The Downward Spiral

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.

Probably my favourite album of all time.

Nope

Closer

Listened to this endlessly in the 90’s. Still phenomenal

What a masterpiece, the aggression and emotion are perfectly balanced

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

I am not angry enough to give this a good listen, but I actually didn't totally hate everything. ⭐ Didn't like it.

I've been putting this off out of dread. I was right. This screamy noise was never going to be for me. I do not want this. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): N/A ⭐: Hated it.

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)

Not for me. I find it plodding and boring.

Excellent album!

3 stars

My teenage years!

heard the tiniest bit of screaming and knew it wasnt for me

Noise, for the most part.

Wow! 😲

There isn’t much that appeals to me here. Trent Reznor is a smart and creative guy, but I don’t want to spend time in his world.

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

I really liked this back in the day, and I do still think it's a big step forward from pretty hate machine in a lot of ways, but it's just so dark, angry, and jagged that I have trouble sticking with it now. There are a couple true masterpieces on here but overall I just don't see myself coming back to this very much.

love maybe 2nd best nin album

Nope, hate it

Good but hard to work on spreadsheets to.

Operatic cyber extremism. Stunning. So progressive, it still sounds like it's from the future. Primordial ooze made electric 4.8

I actually really enjoyed parts of this. But I still think I can only give it the two. Had it been later in the day, I may have been able to give it a three 😂

En general los albumes que trato de escuchar 3 veces y no puedo me los salto (este challenge no esta para sufrir) pero por la fama de este le puse un poco mas de onda y let me say: Este album es para un mood y gusto muy especifico, por mas que me puede llegar a gustar el rock industrial y me encantan los albumes conceptuales este no es mi cup of tea. De igual manera, yo tengo una visión objetiva con la musica porque se que mis gustos no son los mas abiertos del mundo, asi que reconozco que es un buen album y cumple con lo que se propone. Se me hizo eterno y un poco repetitivo, por lo que se lleva mi 3.5. Mi única fav son Closer y la intro (soy una normie de mierda ya se)

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

maybe revisit later but probably not 2

I think I have to give this a 5 just on account of the amount of time it took me to decide lol. It's a HARD listen and though there's a decent amount I'd be willing to maybe listen to on its own, I am sorta leery to if I'm not in the right state of mind! That said, great stuff music-wise and as an album.

A masterpiece in every right. Lyrically, this is bleak and uncompromising, painting a portrait of a soul wracked with addiction and despair ultimately giving in to suicide. Some may call it edgy, but there is more than enough genuine experience, emotion, and thought put into these lyrics to make it not hit that mark for me. The music also complements the story perfectly, with its use of harsh industrial beats to symbolize rage and despair, ambient passages marking emotional turning points (see "A Warm Place" for the best example of this), and overall layered and intricate sound design that I'm constantly hearing new details in. A generational master work in musical storytelling and in industrial sound design alike, this easily earns its 5 stars. God bless you, Trent Reznor.

At the very least this album was interesting. Very angry but in a well-produced kinda way. I don’t think I will seek this out again but I can appreciate it.

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

This is a good album but I wish it had a little more variety. Ruiner, Closer, Hurt and A Warm Place are such standouts that I would've liked to see more of that stuff. This album is a lot of Trent Reznor screaming over heavy distortion, and while he is the only one I could take seriously while doing that, this album is hard on my mind and body.

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.

edgy tenåringsemo

I liked the slow songs. In a different world I could see liking this bad if it wall like that. The lyrics were so self-pitying

This was raw and hard to listen to. I found myself unable to accept a lot of it? Like, if I did, I was embracing nihilistic tendencies. But something about the first song "I drag you down I use you up" reminded me of alcohol/person addiction. Like, it's easy to get hooked on drugs/alcohol/people when they are not really the best for us. I found it uncomfortable, but also appreciated that it made me feel that way? It's confusing, but interesting. I'm glad I listened, but I would not listen again. I found it raw and sharped edged, like a badly honed knife.

Overall enjoyable. It reminded me of the band Refused (who I'm now sure were inspired by NIN). I sometimes get a bit bored with metal, but this album had enough interesting melodies and instrumentation to keep me interested. Overall; not my thing, but I can definitely appreciate the album and see why people like it. 3/5 (but I could see that rating improving on relistens)

A masterpiece, like everything NIN does. My favorites were: "Mr. Self Destruct," "Hurt," "Closer," "Reptile," "A Warm Place," "Heresy," "I Do Not Want This," and on Disc 2 of the Deluxe version, "Closer To God," "Heresy (Demo)," "Closer (Precursor)," and "Dead Souls (From "The Crow" Soundtrack)."

Another classic! Love this so much, I feel like I know the track list by heart. To me, the fragile is better just perfect album sequencing. No skips ever

“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

Love it. Just Love it. I usually listen to the daily album while working on school work, but I had to stop and listen to this one in another setting. Not a bad thing, since its great for gaming and exercise, and I love finding good stuff to listen to on those moments.

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

Life changing

Det er musik som larmer! Men det ved de også godt selv, måske derfor at jeg elsker de musikalske pusterum omkring halvvejs på albummet. Bare lige en ørerenser som gør at de næste numre ikke går ubemærket hen. Closer er dog en skipper.. Den har jeg hør aaaalt for meget, men resten føltes frisk for mig.

