The Downward Spiral

A wonderful album about farm animals. Ruined and I Do Not Want This were my favorites. 7.3/10.

Este álbum se siente como un envase dónde tirar furia y dolor mientras se va escuchando a través del mismo Mucha potencia, pero a la vez momentos de calma Letras explícitas, crudas, mostrando justamente un viaje en espiral hacia el fondo Un intermedio con A Warm Place que te reubica dentro del viaje de sentimientos "negativos" que se va ejecutando Industrial y electrónica muy bien utilizados, se siente mucha ira en varias de las canciones También se percibe calma dentro del caos en otras, siento que evoca mucho hacia el oyente muy bien trabajo haciendo pasar por este tipo de sentimientos por el transcurso del disco Recomendado y reescuchable

Jeg har alltid foretrukket den mer syntha debuten, men denne har også vært i jevn rotasjon siden jeg satt meg ned med NIN for første gang. Synes kanskje det som fungerer best her er de øyeblikkene som er mer ambient/electro, men egentlig er det hvor elegant den skifter mellom industrial wall of sound riff fulle av teen angst, beinharde electro-industrial sawtooth synth leads, tranquile synth pads, og uhyggelige soundscapes som gjør at skiva fungerer så bra som den gjør. Den stiller på en måte spørsmålet: hva om nu metal var bra? Synes også Reznor gjorde Hurt bedre enn Cash, men det er nok fordi Reznor bruker vesentlig mer synths og samples enn det Cash gjør.

8/10 Nine Inch Nails are an interesting band (of sorts, as they are definitely Trent Reznor and others) to me, in that while I like a lot of their work, they’re not a group I come back to all that often. I think Pretty Hate Machine is excellent, but the type of music they moved towards after that point just doesn’t lend itself to regular listening, despite the fact that I like it. One of the most interesting aspects about Trent Reznor’s work is that he has an incredibly good ear for pop melody, but shrouds it in dirt and angst in a way that actually makes it musically appealing to a more mainstream ear, if you can get around the aggression, intensity and confrontational sound design aspects. The guy is definitely a prototypical edgelord, creating a studio in the house in which Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson family to record this album and Broken, and dubbing the studio ‘Le Pig’ in reference to the message scrawled on the front door of the house in Tate’s blood by her murderers. So far, so edgelord teen. Except he was nearly 30 when this came out. In truth, a lot of that can be swept to one side based on the fact that the music is so good. It would be easy to look back at some of what was contained in NIN work and find it quite cringy, but underneath it all, there is a simmering honesty that can be picked out of the posturing, in a similar way that you can uncover great musical quality from the mass of noise and filth that is used to present it. The sound design work across the record is excellent, with sections of pure industrial aggression, laying in stark contrast to sections in which he strips things right back to more restrained, tonally pretty passages, creating a light and shade that allows the record to breathe. Some of the groove building is slow and considered, but incredibly well balanced, often growing a song subtly while preventing things from being too static or repetitive, despite the core of a track remaining the same. It’s all good stuff. Trent manages to deliver his vocal in a way that matches that range of dynamic, sometimes by adjusting his style of delivery, and sometimes through production to pull an aggressive vocal into the distance to create space, or distorting a cleaner vocal to give it more grit. All of which goes to enhance the textural quality and dynamic range of the record. There are times when the album does get a little bit stuck, with tracks that don’t quite maintain the momentum that would push this album to the next level. In part that’s down to the 90s tendency to try and utilise more of the space on a CD, as opposed to the more strict runtime of an LP, but at an hour and five minutes, this does feel a bit bloated, and there probably could have been a heavier editing hand used on the albums first half to tighten things up a bit. But it’s still an excellent achievement and was an incredibly important record for opening up the 90s rock scene to a more abrasive world of sound. Mr. Self Destruct - This is grimy, noisy and harsh. The production techniques to create that abrasive tone are great and gel perfectly with the intensity of the track, with Reznor simmering in places and overflowing with rage in others. The dynamic range is great, and it’s interesting to have such a harsh opening and the more quiet subtle stuff in the middle. A solid start. Piggy - The whispered vocal is pretty sinister, and the building instrumentation and production build the tension really well. There’s enough range in there to keep things fresh, but it holds and holds, with a slow increase in intensity as things move along and a few false drops and some great sound design. It always feels like it’s going to burst, but despite pushing at the seams, it never does. Lovely atmospheric work. Heresy - Another driven, intense track that has a persistence to its groove and a harshness of tone that blend really well. The sound design is excellent, which keeps things relatively fresh, but this one feels a little bit stylistically flat, despite the quality of the bubbling groove. It’s still pretty decent though. March Of The Pigs - And the pace picks up now. This is a great track in 7/8 time through the verses and a more standard 4/4 in the choruses. Again, it does the trick of making the chorus the quieter, prettier part, rather than the verse, which is counter to the way that a lot of songs would work. There’s some lovely pulsing bass in this and the beat production is great too. It’s such a great song and showcases the blend of savagery and beauty that NIN are capable of at their peak. Closer - Another great groove and more range in intensity and dynamic. The bass line is particularly strong, and the ever changing groove around it keeps an organic evolution developing throughout. It manages a superb trick of being dirty and aggressive while retaining a sexy pulse that underlies it. It’s another incredibly strong track with superb sound design and beat building, and it feels like we’re fully into the flow of the record after the last couple of tracks. Ruiner - I could probably spend most of this record talking about the dirty, grubby and intriguing sound design, and this is another fine example. I’m not 100% convinced by the synth horn type sounds, despite the drama they bring, but everything else here is great. The beat composition is solid, the crumbling, collapsing guitar solo work is really interesting, and again, we get some cool use of intensity variation. It does feel like this stumbles a touch in places, but at its best, it’s fantastic. The Becoming - The synth bass is great and it’s more fun with time signatures. The groove is solid, but the gritty intensity of the layered sample work doesn’t really let it settle in a delightfully uncomfortable way. The ebb and flow of the pulsing drum grooves and the slowly developing intensity as the track progresses give it an insistent drive, and then he takes a moment to strip it back out, but still with a layer of discomfort. It’s evocative and disturbing stuff in the best way. I Do Not Want This - The dissonance here aligns the piano and more sung vocal well with the metronomic, persistent beat and prepares for the uptick in intensity and rage that kicks in for the chorus. It broods and teeters on the edge through the verses, with some more cool sound design work and evolving soundscaping. It’s not the broadest work across the whole track, but there’s still a lot to enjoy here, particularly the evolution of the beat, which develops its groove well. Big Man With A Gun - Aggressive both lyrically and musically, I get what Trent was going for here, but ultimately I don’t think he really pulls it off, with the track quite repetitive and uninteresting, despite its short length. A Warm Place - An almost ambient soundscape of a track now, perhaps in reaction to the last one. It’s well put together and adds a nice pause in the intensity of the record. It also hints more towards the soundtracking work that Trent would move on to in the future. Very nice. Eraser - This takes a while to get going, but the slow build is considered and well managed. The gradually increasing layering of the beat is cool and I think the slightly wonky feeling 4-2 split in the 6/4 time signature is interesting too. When things really kick in, it’s earned its intensity and power and, while it’s a bit repetitive, the build to that point is what makes it. Reptile - The robotic actuator sounds in the beat here are great. In terms of style, this almost feels like a jumping off point for what Korn would develop from in the coming years. The brooding menace is excellent, and again, the sound design is interesting and enhances the core song really well. The melodic work here is great too. The Downward Spiral - Another interesting piece of sound design in which we are presented some shimmering sound design and more slow build, but through a clouded, filtered lens. The angst and emotion falls behind the melody and even that feels distant and disconnected. It’s a cool device in which nothing is completely clear but the intent. Hurt - And we close with a classic. I feel like this is the most honest we get Trent in the record, as the posturing and edgelord artifice fall away and we get presented the stripped back heart of who he is as a person and a musician. It’s melodically solid, ebbs and flows brilliantly and has an abrasive edge that permeates the honesty and stark beauty of the song.

