvoll? Hat den Platz auf dieser Liste hier definitiv verdient, aber ich werde das ganze Album wohl nie wieder anhören.

Jos mun pitäs käyttää jotain levyä edgypetteriyden määrittelyyn niin käyttäsin tätä. Lyriikat on osastoa I’m twelve and this is deep, mut jotenkin tässä musiikillisessa kontekstissa tuntuu luontevalta. Kokonaisuutena ei oo ehkä mun lemppari NIN:iltä, mut varmaan bändin parhaat biisit löytyy täältä.

Siiton kyllä aikaa kun tätä on edellisen kerran yrittänyt kuunnella. Alkuun mietin, että vähän turhan poikkitaiteellista erikoisrumpusovituksineen ja industrial-sähinöineen. Tää kuiteskii taittuu sitten pikkuhiljaa ihan hyvän tunnelatingin kolinaks. Hurtti on viel toimiva päätösraita ja varmasti parempi kun vanhan äijän versio.

It's noisy, but simeltaneously very compelling. This one has some of the big hits. It starts out pretty rought with Mr self destruct, but gets more listenable after. Definitely deserves its slot on the list. I'm feeling a 4.

nin's best, an amazing industrial album with one skip, I'd say. still a pretty decent 9/10. first listen tracklist ranking: 1. Eraser 2. Heresy 3. Hurt 4. Reptile 5. The Downward Spiral 6. I Do Not Want This 7. March of the Pigs 8. Ruiner 9. A Warm Place 10. Closer 11. Piggy 12. Big Man With A Gun 13. Mr. Self Destruct 14. The Becoming

I didn’t think I was going to like this at first but I haven’t heard a better crack at experimentation on a rock/metal album in my life. Trent Reznor is a musical genius

this guy's clearly upset about something. i have listened before, it's not close to my favorite nine inch nails album, and has none of my favorite songs on it. it is however, very sick. favorite song here is March Of The Pigs, and Hurt is great ofc. solid 4

A little bit long. But very good.

*Gritty, industrial Trent Reznor noises*

its kind of shocking to hear music this industrial and aggressive be so mainstream. cool shit tho, i highschool me would've loved this shit TRENT REZNOR WROTE HURT? i knew the johnny cash song was a cover i just didn't know who wrote it holy fuck thats so dope

Amazing industrial rock

Unlocked nostalgia

My teenage years.

Inventive. Heavy. Rich sonic tapestry.

Here's the thing... I know this is an excellent album. I know Trent Reznor is a great creative. I know how it's lauded and loved. It feels too abrasive to me. To harsh, too uncomfortable. It's great that it can do that, and that it does it so well, but it's just too hard for me.

Surprisingly for me I enjoyed this. Not as heavy in sound as I expected. Might come back to this, but I fear I'm too gay and well-adjusted to truly get into it. The one chill instrumental track (A Warm Place?) was so lovely. (my second NIN album after the Tron Ares ost lmao).

Experimental, unexpected and just super interesting

Intense. Insane. Crazy sounds und extrem eindrucksvoll drückende Stimmung. Als alltägliches Hörerlebnis für mich aber zu krass auch weil ziemlich starke Lautstärke Dynamik. Eig müsste man fast 5/5 allein für Hurt geben... 3.5-4/5

Surprised me - really liked it

Most intense Nintendo switch sports session I’ve ever had

Ministry had been carrying the industrial flag long before this album. Still, despite a vocal style that’s sometimes a bit too smooth for my taste, this record hits harder. The story of a man’s descent into hell is compelling, the songwriting is more subtle, and there’s a gothic atmosphere that felt unusual at the time… well, until you remember Killing Joke already existed. Still, it’s dark, sexy, twisted, and it’s the album that really blew the doors open for the genre. Honestly, it hasn’t aged badly at all. I still love Ruiner and Closer or March of the pigs still hit hard.

A good example of the sum of the album is worth more than any particular song. The rumor is that if you listen to this album three times in a row, black eyeliner magically appears in your pocket.