Albummet jeg i mange år har haft på listen over dem jeg skulle lære at kende. Det er over 10 år siden jeg “opdagede” NIN. Men jeg har aldrig fået lyttet ordentligt til hele TDWS, selv om jeg kendte en del numre på den. Jeg var absolut ikke skuffet.

Very disturbed songwriter.

(98/100)

ah mano foge completamente do que eu gosto, mas entendo quem goste tb esse gênero todo representou uma geração de gente bem chata xd

música de jovem deprimido raivoso noventista. eh até que bem agressivo, né. umas pegada de synthpop e pa. algumas músicas até envelheceram ok, mas outras não... bem percursor dum metal industrial, hein. bacaninha, mas não curto mto industrial não. pelo menos eh bem produzido e barulhento. e tem aquela música que só é famosa por conta do johnny cash

A bit much

Both better and worse than I expected

Love this album!

YES

i can't listen to it

I don't really get industrial music. It sounds cool sometimes, but it feels emotionally flat. I had so many friends try to get me into Nine Inch Nails from middle school through college, I'm pretty familiar with this album. And I still find it to be "meh"

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.

The lyrics are too corny when I hear them now.

Ei yhtään omaan makuun, melkeinpä karseeta kauttaaltaan

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.

I’ll come out the gate saying, I have never, NEVER been a fan of Nine Inch Nails. And I gotta say… I still hate NIN. Seriously, WTF is this? I get the whole experimental thing, but how did they get as popular as they did? Experimental groups like this are usually extremely niche.

Never been a NiN fan, and listening to it was like listening to a horror movie soundtrack. Some bits in here were entertaining, so I'll go with a 2 star.

Not my thing

Holy shit what a banger. Can't believe I've never listened to this.

Nine Inch Nails have been creating their particular brand of music for over 35 years But I have always preferred listening to individual tracks rather than a whole album at one time Same with this collection Tasty, but best in small bites!

It was certainly different. There’s some cool elements to this but it just didn’t click with me. It’s probably a bit longer than I’d have liked as well. The original version of hurt is an interesting listen after being so familiar with Johnny Cash’s version. They’re both great in their own unique ways

Häftig ljuddesign, ok platta

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

Inte min stil men har definitivt något.

Great album. So in your face.

Dense and detailed journey through the dark obsessions of one white male’s psyche, touching on themes of spiritual abandonment, dehumanization, debasement, loss of meaning, guilt, and emotional/ sensory numbness made somehow into a successful album via Reznor’s throttling yet hooky use of dynamics and sound collage along with an unmistakeable ear for melody. Vanquishes the dark not in the lyrics but rather with the harrowing, brutal and often beautiful soundscapes. Adrian Belen’s guitar work here brings some necessary levity and makes repeat-listenable what is altogether an uncompromising work.

I love Closer but this was hard for me

good exercise album has a nice beat

Not a great band, unusual concept of only having 1 permanent member and touring with special guests.

Musical terrorism

I love this album, the weird time signatures, the distorted electronics and guitars. It’s chaotic, poetic and intense, but some parts still manage to feel surprisingly gentle, capturing Trent's inner torment and self-destruction in a really powerful way Trent Reznor is just a unique figure in music. His work stands completely on its own, you can’t compare it to anything else, because nothing else is like it.

Fuck me, that was fucking horrible. I gave it a go but I cannot stand anything this heavy. Does that make me a pussy? Maybe. Do I care? No.

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.

This one is to be commended for making me think. What makes a good musical capture of depression and hopelessness? I still don't think I can answer that. The arrangement and sound I'd sum up as artistically and intentionally ugly. Noises collide with distorted guitar, drum machines pounding away and samples of people in agony. The lyrics are at times too sexually violent to connect to personally. I just can't shake the connection to Inceldom: nihilism, the desire for violence, the only motivation an insatiable and directionless libido, the sheer anger of it expressed at anyone in range. A malignant moan. Normally I am a sucker for vintage sad but this is a darkness that surpasses what I can allow myself to seriously indulge in. If you come across those who ascribe to this philosophy: offer help, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on. Anger is often sadness transformed by lack of release. With the mixed feelings comes a mixed rating.

This album has some great songs, notably Closer and Hurt, but overall it's just not my taste

Zwischen Korn und Manson. Irgendwie passiert aber zu wenig

Solide, aber wird nicht hängen bleiben

Bisschen Chaos // Vielfältig

I want to know everything I want to be everywhere I want to fuck everyone in the world I want to do something that matters

Piggy und The Downward Spital gefielen mir nicht. Der Rest war super. Highlights waren für mich Heresy und The Becoming. Verstörendes, aggressives Album, dass aber auch seine ruhigen Momente hat. Ist jetzt das 4.* das ich dieses Album höre und es bleibt mir immer besser im Gedächtnis. Das schaffen nur sehr wenige Alben. Es hat nen besonderen Charakter. Mittlerweile ist es auch dadurch ein 4,5 Album. Die Regeln der Mathematik sind da gnadenlos

Oh weia, da kommt es gleich am zweiten Tag...mein Lieblingsalbum ever ❤️ In Sachen Alben das Maß aller Dinge für mich. Erdrückend düster, herausragend produziert, toll sequenziert, wütend, verstörend, smart, abwechslungsreich, immer wieder überraschend im Songwriting - ein perfektes Werk.