Man, this album is scary. Definitely a heavy listen, about the deterioration of someone's mental health and eventual suicide (if I understand it correctly). The lyrics deal with issues of self-harm, alienation and violence and as such, the album is not a happy listen, to say the least. It really made me shiver, especially on the title track and "Hurt", but the entire album is frightening. It is not a genre I would usually listen to and this is not an album I will return to easily, maybe never, but I am glad I listened to it. Favourite songs: Mr. Self Destruct, Closer, Eraser, Hurt

おもろい。説明で見た感じ、騒がしい感じで好みがめっちゃ分かれるやろうなと思ったら、まあ確かに好みは割れそうだけど緩急があって、ビートも強めだし良い。 マシンガンみたいな感じ。 終わり方が衝撃的なバラードらしいけど、それはあんまわからんかった。

Eliminated all doubts about 3/4 by the end

Me suena muy experimental, con estos sonidos, letras y estilo nin marco el sonido de los 90. En general un disco entretenido, mi canción favorita hurt.

The keywords for this album include: noise, angry, hate, abrasive, loud, intense, etc. Not my usual fare. And the truth is, I didn't enjoy about 75% of this album, but Closer and Hurt sort of tie it all together and justify the experience. I can respect the artistry in something I don't find aesthetically pleasing.

You know what, despite being basically a set of edgy tunes that could be played in a nightclub scene in Blade / Saw etc. i actually enjoyed this. Unsettling though.

Intense, bleak, not always an easy listen. More sound art than music in some places so can see why it's on the list. Has to be 4 stars just for those reasons

While I don’t think the album is necessarily good, especially 30 years later, I understand the influence and importance, and thus belongs on this list more than many other albums.

it's like an evil lullaby

Very Good industrial Rock/Metal album

The first track worried me as I’d never explicitly sought out NIN to listen to and feared during that, that I was now old and thought of stuff like this as ‘just noise’ but then Piggy kicked in and I was back to being young because I loved that. Luckily for me Mr. Self Destruct was the anomaly, not Piggy, and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the record.

I’ve wanted to get more into industrial so I revisiting the genre’s most mainstream artist is as good a place as any to start. I think I’d have a hard time believing just how mainstream NIN was if I hadn’t been around back then. Listening again in 2026 it comes off as a “you had to be there” album. Too loud to be pop rock, too soft to be metal, too produced to be grunge, too raw to be goth. It was a musical curveball for its time.

I LOVED this record when it first came out. Looking back on that period of my life, I recognize that I was going through the sort of exceptionally memorable shit that would make one want to listen to "The Downward Spiral" on repeat all the time. So I went into this with a bit of trepidation 30 years on, as a person who still likes a lot of industrial music but doesn't require quite as much screaming and desecration anymore. But a lot of it is more subtle than I remembered. There's a lot of interesting stuff on here, mostly related to percussion, the insect noises that got mixed in here and there, and extended howling stretches of music like the end of "Ruiner." I probably would have rated this FIVE STARS FUCK YEAH BURN EVERYTHING in 1994, but I think I'll give it a slightly more restrained four today. The good songs are very good, but after a while it's all a bit much. I'm glad I was reminded of it again today, though. Favorite track: "The Downward Spiral"

This album actually made me feel. I remember being scared by the heretical lyrics. I'm still shocked by the power of this music to scare me. Adrian Belew's solo is such a weird masterpiece. Way more melodic than I remember. Love the dynamic volume changes.

This album falls into a category come across frequently with music that is critically acclaimed. I find that I respect this more than I would say I necessarily enjoy it. It’s a very cool. I love what he’s doing, but it’s probably not something I would listen to.

- I prefer Reznor as a composer (where he is exquisite) than as a performer, but I still always admire and typically enjoy the industrial rock he crafts for Nine Inch Nails. - Lot of interesting sounds in the first 2/3 of this album; the "wall" of sound produced is something else. But it can feel a bit repetitive. - The final 1/3 is pretty sublime, though, notably with "A Warm Place" (which is beautiful) and the backing on "Reptile." Frankly, "Hurt" kind of comes out of nowhere, but it is so good that I cannot complain. Reznor's best performance on the record.

I have a love-hate with this album. A number of great songs - easily a 5 - set amidst, at times, messy noise which makes it hard to digest this in a sit down listen session. Other NIN albums for me are more enjoyable end to end starting with Pretty Hate Machine which was given to me through a promo effort in 1989. I think Trent is a genius and I love/love so much of their work. But this one has always been and remains just beyond my reach. 4/5

A bit too much space here and there, but this one could grow on me. Dark, aggressive, nice.

still as good as i remember

There are some NIN songs that I love, but some of these a bit above my loud and angry limit.

Aye brilliant

Pretty good

There goes the upbeat Monday morning I was planning. Dark dark album but good

This guy is going places

A classic for the genre

1. FUCK Mr self district rips (favorite) 2. Piggy's fun. Love the live drums interspersed through the mix. The emergence of the drums around 3 minutes was incredible. The wattery piano note is brillianly produced. As alienating a mantra as one can find. 3. Heresy feels a bit on the nose, but the guitar tone is nice and driving. 4. March of the Pigs final piano riff made me chuckle. 5. CLOSER! YEAHHHH!!!! Raw song, dear gracious. 6. Huh. Ruiner's a weird flavor. So far at a 3.5/4. OKAY got to the sonerous sounds. I like. 7. I would not like the beginning if the synths weren't so well-engineeres of if the acoustic guitar interlude was not present. Luckily, both are here so the singing's effects are mitigated. 8. I do not want this...falling into a peculiar niche of frank ocean effect. I don't...relate to the protagonist at this time in my life.

energetic, great production, good vocals. i am not an avid metal/industrial rock listener, but i can still recognize and enjoy how good this is, when i'm in the mood for it.