Great experimental album, i kinda dig it

Rockers, sublime

I've listened to this one for years, and it was never something I'd recommend. I was probably 13 years old sharing music with strangers online and people started mentioning Reznor when talking about electronic metal or angst-driven rock. I think the first song I really heard was Starfuckers, Inc. which set me up pretty well when I got around to hearing The Downward Spiral, the go-to recommendation for NIN fans. It's not too heavy on the riffs, it's slow enough to display textures and create a mood, and that's the genius. That's the reason why, despite having an "ugly" sound, teenage me would come back to the project every few months or years. There are moments of emotional turmoil that sound like this record, how close it gets is incredible. As far as art goes, keep it coming. But that ugly, the mood it sets, it's still not something I'd recommend frequently. It's a depressing project that's raw and pretty well made at the same time. I'll be listening for years to come, only when it hurts the right way. 4.2/5

i actually enjoyed that a lot and appreciate the industrial aspect of more than i expected (i usually am not into that sort of thing). a lot of the lyrics are really stupid and feel meant for teenagers to feel edgy but clearly they are good songwriters (which i of course already know from the social network soundtrack...stream Hand Covers Bruise for clear skin...)

Is anyone surprised that music this angry and depressing came from a man from Cleveland, Ohio? I kid, I kid...I'm a poor Cleveland sports fan myself. As for Nine Inch Nails, I can't say I love the music but I did grow up with it. In hindsight, I can't believe my parents let me listen to this in middle school. Did they know? It's dark, violent, deeply anti-Christian. A lot of reviews will immediately dismiss it for the content, but art is art, so let's approach it as such. When I listened to this at 14 or whatever, I tended to skip around to the tracks I liked. This was true of all three NiN albums from the 90s including Pretty Hate Machine and the double album The Fragile. I liked them all, and sort of enjoyed industrial music as a genre (though ashamedly I was more of a rap-rock teen), but I tended to appreciate them "part and parcel" rather than as a cohesive whole. After listening to the whole thing (which, I was familiar with every song so maybe I was kidding myself a bit on how little I listened to certain tracks as a kid), I appreciate how it all kind of fits together. This album can be hard to listen to in places whether due to the abrasive industrial sound, the disturbing ambience, the offensive lyrics, or all of those simultaneously, but that doesn't take away that it's insanely good at what it's trying to do. Not only that but for such an inaccessible sound, it sure had a lot of hits on it. Overall a solid 4, close to perfection if more of the tracks were less abstract.

Objectively really good. Subjectively not my favorite.

The barrage of noise and audible violence is perfectly balanced by a couple of atmospheric instrumentals and ballads. I enjoyed this more than I expected, really. Faves: March Of The Pigs, Closer, Hurt

Pure angst, with a side of noise, drizzled with hate and sprinkled with anti-religion. I liked it, and loved the parts that were a bit tamer. The noise got to me at times, but I could still appreciate it. Especially listening to this as a whole. Definitely an album worth listening to front to back vs listening to individual songs. Definitely an album worth being on this list. 8/10

Not listened to this in ages. It's quite an album, definitely not background music. It's very good but needs your full attention and to be loud.

Mostly good. 4/5

Makes me feel like I’m living in a grounded dystopian future

Closer was such a massive song. And I probably needed a 20+ year break hearing it given how much it was played. But hearing it now appreciate how great it is. The different builds and parts. Pretty awesome. Also pretty cool he covered a Johnny Cash song. 3.5 and rounding up

Great

Perfect 4.5. But I'll round down to 4 because I wouldn't choose to listen to this album often

Alright, industrial rock is not supposed to be pleasing to the ear, isn't it? As least if you compare this to E. Neugebauten's 'Kollaps' which I heard before on the list. But this album has a lot of melodic stuff. Moreover, it is overall well done and even has moments where you could say it's ambient. That was too unexpected. Now, usually there are a few minutes on a track that are very repetitive. But they keep on changing at a certain point and offer something worth listening and even rewarding stuff. I think the opener is the most technically impressive track. There are quite many that I really liked, like "Heresy", "Ruiner", and "Reptile". For a long album, it was surprisingly diverse. So given its genre, the record is worthwhile not only by the genre's standard, but is worth listening even you usually won't express interest for this kind of music. Which makes it a decent inclusion on the 1001 list. Great industrial rock album, with great overall quality and nice details in music

Var ekki viss hvert þessi plata væri að fara í fyrsta lagi, en hún náði mér síðan vel.

iconic and peak. not for everyone and i can definitely see why many people don't like it, but it's really consistent. only thing is, there's a few songs i'm just not a huge fan of, which kinda drags the great songs down.