J'ai trouvé l'album très quali, avec des orchestrations intéressantes, et de belles textures vocales sur les passages murmurées / chantées. Piggy m'a vraiment plu rythmiquement, et sur l'accord entre la partition de batterie et la voix qui était posée doucement. J'ai retrouvé ça aussi sur Closer, avec des rifs de guitare qui m'ont bien plu, et une belle atmosphère, même si les sonorités m'ont sensoriellement un peu moins parlé (tout comme la fin qui s'étire bcp en longueur). Impressionnée par la variété stylistique et les recherches instrumentales, et l'originalité de certaines mélodies qui me plaisent bien, mais l'ensemble est un peu trop saturé à mon goût (l'esthétique hard core me parle ici pas trop, que ce soit dans les tons hurlés aussi bien que dans les tons rock-suaves, comme dans Ruiner qui fait alterner les deux). Un album qui me renverse pas mais qui retient techniquement mon attention et où je prends plaisir à cherry pick quelques sons.

je pense très honnêtement que c'est le premier album de la liste pour lequel je ne sais pas vraiment trop quoi penser. d'un côté les paroles ont très très mal vieillies (Big man with a gun? Reptile?), d'un autre côté le projet est intéressant (même si certains sons ont été conçus et produits dans la maison où Sharon Tate a été tuée, un peu sombre comme ambiance). closer faisait déjà partie (étonnamment) d'une des mes playlists btw. A Warm Place et Eraser étaient franchement de belles surprises (i.e. pauses) dans l'album, mais hors contexte il faut admettre que j'ai eu du mal à accrocher au projet. 2.1 pour cette première écoute entière de l'album malheureusement.

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.

No no no. Whoever made this needs to have his cocain confiscated

Abrasive Catchy Creepy

I like NIN. They remind me of the low hum I would hear coming out of my sisters red and black bedroom when I was young. This album was ok, but too long. I think I like the more classical stuff they do. I could only really stomach a listen once.

Well-produced and original. But I'm just much more into music for sad young boys rather than angry young boys.

Brilliant. Saw them at the beginning of the summer and it will go down as one of the best gigs I have been to.

My anger from last album's mamas and papas got directed into this album. This album seems trapped in the ether of time. Anger, violence, depression, anxiety, frustration. So vivid, so frantic First time of properly listening to this.

i’m ashamed that i only knew “closer” and haven’t heard the whole lp before. just energy, ambience, aggression and emotions a no skip album for me

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

Honestly no review is needed. This album fu*k so hard it, Hurts. Perfection. Life changing, game changing. Extremely important in my life.

Kc bbq masterpiece

Little too loud for me - lot of growling and screaming vocals… deep fast bass… very angry

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

Was excited for this one and it was just too much/heavy for me. Hurt is a great song but it’s all about the Johnny cash version

It was okay but the sound is a bit too abbraisive. Some lyrics are a tad cringe

If the Saw franchise was an album

Moral panic was overblown, was sonically interesting

Ehh, I liked some songs, but heavily disliked others, still the bangers slightly outweigh the ones I didn’t like, that saved it from a 2-star rating

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.

I’m sure this was really cool and edgy when it came out, but its boring now. Closer and Hurt are good, but I already knew that.

Had Nirvana vibes with the screaming. It wasn't terrible

Powerful. Kind of screamy but it was ok. 2.5 outta 5

Interesting! Never listen to that kinda music but closer was banging

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.

Did not like this

I enjoy a wall of sound. Perhaps sounds a bit like a movie soundtrack - or maybe the other way around.

A mixed bag. Why is the music so much louder than the lyrics 80% of the time? Some of the tracks are before their time with the electronic beats. I like those. Some of them are 90s whiney. I do not like those. I like the music, the lyrics are full of sexual violence. Johnny Cash does a better Hurt.

A staple of industrial rock. Aggressive, loud, and dark. Not really a genre that I seek out, but I respect the sonic artistry on display here.

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

dude calm down

Wow I have listened to NiN but never a full album. I feel like I just listened to Trent bare his soul. That was fucking beautiful.

ça envoie, c'est plutôt mon style mais l'album est un peu trop long à mon gout, il arrive un moment ou je m'ennuie un peu malheureusement

This was horrendous. It's got the cringe factor of Limp Bizkit, but without any humour or decent riffs. How Johnny Cash was able to turn Hurt into what it is has to be a miracle.

Can see why he moved into soundtracks.

Desperately boring.

Nope

Didn’t age well.

2 hits and a bunch of filler. Not too shabby in the grand scheme.

My brain registered this mostly as noise, and I just wasn’t angry enough to push through it. It’s an intense listen...

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

I am hot and cold on NIN, and this was way too industrial for me. Like I was strapped to a cold, metal table with fluorescent lights in my eyes and a probe down my ear canal with white noise.

Listen, there are great tunes here, but it's mostly just long and edgy and grating and a bit too loud. I don't care that god is dead, or whatever.