Great tunes but a bit oppressive

A lot more digestible than you'd imagine. But still highly memorable.

Trent at the start of his moody goth phase.

Great album with a really creative blending of genres

It's a little overly edgy while the sound feels kinda trite compared to more purely industrial acts, but it still makes for a good listen Fav tracks: Ruiner, Closer, Reptile

A great metal-industrial album, Trent Reznor at his darkest best. A must have album for your collection!

It is 1994. A massive success it's going on Trent Reznor life, after releasing his first album Pretty Hate Machine that it's considered one of the greatest debuts in music history. What he decides for the next one? Going insane. Literally, going insane. Downward Spiral it's a concept album it's a chronicle about the self destruction of a misantrophic protagonist. Through the songs we discover how he goes into a state of madness, isolation, alienation, dehumanization and eventually suicide after killing the idea of a god in his mind. It's a metaphorical Downward Spiral that explores themes like drugs, sex, power, depression and a complete lose of control. The tour for the record was completely chaotic as the album itself. Dark lights, almost no ilumination with the members of the band attacking themselves, destroying instruments after the set. Woodstock 94 saw the peak of this with Trent Reznor almost completely covered in mud (same as Green Day would do it a date later on the same festival) going wild at the crowd. If you consider the fact that he actually moved to the house were Charles Manson and his group killed Sharon Tate to record the album in a home studio he called "Le Pig" you can tell where the caos came from, and why Reznor finally decided to go instead of choosing another place. His constant need for isolation, struggling with depression and addictions, it is not only just a semi-autobiograph, it's allegorical, deep and raw. Samples, distorsions, sound collages, a massive explosion of industrial rock, techno, heavy metal and electronic. It is A record that was written to remember how cruel we are as a society sometimes, how absurd we are as humans and that everything can become nothing in just the blink of an eye.

Unremittingly bleak, but there’s some beauty in the darkness. Not at all my kind of music, but this was pretty interesting, and I kind of liked it. Not sure what kind of mood I would have to be in to pull it out again though.

This album really surprised me in the best way. I had it as a teenager, but only really listened to Hurt and Closer. Listening to it from start to finish was quite an amazing and notable journey. The musicianship is absolutely incredible. Listening in headphones was a joy. It’s difficult, complicated, emotional, electric, technical all at once. Very layered. I’m embarrassed it took this long to get to it.

I wish I were young and angry enough to enjoy this

Overall: 7/10 Quite honestly, I wish I loved Nine Inch Nails more. I have a huge amount of respect for Trent Reznor, and I think his film scores are some of the best from the century, but there's something about his band that I just can't connect with as much as I'd like. I still think this is a really great album, even if I prefer Pretty Hate Machine. What I love about this album specifically is that there's a beauty in it's aggression. His screaming seems to come from the heart. The big problem for me is that I find it so easy to just zone out and forget that I'm even listening to an album at all. Again, I wish I could connect to it more than I do. Great album, but not as great as I want it to be. Fav Song: Hurt

Angry Industrial Rock and NIN's most popular album, but I prefer Pretty Hate Machine.

Pivotal album for industrial rock.

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

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

Never heard of album, have heard of 9 inch nails. Not sure they’re the type of band I generally like. Top 100 on Apple tho so should be listenable at least. Mr self destruct is not what I was expecting at all. Cool sounds but the vocals are too low. Pretty cool song tho. Piggy is more what I was expecting. This song is junk. Quiet vocals again. Good drums and bass on it at least. Heresy is cooler. I like this song a lot, and it’s not my style. Again super cool sounds tho. Love the guitar. March of the pigs is same vibes. It’s not my style but I like it. It’s so much going on but it works. Bs vocals but it goes with the bs (in a good way) production. Guitar riff on it is just so good. Really nice piano too. Love the end. Closer is really cool too. Sick bass line. Just really cool sounds again. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song/album like this. Love the fade into ruiner. Another really cool and unique song. Sweet guitar solo, and I love the outro. Don’t like the becoming as much. Too choppy, not enough guitar. Saved by the sweet fade into I do not want this. Cool production again on this one, vocals/lyrics are kinda bs. It’s just a fine song. Drums are sick. Big man with a gun is much better writing. Very catchy. Sick guitar again. Just wish it was longer. Really cool opening to warm place. Actually song as a whole is really cool, great bridge song. Needed a break from the screamo. Another sweet fade into eraser. Good drums on this one. This is another cool song especially when it picks up. Bs vocals but again somehow they work? A lot of anger in this song. Another cool open to reptile. Production is awesome, don’t like the lyrics as much. Guitar is so good yet so simple. Downward spiral is pretty cool, didn’t need any vocals tho. Def couldn’t been another musical bridge. Sick guitar riff. Hurt is an all timer, but I think because of Johnny cash not nine inch nails. This version is obviously well written, it’s just too quiet. And not enough guitar. For the couple of parts where it really picks up it’s just as good as the cash version. Like after 4 mins it’s awesome. First four I want more. Overall, definitely beat my expectations but it’s not in my top 100. I’ve never heard an album like it. A couple really good songs and some I will never think of again. Probably the best alt rock album I’ve heard, up there with both nirvana albums I’ve got. 3.7/5 stars.

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.

Meget godt stykke arbeid.

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

Sinister, loud, in your face, a wall of noise that makes you want to go smash something. I like Pretty Hate Machine a bit more than this album, but still, some of the best music to play when you're just pissed off.

Probably the best NIN album. Its iconic. Its dark. Its sexy. Its intense. So industrial.

Do yourself a favor and sync this up to watch the movie krull

Not every track works for me but when it hits, it really hits. Just happy to have something to listen to that’s so sonically different than the vast majority of this list.

Really good

Album bizarre de fou mais j'ai bien aimé dans l'ensemble. Je m'imagine dans une réalité parallèle sans les frérosefs, influencé par les gens du lycée, punk, shit, ketamine dans un squat chelou en plein trip. C'est exactement dans cette vie là où j'écouterais ce genre de musique Rien à voir mais "hurt" c'est l'originale ou une cover ?

with most of the NIN I've listened to, I tend to enjoy the music more than the vocals. no complaints about his voice or lyrics -- they work within the context of the music -- they just don't resonate with me. I'm not harboring enough intense anger to connect. they really hit a sweet spot here, combining rock, techno, and other industrial approaches to sound while still staying palatable for the masses. similar to dance and noise genres, this is one that surely hits way harder live when you can feel it with your entire body. some bold production choices on this album as well, which I appreciate. they could have played it safe but leaned into the weirdness.

There are hooks for days on this thing. Beneath all the chaos there’s always a well-structured song.