I've never known what to think of Nine Inch Nails. I do chuckle a bit when their fans try to convince me that Johnny Cash didn't do "Hurt" better than them. However, I enjoyed this melancholy album much more than I thought I would. Favorite Track: "Closer".

There's better NIN (esp. Nine Inch Noize from 2026 Coachella), but there's some good ones here, and this is carving out it's own distinctive niche in the grunge genre.

Good stuff.

Closer Bangs

Из-за этого альбома я перестал слушать музыку месяц. О как завернул, да? Прям кликбейт на месте состряпал. На самом деле, перестал слушать месяц именно альбомы челленджа, а не музыку, само собой. Так что, частично это верно. Почему так ? Трент Резнор крутой чувак и я его уважаю. Образ, концепции альбомов, имидж и всё такое. Но я знаю что такое The Downward Spiral и слушал его ранее, а теперь мне предстояло переслушать его. И я понимал что я просто не могу и не хочу этого делать, потому как подобно обложке альбома, для меня этот релиз полнится вот этой вот токсичной, ржавой, тяжелой энергетикой с этими электронными индастриал приколами и гиперсексуальностью какой-то что-ли. А это очень специфическая хуйня конкретно для меня, у меня не так часто возникает настроение на подобное, а обижать Трента не хотелось. Вот и ждал. Ждал день, неделю, две, месяц, а настроения всё "не наступало". "В пизду" подумал я. Хотелось уже приступить к новым альбомам, и вот я переслушиваю это и понимаю... Блэт, ну не мое это, ёпсиль мопсиль. Всё звучит клёво, модно-молодёжно, тяжеленько, эджово, но ляяя... я не знаю. мэйби либо NIN все же не моя группа, либо именно этот альбомчик. Из уважения ставлю 4.

This was a trip indeed. Those guys invented boss music for future games it seems

Wednesday, 6 May, 226 Brian Eno does industrial. Some intense emotions that I might have felt from the ages of 15-22. The second half is much stronger.

This album was awesome! My first introduction to NIN that I’m aware of was the Challengers movie soundtrack (which is incredible). I know this album is closer to rock rather than electronic, but there’s a real through-line between the two. 4/5.

Good

This album’s so tuff, despite the screaming. I like the sound effects. Fav tracks: “Piggy” and “Hurt”, though I do prefer Johnny Cash’s version.

Totally took me by surprise how much I enjoyed this album. I have always respected NIN and Trent Reznor as an icon of the genre, but never really described the band as one I liked. This album really pushes some boundaries of genres that I like, but as a whole I felt like the whole thing was really well done. To me it sounded like equal parts David Byrne and Marilyn Manson which blend into a genre completely their own. Also surprised at how current and well done the production sounded like considering how long ago it came out.

I knew a couple of tracks but that was basically all the NIN I knew. This is pretty cool - occasionally hard to listen to, but some great songs.

Yeah dawg

4/5

excellent album. great deep tracks

I used to love this album back in high school! While I don't think it holds up perfectly, it is still a generally well put together record. While the rage and angst are definitely a bit excessive at times, Trent still manages to create some incredible sounds on this album, and the industrial instrumentation is absolutely filled with emotion. Still, I feel The Fragile was an all-around better execution of this type of album.

What surprised me the most is that this album is more than 30 years old but the music still sounds so fresh. Never listened to them before but still enjoyed most of their songs in this album.