My goodness, what a horrific album. It seemed to never end. It very much is a product of its time. The industrial sounds just cannot interest me at all. Very easy to rate this album. 1/5

Discazo!!!! What else can I say?

I’m very familiar with it . It’s a classic

Too angry for me to enjoy it.

This album came out when I was in high school and listening to its nihilistic (albeit amateur) lyricism, I can't imagine a record like this being released in this current age of the male loneliness epidemic. It's angry, and violent evil and hopeless. So let's set that aside, and listen to the music which is...okay. Aside from 'Closer' which continues do be an absolute badass track 30 years later, the last 3 tracks make up for what's a pretty not-so-great record overall. Interestingly enough, Trent Reznor's current foray into movie scores is the more interesting version of him, in my opinion.

Raw and dark, helped me through some really dark times

ABORT ABORT

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.

not a fan of rock so def not my fav

Such an intense album. I wouldn’t say I like the main character of the album, but the story of his descent is interesting and the music is incredible.

Down

Cyberpunk 1994

Good. Would probably rate it higher if I gave it another listen

One note, and a very subjective five stars (but what is this list for if not being subjective). An overlong opus of knotty, crashy noises and the sort of lyrics that would be trite if not situated in the dense and layered industrial world that Reznor builds. An utterly absorbing listen that feels exciting. And of course, ending on Hurt; for me vastly superior to any cover, loops teasing themselves in the background over increasingly tortured vocals. They rise, our single singer overtaken by the machines, melodies collapsing into metal on metal, noise, machinery. Shivers.

damn good stuff

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

This is a compassionate 2/5. I get how people like it. It's an essential '90s album, and pioneered industrial rock and industrial metal as genres. It's completely valid. I just, personally, don't like it. I'm not a huge fan of albums that cause migraines. It's constantly loud, thrashing, with few moments of reprieve over the hour. The lyrics come off as hackneyed and juvenile. I recognize that this album and Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails are massive influences. I just won't listen to the album ever again. Painful, long, and eventually gets on your nerves.

Thought it started quite weak, but it grew on me.

You have to be in a certain mood… I do like it though. I just rarely listen to it

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

Uncomfortable. A record that drags you through filth and fury, sometimes brilliant, often unbearable.

desert island disc from day 1

Such a classic for a reason

It's hard not to think that NIN was the catalyst for the success that Industrial Music found in the mainstream. The fact that the next few years after this album came out. The fact that bands like Marilyn Manson, Ramstein, and Static-X found a home on MTV for any small amount of time might be because of the astounding The Downward Spiral is as an album. Reznor really sets up themes and sounds he would explore for the next decade or so in this album, and produced some amazing songs that can stand alone, but shine more brightly when listened to in situ on the album as a whole. Truly an album that belongs in any Heavy Music enthusiast' collection.

The Downward Spiral is a testament to storytelling and one of the all-time greatest narrative concept albums ever made. It's almost impossible for me to listen to any one song at a time, and I ALWAYS need to carve out an hour for the full runtime of the album.

Alright but not our cup of tea.

I will preface my notes on this album with the fact that I am a millennial and when I was younger I was totally into the emo bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, My Chemical Romance, etc....I never got into Nine Inch Snails and apparently I still cannot. I tried very hard to get through this album, but I found it to be a little too dark and honestly VERY creepy. It's just not my cup of tea. On to the next one.

Full of anger and depression, at times incredibly abrasive and at times soft and melodic. It's not something I want to listen to all the time but it's fantastic at what it does. One thing I noticed listening through this time is that every song has a different but interesting rhythm. March of the Pigs, Closer and Hurt are all 10/10.

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

Sinnloses Rumgebrülle! Sondermüll!

Rating: 1.8 This guy never could hang he has good songs but likes to sperg all over the place and make a lot of bad ones in the middle. He’s either at 0 or 100 all the time.

Nine inch Nails. More like Nine notes in every song

didn't get through it, never listened to it in its time. respect for it still.

better than i thought it would be.

Never liked NIN……still dont. Hurt is the nearest we get to a highlight but unfortunately it serves to demonstrate the amazing vision of Rick Rubin and performance of Johnny Cash to elevate a good NIN song to something truly great

NIN are just not my thing, and the Cash take on “Hurt” absolutely wipes the floor with this original.

I only knew Closer (which has the unfortunate problem of my brain wanting to turn it into the Weird Al Alternative Polka version) and Hurt going into this. Hated the first track. Found the second track kinda interesting. By the third track, when Trent started yelling "God is dead and no one cares" and playing a very satisfying guitar riff, I came to the conclusion this was going to be a wild ride. I think I would need to listen to this album again to really form a proper opinion on it, but that's juxtaposed with the issue that I'm not sure I really want to do either. It's one of those occasions where I think the artist is talented but it's not enjoyable for me to listen to a good chunk of the time. Trent Reznor's later career has genuinely been fascinating though - who would have expected that the man who wrote the lyric "I wanna fuck you like an animal" would later go on to win multiple Academy Awards for his soundtrack work, one of which was for a kids film about a jazz musician in a coma. 2/5

Cock and ball torture soundtrack.