9 / 10

This is a tough album for me to rate. As someone whose favorite band right now is SOAD, I expected to start listening and love what I was hearing. What I got was a very noisy first track that I had no idea what was going on. Other tracks were easier to listen to sonically, but the entire album felt abrasive. Maybe I would enjoy this more on another listen, but I'm not sure. With that said, I like to consider the experience that a band was trying to create for a listener as much as the music itself. The Downward Spiral is an experience unlike any I've had with any other album I've heard on the list. As someone who often works with people in various stages of the spiral professionally (from just starting to feel depressed to someone who has ended their own life), I think this album helped me understand these difficult topics to address in a different light than I have before. I think having a difficult album to listen to is helpful when addressing mental health issues. I thought they tackled this in a way that was respectful and acknowledged the problems without glorifying suicide. I feel I can be a more compassionate person after hearing this. 2/5 for how much I like the music 5/5 experience listening

крутой альбом

It's an impressive album! Musically, lyrically and tonally!

Soundtrack for the apocalypse. It's both beautiful and agonizingly unsettling and chaotic. Great concept, great song construction.

4. enjoyed it, but not for me

A master of Industrial, pioneering the sound and equipment through the 90s.

Ghosts will forever have my heart, but next to that The Downward Spiral is probably my favorite NIN album. The Fragile is close, though. I have a major soft spot for With Teeth since I got *really* into it when I was 17, but that's neither here nor there. This reminded me that I need to actually give their later stuff outside of Ghosts a listen.

Heresy spacca, ma è tipo confusione March of the pigs è pura rabbia gaso per alcune canzoni, davano il ritmo per correre, ma album che non è il mio. Hurt è tristezza. In mezzo a stammerda ci sta a warm place che è come trovare le margherite sulla merda, ma poi eraser ti colpisce col fetore del letame della vita. È come se fosse un album dedicato alla depressione, ai peggiori modi in cui una persona potrebbe ritrovarsi, pure la tristezza, nella sua eleganza, viene confusa dal riverbero del rimescolarsi dei pensieri e le idee svaniscono, puro caos, e alla fine è onnipotenza (o solitudine?) PS: modifico il voto da 3 a 4, man mano che ascolto questo album mi piace sempre di più.

Classic

Ça fait pas loin de 30 ans que j'avais écouté ça. La dernière fois, c'était en jouant à Thexder 95. Les deux se sont fusionnés dans ma tête et je n'y suis jamais revenu. Brutal mais plein de hooks. Un peu trop tout le temps over the top. C'est un cul-de-sac musical. Rendu au bout d'une ruelle sale qui débouche pas, t'es obligé de rebrousser chemin et explorer autre chose. Je me mets une alarme pour réécouter une autre fois en 2056. 4.25 étoiles 1 étoile pour Thexder 95, ça c'était d'la marde, pas besoin de revisiter.

Good angry album. All the songs tie in well with each other. It’s rather raunchy but it’s a good time.

This album was so dark and haunting. The production was perfect and though I’m disturbed I’m glad I listened

Really looked forward to this one. Great album, some brilliant songs, but also some lesser stuff. Overall, enjoyable, and a great listening experience, but just missing out on 5 stars for me.

I didn't like this when I was younger because it didn't sound like bands I was accustomed to. Now that I'm older I can really appreciate it.

I first heard this album in college. I was failing and depressed but didn’t know I was depressed when I heard this album. When I heard “Nothing Can stop me now because I don’t care anymore” from Piggy I really felt that lyric. I never was a real fan of Nine Inch Nails but when I listened to The Downward Spiral I understood it. I felt it. I understood the spiral down. I would sit in my dorm room thinking of jumping out the window. When I heard “ Ihurt myself today to see I still feel”. I didn’t hurt myself during this time. I did drop out of college not long after. I still continue to struggle with depression. But I figured out better coping mechanisms. Now The Downward Spiral is really a great album because it does a great job of showing a person who is slowly deteriorating and is crying out for help. It’s sad and beautiful. The music is harsh and angry. But life is angry and harsh at times. A great moment in time.

This is a great album! It really stood out when it came out. I remember highly anticipating this after the masterful Broken EP and definitely not being disappointed. I probably haven’t put this on in decades and it still sounds great however the mix might be a bit thin in spots. There’s a lot of great experimental sounds on this album and maybe is a bit too thick in spots which may have contributed to a somewhat flat sounding mix. Also this is in the age of CDs so at over 65 minutes it’s probably a bit too long and could use a trim here and there. Overall though I still got excited hearing these songs again and it still was a good listen from beginning to end.

Too much rock for me

Love this

The angsty early 90s vibe is gonna sound dated to a lot of people, I get that, but this is brilliant, challenging abrasive music. Closer and Hurt are classics

Really interesting album. Heavy in unique ways, both musically and thematically. It felt a bit like Nevermind and Dirt, other early-90s albums on the list, but with the industrial sound instead of grunge. There was also a trip-hop quality to some tracks, maybe like Nightmares on Wax for another contemporary pick from the list (though it's been a while since I heard Smoker's Delight). It was certainly impactful even if dark and a little uncomfortable at times. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why, but I thought this was a pretty good album. The singles I'd heard from it don't really do the whole thing justice. I'm glad I listened to it here. Overall: 4/5

Closer Heresy Hurt Piggy March of the Pigs Eraser

I see why David Lynch digged the shit out of these guys.

empezando y ya me pareció una chimba, amo la música así, al final si me gustó mucho pero no me mato

Must be the most dirty, angry sounding album that somehow still manages to have mass appeal. One of my friends is an absolute NiN megafan but I find his whole discography hard to approach somehow despite his attempts. Heard this one maybe twice before in full, but probably heard "Closer" 100+ times. Loved his soundtrack stuff with Atticus Ross since Social Network, though admittedly usually as an accompaniment to whatever they're scoring (Except "Hand Covers Bruise", could listen to that on repeat, breathtakingly minimal) Like this one more and more on repeat listens, "Take the skin and peel it back" and there are some weirdly catchy melodies in here, and the industrial hellscape is weirdly addictive

Could really spiral downwards with the album. Its pretty good apart from some questionable lyrics.