Holds up well

No wonder Trent got into film composition; Nine Inch Nails are so cinematic. Such a flow to this album that almost matches Save The Cat and each song takes you on its own little journey. but also I listened with shitty headphones which doesn’t do it justice so I gotta revisit this one. One last word on NIN. No one sounds like them. Before or after. And that’s a rare feat in music. 8 / 10 Best track/s: Closer, Heresy, Hurt

Sonically massive. Has a way of making you feel sad but with some sweet industrial rock backing! Trent is a magician that doesn’t click for everyone, but there’s no denying the gravity of this album. Melodic and complex, noisy and chaotic.

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.

What a fucking tune Closer is. This album full of hangers, love how punchy n energetic it feels. Thought the length doesn’t do it any favours, each song is just a bit too long which makes listening to the album as a whole start to drag towards the end.

It became a big hit and popularized them for a reason... it's catchy and dark and relatable. This is easily their best record and has the strongest songs that Reznor will probably ever make.

Reznor began his career as an electronic artist of dark self-loathing and anger. There is still plenty of that here, but he further refines it in places, distilling it from raw to concentrated and honed, reducing the early tendencies toward cringe. At the time, it seemed to be his magnum opus - over an hour of both fast, industrial-electronic-goth-dance sounds with metal-leanings and slower more contemplative laments. But he would continue to prolifically make long form records in similar fashion in future outings and then branch out into writing movie scores as well. Standout songs: Closer, Hurt, March of the Pigs, Piggy

I fully get why this is marmite, but for those who like this sort of stuff, this really is an incredible record, groundbreaking stuff. Reznor is the man.

Such an intense listen. This certainly has a place for being listened to. I remember listening quite a bit to their album 'With Teeth' but never had a copy of this somehow. It does tell a very dark story and does it so effectively. Whilst it was a hard listen at times, sometimes it was very engaging and beautiful. I enjoyed the slower more tuneful singing, Trent's voice is great when in this mode.

This sounds sonically overwhelming at times, which I think is kind of the point. It’s both funny and cool that Trent Reznor has two Academy Awards, especially because one of them is for a Pixar movie

4 - I was kinda meh about NIN for a while, but I like them more and more each time I listen to them.

A lot of thoughts here. First, I probably haven't listened to this album front to back since I was in college over thirty years ago and I was surprised how much of side 2 (much of which I would imagine I skipped back in the day) came back to me. But listening today brought back vivid (though fuzzy) memories of playing Sega Genesis with my roommates. Second, this album is clearly more sophisticated and better-made than Pretty Hate Machine, but I still think I like PHM more than this one. It had less of what I consider filler. Third, I don't remember ever knowing this was a concept album until reading the Wikipedia entry this morning. Which seems insane to me, but this album just BARELY predated my first exposure to the internet. And by the time I got really active on the internet, obsessively researching the bands I loved, I had largely moved on from NIN. Chalk it up to weird timing, I guess. Fourth, I remember telling those same roommates while watching the video for "Closer" that there should be a channel that shows that video 24/7. So that's kind of the headspace I was in at the time, lol. Teenagers are hilariously sad and sadly hilarious. And NIN is the perfect soundtrack for it.

First off its a very conceptual album, leaning heavily on suicide, alienation, blasphemy, sex and seeing the world as a misanthropist. The lyrics have various metaphors and are deeply disturbing. Aside from all that the slow pacing of the album, the melancholic tone and the guitar riffs really set the tone of this album and they do sound great. The vocalist does a great job showcasing emotions in different tracks. So overall a 4 star because i need to listen to it again to understand the theme a bit more but it's a pretty solid alt rock album.

Pleased to see a challenging and experimental project like this one show up here. There are so many different ideas sonically that it is difficult to fully digest at first for me, but with a concept like this that feels necessary to Reznor’s purpose with this project. It feels impossible to come to a conclusion after a day as the lyrics and concept of something like this needs time and examination to see if it clicks. I could sit on the fence with this one, but overall I enjoy more here then I don’t and much of it rocks. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Mr. Self Destruct, Closer

Surprisingly, I actually kind of liked this one. It was fairly textured and varied. It exceeded my expectations and was a fairly interesting concept album