Cool listen. Different

i expected to like this album more than i did - i had high hopes with the industrial/alternative rock genre but it didn't really end up being my speed. there were some decent moments though - i liked the emotion in the tracks, not just from the vocals but from the instrumentation too. i want to able to say that i like NIN but unfortunately i can't see myself coming back to this album.

This would have ruined my life 3 years ago

Wow. I've loved this album a long time, but an even more focused listen has me just saying... wow.

This was a chore to go through, unfortunately. This album suffers from all the the tropes of the industrial rock genre. The distorted vocals, the needless electronica and sometimes too ambient forays to sound "serious". I don't like it. Shame... 2/5

Really really not my cup of tea.

More like a 6/10 than a 3/5. :-P

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

stressig

Хуита

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.

2.5

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

This is an old favourite

Intense :)

Not my kind of music. He has an ok voice, but the lyrics are brutal. This music makes me thankful that I'm not lonely.

A wild ride for sure-boundary pushing, experimental, and highly entertaining. This album made me feel "bad" when I was a fresh-faced 20-year-old college student, dancing and singing along to "Closer" in the club and feeling a bit naughty for doing so. I saw NIN live on this tour and it was a really incredible show.

This is it. This is the album. This is the album that I had to hide from my parents. This is the album that was released at just the right time in our angst-ridden teenage years. This is the album where every listen was a cathartic release of that bottled up angst. This is the album that I heard on tour and learned how intense and exciting a live show can be. The noise, the sweat, the lights, the energy. This is the album that absolutely destroys from start to finish. The dynamics change so much from song to song...some big and loud, some barely audible, yet every song is powerful. One low spot for me is Closer, and that's only because it got overplayed so so so hard. There might be a couple other things that could get picked apart a little bit, but I don't see the point. Maybe it's not THE album that changed how I feel about music. I'm not sure there is one single album that can claim that title. But this is definitely on the very short list of those that truly got me excited to hear more, see more, and feel more music. Jesus, this album. I'll bet it would be difficult to be Trent Reznor for a week in 1994.

This still rules. I haven't listened to it from start to finish in ages, and I'd forgotten just how dark it is. Trent Reznor was going through some shit, and this is an unflinching document of that time. This feels like when he really settled on NIN's sound, and I love all the elements he uses to assemble it.

More interesting than I thought by quite a margin

Trent helped popularize Industrial for the masses, and this was his greatest album that was dropped the perfect time.

lots of clashing in not much skazza fashion. saved one song to headbangaz tho so... thats a pleasant surprise

2,3/5

i remember listening to this album a while ago and really hating it, but my eyes have been open and i’m a better, slightly different person than i once was. my ex loved this band which is why it’s missing a star

Det va en lett blanding av ting æ ikke hadde forventa å like, og ting æ definitivt ikke likte. Nokka av det blir simpelthen for høylytt og industrielt for mine ører, men det va ting her æ va overraska over å oppdage at æ satte pris på, så æ kunne nesten ha laga en spilleliste med sanger æ likte. Det hadde æ ikke nødvendigvis forventa.

I’ve never gone further than the hits with NIN, so I was excited for this listen. This album was very good! The sound and production is top-notch, and each song has its own distinct feel. My favorite track was not one of the hits (‘Closer’, ‘March of the Pigs’, ‘Hurt’), it was surprisingly ‘Heresy’. There were two tracks that were basically noise rock that kept it from a 5, but I will give this a solid 4/5, very cool album.

Pleasantly surprised how much I liked it

I tend to gravitate towards the softer side of Trent Reznor. But when the heavier stuff hits, it hits well.

Not my jam. Couldn't even finish.

Some moments of brilliance, surrounded by what feel like unfinished ideas and baffling choices. (2.5)

The Downward Spiral is a strong album. Its main shortcoming is that it doesn’t quite capture the same raw, chaotic aggression of Pretty Hate Machine, but it still delivers an experience I can appreciate and enjoy.

Every song on this album is about killing someone or/and fucking/raping someone. Oh yes, and there will be a guy whispering in your ear during some random noise.

Forgot just how good this album is. Strong writing from start to end. Great tracks!!!

Inscrutable

Don’t want to hear this

Weak.

Incredibly diverse, engaging and interesting music. Lots of emotion, good composition and great collection of aounds/samples.