Solid 4 I like NIN but I can’t listen to them for too long as they can get a bit much but overall a solid album

Very solid album

So, It's 2:30am, I'm suuuuper behind on this list to the point where it's not even funny and thought if I'm not sleeping I should just get some out of the way. Um, this is the next one up. Again, 2:30am. Let's see how this goes I've never heard anything by them before, or at least I don't think so. The main things I now about them is their music is apparently abrasive, loud, and "scary", the lead singer is friends with Tori Amos (?), slay. And Johnny Cash covered a song once, which i believe is the closing track on here? I actually really want to like this band tho, so I'm nervous as fuck to hit play and actually finally form an opinion. 1. Mr. Self Destruct - Okay, so i actually like the sound? Lyrics are exactly my favorite, but I understand what it's going for. 2. Piggy - Is is bad I actually like this? 3. Heresy - Okay, I kinda love the sound of this? Genuinely my favorite so far. Even down to the lyrics I vibe with it hard. 4. March of the Pigs - This ones kinda cool too 5. Closer - Okay, mixed feelings lyrically, but I understand this song is typically taken the wrong say. It sounds really fucking cool tho. 6. Ruiner - Holy vocal performance. The production too. wow 7. The Becoming - First song I'm not really vibing with on any level. I don't like the consistent screaming in background. I get the story, but no thank you. I was getting dizzy. I ended up having to skip halfway through, sorry 8. I Do Not Want This - Okay, vibing with this one 9. Big Man with A Gun - Okay so... not vibing with this at all. I can appreciate it's place in the story, understand the background on it, and hope that any man listening takes the time to understand it instead of going "ha ha, cool I like this one. that's so me". But, I will probably never listen to it again 10. A Warm Place - Pretty as fuck, holy shit. I really like this one 11. Eraser - Okay, so as cool as I am finding this album. Holy fuck this really is a red flag album if a man says it's his all time favorite. That's fucking scary. Like, you'd really have to explain yourself and make clear you don't feel like the protagonist is cool 12. Repile - Are the lyrics abhorrent? yes. Am I vibing with the production and vocals? also yes. I honestly really liked this one 13. The Downward Spiral - Oh, not exactly vibing with this one, but I get it's place in the story 14. Hurt - Overall Okay, holy shit. I actually really vibed with this, wtf? Is there something wrong with my brain for liking this???? It's probably not an album I will come back to as a whole very often, if at all, but i do see myself coming back to a few songs if I'm in the mood for this abrasive vibe. Wow, this was insane. I feel the need to say, if this was made by a worse person or it wasn't clear this was a story I would most likely be rating this a 1. Understanding it's critique on this vibe is what makes me like it as much, as well as the production and vocal. Idk I just find the overall sound really fucking cool. I think listening to Model/Actriz earlier in the year helped prepare me for this sound. Anywhooo, I think I'm going to listen to some Sabrina Carpenter as a palate cleanser then get some sleep.

I enjoyed this ..I’m not a hardcore fan but liked this genre in the day. Hurt is a great tune made even more special by the man in black. Honourable mentions to piggy, March of pigs, closer and I do not want this.

Pretty Hate Machine still is probably my fave NIN but this is a classic for a reason too. But, and idk if this is just a bad copy on Spotify, but the vocals are mixed so low they’re sometimes impossible to hear! Maybe that’s Reznor’s point, but his voice is absolutely drowned out by the music for, honestly, most of the album.

Well, it's hard to say I'm *pleasantly* surprised with Nine Inch Nails, as there's not much pleasant about The Downward Spiral. But given how turned off I'd been by some material of theirs I'd heard in the past, I definitely dug this a lot more than I anticipated. Reznor is a hell of a musician, composer, and arranger, and for my tastes, he consistently strikes a solid balance of the overall industrial sound with distinct humanity, be that with the use of organic instruments or his harrowing lyrics. I'm still not sure if I love the overall style, but after one listen, it's at least an easy, high 3.5, with lots of potential room to grow. 3.5/5

Vet hoe ze hier steeds tussen dat schurende korrelige geluid en goede melodieuze songs in zitten.

An album to listen to while laying in the street in the rain. So good, so depressing, so cathartic...

4/5 I feel horny and depressed. This was a good album, but man is it heavy.

It's rare to hear a records that slides deeper and deeper into the abyss with each passing track, without feeling like a total cliche of itself. It's as though Trent started working from the same styles that he'd used on the Broken EP and then gradually went deeper and darker into the reaches to find the absolute pit. It also would take him to an incredibly dark place personally, but it's a triumph of a record if occasionally uneven.

Was never a huge fan of NIN. Can't say that listening to this changed that. So much rage! And much of the time I have no idea why exactly he's so pissed. But the originality and musicianship is undeniable. And Hurt really is one of the all time classic songs. I could make a mix of maybe ten NIN tracks and that would be an amazing playlist and would not really care about anything else they (he) ever did. But rounding up for going out on a high note.

Obviously Closer is one of the best songs of all time but I also really liked Heresy and Ruiner sounds like something from Queen of the Damned so I really loved this one.

The album still sounds incredibly intense and dark, but that’s part of its appeal. It’s easy to understand why younger listeners are drawn to that kind of raw negativity. Sometimes I wonder if still loving it means I haven’t really grown up—but the music itself remains powerful and compelling. Listening again, “Eraser” might actually be my favorite track. There’s something about its tension and atmosphere that still hits just as strongly as it did before.

An incredibly powerful album.

I've never been a regular NIN listener but always held them in high regard. I think this is my first full listen of this one, and it's not as good as I wanted em to be. Still worthy, just not a 5* experience!

Absolutely GREAT!! 8.5 OUT OF 10.

Really great album. Crazy how current/new and different the beats and production still sounds over 20 years later. Dropped a star because it’s just so angry/dark and that’s not my vibe so I don’t want to listen to this on repeat, but the music is so good.

When to listen: in a dark rage. Started out enjoying this album more than I thought I would but then, as the title suggests, it took a downward spiral and I liked the later songs less.

Incredible sound design, and some cool tracks. Probs went a bit long, but it was worth sticking out to hear Hurt.

8/10

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

Solid 4.5⭐️. Victim of the CD era and plays a little too long. Found myself spending most of the time after A Warm Place waiting for Hurt. With editing could have been a no brainer 5⭐️

Listened to this a lot in high school. One of the first albums that made me feel uneasy/gross when hearing it. If the measure of good art is to illicit feel ing, than this is great. The production is great and so influential for what was to come. And Hurt is one of the best songs of the 90s.

Industrial is Still not my Favorite but admittedly this is brilliant for what it is. And Hurt is one of the darkest, saddest songs ever written. Both this version and Johnny cash’s cover

Dark, heavy, emotive. I love that about Reznor and NIN. The mix of Industrial and grungy rock makes it stand out, though on occasion it stood out in a not great way. Still a very solid album. 4/5

Frankly unimpressed after listening for the first time in 20 years. This didn’t age nearly as well as I was expecting (compare Killing Joke‘s first album which still hits hard after all these years). Bonus point for Hurt, though- one of the most intense songs ever written. It rolls in like a calm tide and before you know it the lyrics seize you and pull you down into the cold depths. I wish the rest of the album was as riveting…

Good stuff, but not really my taste. "Hurt" is easily my favorite track, but the cover by Johnny Cash (not featured on this album) is still the superior version. 7.5 / 10

A great album by an even better band. I was lucky enough to see these guys last year and they amazed me, the sound quality was something I’ve never witnessed before during live music. This is the first album I listened to before becoming a big fan of Nine Inch Nails work, after a lot of listening I must admit there is better NIN albums, and this one slows down for me towards the end with a few tracks I see as filler. I love the crazy song structures and experimental sounds used in this album. There’s elements of so many different types of music. I always used to describe them as if Depeche Mode did metal. It’s great how they can have songs like ‘March Of The Pigs’ and ‘Hurt’ on the same project and both contain so much emotion, presented in an entirely different way to each other but neither lacking in quality. Favourite tracks are: ‘Mr Self Destruct’, ‘Piggy’, ‘Heresy’, ‘March Of The Pigs’, ‘Closer’, ‘Ruiner’, ‘Big Man With A Gun’.