Closer is a great song but rest of album too abstract for me

Trent Reznor brings us all Closer to God. Abrasive, spiteful, precocious, furious, nihilistic, political, libidinal, provocative and desperate - there's not much you can really say about one of this album that hasn't already been said in the last three decades. The industrial, noisy, experimental, and LOUD sound makes it a difficult listen on the first spin (as it did for me as a teen, years before the return) but it's a "turn-the-volume-up" classic for a reason. The sound also holds up impressively well for something of its age: for better or for worse many of its contemporaries in the industrial/electronic space have this old-school vintage feeling to it. The Downward Spiral, on the other hand, sounds like the kind of album that could have come out yesterday. That said, the album is very much in the thematic line of that post-ironic post-modern 90s thing that you could only really capture in the last decade of the 20th century. It's pretty cheesy these days to over-mythologize it, but you can taste the same furious spirits on the wind of Cultural America that Cobain was struggling with. It's no surprise them that he took his own life a month after this dropped. NIN is in many ways the American cousin to Radiohead: where Yorke and crew tackle the pre-milennial angst of the new era and the hauntological spectres of the new-old with the cold bent of the British psyche, Reznor violently rebels. Listening to it again now I can hear the nervous, darkly comedic, coming-to-self-awareness hiding behind the brash overconfident lyricism that I missed back when I was 20 and drowning in Lynx Africa and angst. Beneath the fear and loathing is Reznor as a deeply troubled, vulnerable character. You kind of have to peel back a lot of layers of edge to see that though, methinks. Listening on it again I reckon the pull-back to nothing but the piano at the end of Closer - going from this everything-against-the-wall tsunami of harsh noise immediately into a somber, deliberate, contemplation over a few echo-y orphaned notes - is probably my favourite track end in music history. A top 5 album of all time for me and on re-listen that hasn't changed. The razorblade edgy angst of that part of my life has gone now, but I keep the fondness for that devil-may-care flipping-the-bird attitude. fav tracks: [the whole thing], Closer, Piggy, Hurt

Terminator porn music

Some great songs on this album! There’s some filler too, but still a solid piece of work

I don't hate myself enough or in the right way to really get it. I really do like noisy music, I swear! And descriptions of this album from fans make it sound like it should sound really cool, but it ends up sounding kind of formless and smashed together, and overall I'd probably rather listen to Pretty Hate Machine.

Never managed to like this band. Some songs are fine but for most of them I just hear noise and disturbing melodies

It is really interesting music and kept me hooked throughout. Struggled to connect with a lot of the lyrics and themes though.

angsty and downright concerning lyrics Tracks to Track: Hurt

I only ever heard a handful of songs NIN before listening to this LP and was darkly surprised after this first listen. This album is genius cutting edge at it's release time and the song Hurt was a big hit for Johnny Cash the "man in black." Will add it to my play list.

So great. Perhaps only one mediocre song on the album.

this album is so sexy

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but it would still work even if it wasn’t a concept album. It’s odd to say that these songs, as brutal and dark as they are, were an enjoyable listening experience. But I liked the album just as much today as I did when I first heard it over thirty years ago. One of the best of the nineties and on my Top 100.

I know that I have enjoyed this album in the past, even in the last few years. But it just did not vibe for me today. That makes it hard to rate? Down the middle 3 I guess? Naw 4 because I know it can slam but it's so specific

Bardzo ciekawy ale ciężki do słuchania po kilka razy

Znowu mi tekst usunęło więc w skrócie: Fajne mocne brzmienie, choć czasami męczy; za to jest na tyle spokojnych kawałków, że da się słuchać całości. Kilka utworów zostawię w ulubionych. Hurt spoko ale brzmi jakby mi kot przegryzał kabel od słuchawek

You're a teenager in the 90s and like all teenagers you need loud music to annoy your parents. They've had rock and metal and punk so it really needs to be really nasty, electronic and disturbing

Strong evidence for an argument that music is a drug that alters us chemically is the fact that it can affect us differently as we evolve/change chemically too. I know every note by heart on this album and it’s one of the most important albums to me, in terms of emotional development through my late teens and early 20s. Now? It’s fine. Trent’s success several decades later and how he’s evolved probably speaks to that too. The collapse and drama of TDS seems kinda silly when you picture him holding an Oscar twenty years later, and the raw music he made just hits different when you’re older. I can think of probably a dozen other angsty albums from that era that I’d recommend to a brooding teen who needs art to feel connected. It’s still really good though, maybe just a little much.

Вот уж реально... Послушать и умереть.

This was a really good album, it opened strong and ended strong but a couple songs in the middle missed me. Regardless it was definitely deserving of 5 stars and if all the songs hit as good as the best ones it definitely would've been even higher in my personal ratings. 3/5

Visceral, ragged, disjointed, 2edgy4me, noisy, and still somehow much more listenable than half of the albums I've heard so far on this list. I think this just proves to show how skillful Trent Reznor is at making music. I'd gladly put this on over some bland uninspired generic music that seems to make up the majority of this list.

Eraser Reptile Hurt A warm place

Solid 4. At first I didn't want to raise the rating above 3.5 due to some controversial aspects in nearly half of songs. Those include the lack of sympathy for industrial as a genre, with its noisy moments. However, this album (recognised as one of the best of this band btw) is quite diverse in terms of harmony, the lyrics of some songs (ESPECIALLY "Hurt") are heartbreaking. At last, Trent Reznor's talented contribution to music should not be underestimated.

A pretty complex and experimental album. I can tell that there is a lot going on with this one and I'll try to revisit when I have more time to invest in it. Brock Lesnar you've made a great album.