It's great. I felt like playing Quake after listening to this.

I've never really got into NIN. Listening to this again got me a little closer but I don't think I'll ever be a fan. Some surprised me. Only a few tracks met what I expected this to sound like (ignoring what I already knew). But I largely enjoyed it, even if I didn't love it.

Oh, I thought I was gonna hate this. I was soo wrong. I kinda half knew a couple and thought it would just be a lot to take and no fun. But this is tremendous. The grooves are awesome. The sounds are so well put together. On track 1 I thought I was gonna struggle with the aggressiveness of some of it, but it just works so well within the context of the tracks. It's also very funny in parts which I didn't expect. I think that the run time is a little long and there were a couple of tracks in the middle I could have lived without, but beyond that I really enjoyed it. Half of me wants to give it a 5 and I think with a couple of the middle tracks dropped it would have got there. Great stuff.

Yeah pretty good album. The only song I'd listened to was hurt and I still think it is the best song on the album. But lots of other cool songs and should definitely listen to it again with more focus

Yes this is angsty teeny mad at the mean old world music but it also goes to interesting places.

I'm not the biggest fan of industrial music, but there's something about NIN that I love.

NIN has always been a bit hit or miss for me. But this is arguably his best work. I almost wanted to stab my ears with the first track, but then he goes on a nice run of good to great songs. Gonna add Closer and Hurt to the playlist. Gotta go with the classics.

Just the right feelings of grime and slime. 4/5

Production and arrangements are fantastic.

Liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

The fact that these sounds came out in 1994 is a little wild to me. Safe to say Trent was blazing a trail back then.

How Mr. Reznor can take so much pain and suffering, translate it to industrial sounds and make it so listenable is amazing. I grew up with Pretty Hate Machine and this came out when I was 20. It resonated with me in a profound way then, and I was surprised how well it held up to a relisten when I'm in my 50's. The textures are so interesting and engaging, I thought I would be turned off by the screaming now that I've mellowed a little bit but it still hits. I only docked it a half star just because I couldn't listen to it very often because of how angsty it is. 4.5

Filthy but genuinely arousing.

It's a good album that I never reach for. I just can't ever "be in a NIN mood." And Trent Reznor is a genius, a fact which I think is undisputed. But, it's so tough for me to find my way into these works without wanting to gravitate to something more melodic and less dour. Again: good record. Maybe even a classic. But for me, this sits firmly at a solid 7/10.

The Downward Spiral both evokes and requires a certain type of mood. Primarily, it is industrial rock, it is an in your face, at times disorienting album, driven by Reznor's screeching vocals and it's themes abrasive. Within the chaos, and judicious use of distortion, it also manages to mix in elements of techno and ambient soundscapes. This, it's extremely dark lyrics, and surprising room for reflection amidst the chaos elevates it above the clutter of most heavy albums.

I mean, the 90s me is loving this.

I played this for my daughter and she started crying. Sign of greatness Got my man adrian belew on guitar, whose just swell. Standouts - march of the pigs, heresy, hurt

Already listened, super disturbing album with very heavy themes and some interesting sounds. I can't say much else, but I'll give it an 8.5/10.

First off, I totally dig NIN. But this is probably my least favorite NIN album. Almost all of it seems too same-y. Crash Crash Industrial noise with occasional dips to near silence for dynamic effect. Cool, but it's just too much. I know it was part of his journey from Pretty Hate Machine into his greater success, but I can understand why Trent said, 'Sorry. You shouldn't have let me do what I was going to do" when he turned it in to the label. Someone should have watched over his shoulder a bit. BUT, and this is a big but... "Closer" is an AMAZING song. It may be a perfect song. How many songs have that content and the cursing and Still get played on the radio? Sure, bleeps abound, but we still hear what you're saying there boyoo! And "Hurt" is almost as perfect. (aside from that drone for a minute at the end) Just like everyone, I loved the Johnny Cash version of it. Trent even said That's Johnny's song now, But coming back to it and listening a few times, This version is amazing! They're both exceptional, but for different reasons. So those two songs along make this an absolute Must-listen and Trent has done a dozen other great things since then. But I can't imagine coming back and listening through this more than once or twice in a lifetime. It's too noisy Giving it a 4 simply based on those 2 amazing songs

Great music. There is a reason Reznor went on to make music scores and soundtracks. There is a reason he makes movie music and gave up vocals because his "through the megaphone" yelling and hollering and whispering on this album sucks ass. Could have been perfect.

Brooding digital meditation of yearning

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

Late 90’s sound but holds up

I don’t know if Trent was the first to do it but he’s one of the best to.

harrowing listen - breathtaking in its destruction

8/10. Really enjoyed this one, much to my surprise!

Denne hører jeg på helt feil dag. Jeg er fan av Trent Reznor og liker Nine Inch Nails, men idag har jeg feber og har spilt Stardew Valley. Ikke i humør til å fuck you like an animal. Skikkelig rå og sårbar musikk Helt vanvittig historie bak, kult å endelig høre sammenhengen. Hurt er en av de vakreste sangene skrevet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF-5AS4m4Ck Høydepunkt: Piggy, Closer (utrop Serenne), Heresy, Big Man With A Gun, A Warm Place

classic.

Not my style but they definitely rocked!

Tältä ei ollut tuttu kuin hitti ”Hurt”. Aivan hyvä levy. Kuuntelin Deluxe-version.

I like NIN, but I don’t love NIN. I’m actually more of a fan of Pretty Hate Machine over this album, but Closer is a stone cold classic that can’t be ignored. Hurt is a Johnny Cash song.

Moments of brilliance. But also (too many) moments of Trent Reznor singing about his dick.

enjoyed this a lot more than i thought i would lmfao

* Notes: The vocals are very NIN, and the raw, grungey rock aesthetic they were going for is super clear throughout the album. * Overall: I think if I gave it a couple more listens, I’d actually really like this album as a whole for the right mood. It’s a good “spooky season” album and I love the unique production.

Essential 90s alternative rock album.

First time I listen to this album in full, absolute masterpiece and remarkable songs, production, sound and lyrics, it stays with you and hits you in the head with bricks. What an experience, what an album.

Great album! I love the song Parklife. His accent is great. Fun to listen to and upbeat.

NiN has always been unique to me. Industrial sounding with great production, Trent Reznor has a weird but special understanding of music

Good record. I haven’t listened to anything other than Closer or Hurt in years. I’m glad I had to today.

Not much of a NIN fan, but this album seemed so unique compared with the music coming out around that time.

classic one🤌

Album got rolling after a couple of songs. Actually tried to listen to this one before but really enjoyed it this time.

Nine Inch Nails crowning achievement. The anger and rage is so visceral on this album. The music is abrasive and raw, yet it’s also a technical masterpiece. Not the kind of music I can listen to often, but when the mood is right, this album is really pretty incredible. Nothing else really compares to it. Also, side note… pretty incredible arc to Trent Reznor’s career. From this to scoring movies and winning Academy Awards. Quite an accomplished musician.

this is what i'm talking about! it is so much better than the other albums I've listened to so far. This album is extremely textured, with layers of sound that you can feel inside your head. It's stimulating and sensory rich without being overstimulating.

If I could give this negative stars I would

Loved this since I was a teenager

Som great songs here

I listened to Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt so much that I forgot how haunting the original NIN version was.

Another classic

Classic album they never really matched.

Driving to Saskatoon rn. This first song sounds like complete ass through my truck speakers… incoherent, radio fuzz. My speakers aren’t that bad. wtf is this song. This song literally hurts my ears, or I can’t hear it. First four songs sucked. Mix was trash. The rest is good, some songs bangers even. NIN are fucking weird. But it’s fucking cool. The fact I listened to Closer so much as a teen is hella concerning and also probably explains a lot. 3.75/5

I know this is an important album, but I found it hard to bear at times. Very grating. Maybe I‘m too old now?

Om robotar kunde ha bdsm-partyn hade detta albumet varit obligatoriskt för ändamålet. Jag börjar förstå varför jag inte lyckats fastna för NIN tidigare och detta album fick mig att ändra uppfattning. Enstaka låtar presterar inte jättehögt men sammansatt i ett album uppskattde jag hela lyssningsupplevelsen mycket mer!

Some of the most unique and interesting music we’ve heard thus far. The lyricism at times is a bit too much for me and enters cringe territory, but otherwise great

Haven't listened to a ton of nine inch nails, i had a perception they were something they are really not. I enjoyed this.

One of the greatest concept albums I’ve listened to for the longest time. It’s not totally perfect, but I’d love to listen to it again given the right mood. Favorite tracks: Heresy, Closer, The Becoming, The Downward Spiral

I had only known one song on this album. I had heard their single Closer and I was impressed. So when this album came my way to review I was looking forward to it and I was not disappointed. Of course I had heard of their version of Hurt but I had never actually listened to it. I can see why JC liked it. Every song on here is a banger but you have to listen to it with headphones or you will miss the nuance in the music.

Puh, tuff to get into at the beginning, but damn does this album tear you apart und put you back together again! Really pushing the boundaries of what can be enjoyed as music, while always holding on to a sense of melodie. An atmosphere thats really one of a kind!

This tour came through my college campus. Quite literally across the street from my dorm. It was Jim Rose Circus Side Show, Marilyn Manson, and NIN. One of the best shows I'd seen. This album is a huge evolution from Pretty Hate Machine and Fragile. Aggressive, abrasive, and filled with angst. Lots of ear candy sprinkled throughout. Reznor was never a great lyricist, and this album kinda highlights that. But the point of those lyrics were to prod at those pressure points. To make you feel a bit disturbed by them. It's music for your BDSM. This album ends at a point in his career where he reevaluates his life and artistic direction before creating NINs masterpiece, The Fragile. This is Pink Floyd's Meddle before recording Dark Side of The Moon.

This isn't the first album to deal with a downward spiral of mental health, violence or suicide. But it's one of the more high profile and well-known ones. It's violently aggressive at times but also has an irresistible swagger throughout. Kind of a weird juxtaposition, I want to hate it and love it at the same time. Musically it's got a lot going on that isn't immediately easy to pick out and the production is excellent (today I learned Reznor worked with Flood). Definitely best appreciated in one long sitting.

Legendary, still not enough bangers for me, used to love them from later releases

Один из тех альбомов которые я в основном слушаю целиком или никак. Мне кажется он затянут, но я все равно люблю его структуру. Особенно обожаю warm place. Словно небольшая передышка, в ожидании мрачного будущего. Лежишь без движения и не можешь ничего поделать с этим. И конечно hurt, а также предшествующая ей downward spiral отлично закрывают альбом.

Listened a lot to to Nine Inch Nails for a few years. A great band with a lot of energy and ideas which are produced in a very creative way.

WHAT A FUCKING BANGER WTF

I suppose I had been taught by kids in the 90s that this was aggressive, angry rock. Pretty much what Limp Bizkit was trying to do. I guess I took them too seriously..I mean, I knew who Trent Reznor was and why he was important to music. But I couldn't have told you a single NIN album. Anyway, roll tape. It was quite pleasant. Not too aggressive. Yeah. The whole thing about pigs was kinda weird. But I liked the acoustic instrument breaks. And, some parts where like movie scores. I had never actually listened to the original Hurt (just the Johnny Cash cover), so it was quite satisfying to listen to. Dragged a bit, but I think it has aged well. I'm just wondering what the vibe of a concert would be. 4 Stars.

Ye it's cool

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

Really good.

One of the best noise/alt rock albums ever cut

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

One of my weirdest concert experiences was seeing NiN in 2007. During Head Like a Hole I somehow found myself in a circle pit and got absolutely freight-trained in the chest by a gigantic sweaty bear of a man, easily three times my size. The same dude then scooped me up off the ground, said he was very sorry, hugged me and… didn’t… let… go. I slow danced with this bear for a full 5 minutes while Trent Reznor closed the show with Hurt. Not sure if I felt comforted or violated. Basically the same experience coming back to this album.

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

Sometimes Reznor's vocal style gets in the way of this going from an album I appreciate to an album I enjoy. One that I will definitely return to. Fav tracks: Hurt. Saved a song: N RYM: Y (#78)

Excellent album!

ders çalışırken dinlediğim için çok bir şey anlamadım da rock bayadır dinlemiyodum iyi geldi ama çok horny

Tremendérrima portada. Contra todo pronóstico, Trent Reznor y sus amigos aporreando cosas me ha gustado ¿? A ver, no lo escucharía todos los días de mi vida, pero sabe hacer que este sonido tan duro me resulte disfrutable y eso habla muy bien de su maestría como músico que ya todos la conocemos. Como seguramente nos pongan más cosas de este género que no es para nada de mi gusto, le voy a poner un 3,75/4 porque creo que este sí puede ser el pico de este tipo de música. Jamás hubiera imaginado que me gustarían: Mr Self Destruct, Closer, Ruiner, Big Man With a Gun, A Warm Place (gracias por el descanso, lo necesitaba), Eraser

Oh, Trent! You beautiful beast! No one did or still does sound like you or the barely restrained fury of NIN. The Downward Spiral remains an album to be reckoned with.