This is going to be a long one because I love this album so much for many different reasons. This is the album that introduced me to the concept of pre and post music production. Before this they were just names on a list that I assumed were for marketing or grifting purposes. For being made in 1994 the techniques and creativity on this album are so far ahead of their time. The technology available for mixing, creating and tuning every sound on this album was so far behind what we have now and yet it sounds better than things put out today. The entire soundscape of this album revolutionized what the words "grit", "raw", and "dark" mean with respect to music. Trent and Flood were, and remain, geniuses in this respect. Beyond the heavy and deconstructed guitars, drums, bass, synths, etc, this album is full of metallic and factory-like sounds that really drive the point home and create a proper "industrial" aesthetic. “Reiner” by itself is like a phd thesis in editing techniques. I’ll never forget how I thought that my headphones were broke. When the chorus only came in through what felt like the bottom left part of my ear. The horn stabs somehow don’t seem out of place and it all culminates in this extremely quiet voice that’s about to explode with everything else going on. Trent's voice is always between proper singing and yelling but never really either one. The lyrical content of this album isn't for everyone. I'm not saying it's the most profoundly presented thing, or even that some of it isn't cringey as an adult. If we ignore the embarrassment that our society has put on expressing anger and depression against religion, sex, identity, and so forth (I realize that's a big ask), then this album captures exactly what it is to fall down an ever more difficult existence of depression and fear. The album starts as the initial reaction to your life falling apart - being absolutely incensed and having an increasingly delusional view of having power over everything. We have the moments of false clarity (March of the Pigs - doesn't it make you feel better?) and projection on others (Heresy). Then we move on to desperation and the grab for self change that isn't coming (Closer, The Becoming). Another burst of violence and anger as the realization that none of this is working (Big Man, I Do Not Want This), a plea for someone else to end it (Eraser), an attempt to blame someone else (Reptile) for not doing it, then ending with the absolutely soul crushing final two tracks as the narrator gives in to it and simply falls apart. It's as a whole that the title of the album becomes clear and the concept comes in to itself. It takes on an entirely different meaning as a young person than it does as an adult, and maybe some people are lucky enough to never experience any of this as they get older, so maybe it just makes them embarrassed about things they thought in their youth. It's so much more than just angst though. I don't know where to begin with the actual songs. Every one is thematically perfect with the lyrics/lack of lyrics (or is it the other way around?) and they tread a line between industrial, metal, and rock like nothing else. I'm not even sure any of these songs hit the headbanging and more conventional heights of singles like Head Like a Hole or Wish or any number of songs from other NIN albums but there are parts that do and they're all over the album. The rest of it is really like nothing else at the time. Reznor took all of the existing industrial music of the time and transformed it in to something that is just beyond rhythmically beating a piece of iron in a german warehouse and being pissed off about it (which, to be fair, I also enjoy). The variety of styles in here that remain true to the theme of self destruction and deprecation is huge. It gets better with age, and it started out stellar in 1994. A complete masterpiece. I would give a 7 out of 5.

Classic, groundbreaking, and most importantly worthy of this list. Organized noise that is much better than the sum of its parts. Still heart thumping 30 years later.

Better than I excepted, but still too edgy for my taste. Loved and was surprised by the dynamics on this album. I finally understood why a lot of people love this one, but still a hard listen for me

Tellement représentatif de ma période fin secondaire / Cégep. Closer devait jouer 2-3 fois à chaque soirée de bar, peu importe le bar (de mon schtyle) où tu allais. J'adore Heresy.

J'ai de la misère avec le hardcore industriel dans le sens que je vois pas vraiment de moment d'écoute approprié. Trent Reznor est définitivement talentueux et je me surprend à trouver certains trucs assez groovy. March of the Pigs me fait penser à The Ledge de Fleetwood Mac (sur les amphets). J'aime l'emploi des sonorités/timbres non conventionnels de l'industriel. Mais vous allez pas me trouver souvent à écouter du Marilyn Manson pour le fun. Finalement, 2e écoute, j'ai absolument trippé, j'en ai mis pendant la période de jeu de Paul et il a aussi vraiment aimé (pas trop longtemps quand même je pense ça le fait entrer en trance). A la fin du chorus de Closer il y a quelque chose qui ressemble drolement à l'air de Packt Like Sardines!

Même pas besoin de le réécouter

As a concept album, I’m sure this is a work of genius. The downward spiral leading to the final track, Hurt, is certainly represented here. Unfortunately, apart from Hurt, the album is basically just noise. I could not bring myself to finish a single track before the last one. Two stars, only because of the narrative.

Too violent and dark for my taste.

That was an experience, not sure I’ll ever listen to it again but damn

In den 90er hätte mich das sicher abgeholt. Heut ist es schwierig Künstler und Kunst zu trennen.

Did not love this.

Not my cup of tea. A few tolerable songs, the rest is just noise and all very similar. I dont mind loud music but this lacks melody

Good music, but sometimes you just don't jive with a voice. Love Marilyn Manson, don't jive with NIN.