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

I have great respect for Trent Reznor’s genius as a composer and this record was a 5 for me 30 years ago as a college student. Now, the punishing industrial bits and dark subject matter are more intense than I want, but so much of this record still sounds fresh and impressive. As then, I am captured by the fact of this as a solo project and the feeling of being inside the brain and emotions of someone going mad. I love when the music changes and beautiful interludes come in, and I love the synth-driven beats as well as the masterpiece “Hurt.” High four stars

Honestly more familiar with Trent Reznor from his work on movie scores. Of course I've heard some NiN music, most notably Hurt (prefer Johnny's version) and Closer (which I never enjoyed) so I can't say I was overly excited when this popped up. Right from the opening track this album is atmospheric, intense and feels like the musical accompaniment to the Saw movie franchise. Heavy electronical sounds paired with harsh industrial rock. Trent's musical ability really shines through and it's no surprise he's since worked on movie soundtracks as he paints a clear picture of the themes and story of the album, not only through his lyrics but also through the tense, anxiety inducing production. Sidenote, the piano breakdown on March of the Pigs genuinely took me by surprise. It makes for bleak and depressing listening for large parts of the album with key themes of self loathing, sexual guilt and religious apathy. But it would be a lie to suggest I didn't find myself enjoying chunks of this album. Not sure when I'll find myself in the right mood to listen again but I enjoyed this. I think. I need a shower after that one. Favourite: Piggy, March of the Pigs, The Becoming, A Warm Place, Hurt Least favourite: Closer, Big Man With A Gun, Eraser, Rating: 7/10

With distance and time, I've come to enjoy this album. I mostly listened while riding my bike to/fro work and an appointment, so perhaps you can add the effect of wind to that list, too. Regardless, listening to this now, I'm not sure why I didn't like NIN back in the 90s. Maybe it was too many meatheads with NIN stickers, or knee-jerk opposition to media saturation, or who knows? Now, it sounds dark, but poppy, and kind of fun. So, yeah, Iiked it.

I appreciated this more than I thought I would. Had not listened to it in 30 years and it held up well.

Could use some tighter edits, but I love the epic sweep and hammering rhythm of many of the tracks.

4/5 - I recommend walking around a leafy neighborhood on a Sunday morning listening to Heresy on earbuds while fresh faced people enter the nearby churches. It's weird. Not an everyday listen, but I love the production and sound on this album. 30 years has allowed me to ignore the goth-shock-shtick that was gaining ground at the time and just tune in to how Reznor is trying to connect to an inner pain that feels intense and authentic to me.

This is probably my favourite album by NIN. Lyrics can be a little edge-lordy at times, but the samples and music elevates it to something solid for me. The piano in Closer :chef-kiss: . I'm willing to admit it could be a time and place thing, as I was just the right age for this when it came out.

Svårbedömt ändå, vill säga att det är helt fantastiskt men vet inte exakt varför. En del oljud men också jävligt najs? Oklart.

Dark, disturbing, gloomy. Just as intended. I do believe some of the distortion effects here and there can get dangerously close to genuinely being annoying than adding to the whole composition, but I do like this album for what it strove to do.

Bisschen Chaos // Vielfältig

Industrial, Brutal, Heavy, Awesome!

I recall seeing the clip for Closer on Rage. It was unlike anyrhing I had seen before, and after a few views I realised it was also unlike anything I had heard before. Eventually I got the album and it did not disappoint. Full if aggression and retrospection it is a damn fine album. I convinced my cousin to buy it in a second hand shop years later, and he liked it until the "god is dead" lyric, being a christian. Also fell in love with Cash's cover of Hurt on a first listen not realising it was a cover. This could release today and be better than a lot of what is around.

damn thing nearly made me crash my car when i thought my bluetooth disconnected at the beginning, 4/5

I found NIN a little after their initial popularity, but I fell in love with them when I was about 20 in 2002 or so. This album was so different from anything I had ever heard so I was instantly intrigued. Closer still stands the test of time as one of the, frankly, coolest songs ever. It is just so unique. Other songs like March of the Pigs and Hurt are also fantastic. Great album that holds up because it is not of a certain time or era.

I'm beginning to think that the recommendation algorithm is sometimes given a push, especially with NIN doing the newly released TRON Ares soundtrack. (I'm a sucker for TRON)

Mixed bag but generally very enjoyable. Really close to being too noisy but finds a sweet spot

Moral panic was overblown, was sonically interesting

I recognize the songwriting talent and if I had more of a musician's experience I'd probably recognize the performance talent. Unfortunately, the vibe is not mine and does not spark joy. People have done some amazing covers though.

на самом деле неожиданно прикольно и интересно музыкально! но очень длинно....

As a sheltered child when this album came out, my first introduction to it was at a cast party for a high school play, where the owner wanted us to sit and listen to it. Not the vibe, Levi! I decided I didn't like it. Next I heard the Weird Al polka version of Closer. Obviously amazing. Years later, I heard Johnny Cash's rendition of Hurt. I've read that Trent Reznor has even said that it's Johnny's song now. So I came into this expecting not to like it. By and large, I did, however! Closer is a really good song, it turns out. I did keep expecting to hear silly noises instead of f-bombs, though.

An absolutely brutal album. Achieves what it sets out to do and is a totally unique listening experience. 1 less star for being a little difficult to get through.

NIN are so bloody moody and cool aren’t they. A band that sound like no other, and instantly create a mood. But it varies, it amps you up and it cuts you down. I’m angry and want to xry angry tears at you. 4.75/5.0 Best Song: March Of The Pigs

Moody, Angsty, Atmospheric, a very good album. Also Hurt is just such a ridiculously good song

I was never a NIN fan, but 31 years later, it's definitely still a really good album.

Discazo!!!! What else can I say?

1994 me would give this 5 stars. I love this when it came out and saw NIN live several times. 2025 me is tired and annoyed. So much whining. So much noise. A 3 at best. I’m meeting myself in the middle and going with 4 stars. Yes, it is annoying at times, but it is also great at times.

Interesting listen. I am enjoying triphop at the moment. It was different with the heavy industrial sounds.

not 100% my cup of tea, not a fan of the sort screamo, although some of the other singles are quite unique and I enjoyed how they were a bit funky

Great!! Gnarly production and incredibly powerful. Not quite perfect, second half slightly blurred into one for me.

Cock and ball torture soundtrack.

Incredible album, almost timeless. For some reason I always preferred the first album but I enjoy this one more now.

What does it say about me personally that the older I get, the more I enjoy this album? Maybe I should talk to someone... I was actually never interested in NIN until I heard Reznor's film scores. From there I started paying more attention. And the evidence of his genius was always there, just hidden behind angry industrial rock. And while I still don't normally favor this genre, I really appreciate the quirks that the band offers to break up the constant onslaught of overdriven drum machines. If you're really listening, there is genius to be found in The Downward Spiral, even though you might come away from it with a headache.

To all those circling the drain, take a note from Trent: draw the curtains, find the art within, then ascend again.

His voice is the thing i liked the least. But damn everything else is a banger