4.5/5

Best- closer

42/1089 i’ve wanted to get into NIN for a while since they’ve worked on other albums/projects i’m a fan of a chaotic start as expected, a bit overstimulating but cool Heresy is giving me Hatari - Hatrið mun sigra vibes March of the Pigs is the fave so far, so interesting but also has moments of reprieve that are more accessible, Closer too A Warm Place is an extremely well placed and produced instrumental track. almost a record highlight for me and i love a good transition, and Eraser is mostly instrumental until the end, love that The title track is a great culmination of everything that came before it and Hurt is a pretty stunning way to send it off I loved and disliked this album. The concept and production is cool and so interesting, i saved 6/14 songs but also naturally it’s very intense and tough to process. really not sure how to rate this, a 3 seems right based on how likely i am to return to it but also seems too low for what it deserves 4 stars or 74/100 faves: A Warm Place, Eraser, Closer and Hurt least faves: Big Man With a Gun and Ruiner

Top 100 OAT, 10 of the 90s. Makes me want to kill myself but in a freaky way

This guy should make movie sound tracks

Once I was in the car with my parents and “Closer” came on. My mom and I simultaneously went “oh great song! Turn it off” then had to explain why we didn’t want to listen to it with each other to my dad, who got angry at the lyrics. I miss being 27. All the synths are unique and the production is some of the most rewarding stuff I've ever heard. Every few songs there's a bass guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, or non-fuzzed out guitar that adds a weird human touch that makes the rest of it more powerful.

This is an excellent album. Yes, 90's alternative is right up my alley and I remember when this came out while I was in college. Maybe NIN are a bit harder than I might usually like, but not egregiously so. And while I could see where some would be turned off by this record, eventually by the end of it, I loved it. The way that Trent Renzor constructs song, especially alternating between aggression and a softer tone, I think is very cool. Closer is a great song, as is Hurt, but there's lots more to like on this record, whether it is Piggy, I Do Not Want This, Eraser, or others. It's not a perfect record, but it's still really good and one of the best of the decade.

Yeah quite sick. Enjoyed much more than I expected.

Decent, I have never been a big fan of NIN but I always respect his originality and actual love of music.

Industrial is not my style of music and it was a struggle to get though this album. It's too aggressive and violent for me. But after the first half there were a few songs that were more interesting, even abstract and I admit this must've been pretty forwars thinking in 1994. Still, I can't give more than two stars for this album.

I first found out about Nine Inch Nails in 1996, when Weird Al used “Closer” in the polka medley on his album Bad Hair Day. From there though, Nine Inch Nails only existed in this otherworldly mystique. The kids who wore their shirts to school were often labeled the goth or headbangers, and they were the type of kids we were warned about in Wednesday night youth group at church. I had no idea what their music sounded like, I just knew that they had a song that said “I want to fuck you like an animal,” and to admit that I knew the existence of that song would generate a barrage of questions from my parents, none of which I wanted to answer. As an adult though, the closest I’ve ever gotten to listening to Nine Inch Nails is watching movies where the score was composed by Trent Reznor. However, I think I have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this album. I don’t think it’s really going to be up my alley, but I imagine I’ll at least appreciate it for its significance and impact. It took a few songs for this album to get going for me, but once I got sucked in to the sound of The Downward Spiral, I found myself really absorbed by the music. Heading into this album, I thought that a lot of it would wind up sounding the same, but there was a lot of variation over the course of this album, but everything was held together really well by the dense atmosphere. I had no idea that Trent Reznor did almost everything on this album, which is really impressive on such a rich album. I guess that’s why this came out five years after Pretty Hate Machine. I really enjoyed that despite being heavy and rough, this album had plenty of beautiful melodies throughout. This album is really a great showcase of Trent Reznor’s talent as a musician, songwriter, and instrumentalist. “Heresy” wound up being my favorite song on the album, barely beating out “Closer.” The pulsing bass sound underneath the main sound really kicked ass. The drumming and guitar were excellent too. As for “Closer,” it’s such an excellent journey in industrial rock. The overall melody is excellent, but what seals it for me is that last two minutes, and I loved hearing that melody pop up again on the title track. “March of the Pigs” was really great too. The programming and piano were exceptionally noteworthy. And speaking of industrial music, I loved the drums on “Piggy,” mostly because they reminded me of Neubauten. As for other songs on the album that I really enjoyed, I thought “Becoming,” “A Warm Place,” and “Hurt” were all exceptional as well. I was thinking about giving this album four stars, but as I typed out my review, I think The Downward Spiral is worthy of five stars. A dark journey into the depths of what rock music can be, this album was incredibly enjoyable, and very well made.

Edgy, so edgy! The album is a bit of a mess, not just in terms of the mixing (I can barely make out the vocals on most tracks), but the way it generally all comes together without feeling purposefully dynamic. I can appreciate the ambition of bringing together so many different styles and sounds, but it often ends up feeling more like a jagged collage than a beautiful painting. The upside is that I've never heard an album quite like this before, though I do see it as something of a precursor to acts like Linkin Park. Highlights: March of the Pigs, Closer, Ruiner, The Becoming, Hurt

I can absolutely see shades of this album in current surf/garage artists. I like it but probably won’t be revisiting it a ton.

One of those albums where the music fits the title aptly. It is indeed structured like a negativity and self-harm fuelled downward spiral that is dirty, loud, evil, angry, horny and yet sad, quiet and painfully beautiful. It's the contrast between the brashness and the quieter moments that make this such a rewarding experience. Makes the harsh sound of industrial rock more accessible. You can actually dance to 'Closer'. And then you can do something depraved while listening to Big Man With a Gun and then immediately regret it and question your entire life while listening to A Warm Place. And then you can kill yourself on 'The Downward Spiral' and descend into hell while hoping for a better life in the next birth.

Impressive how this work does not age. Still raw and depressing.

Great industrial stuff here. Plenty of amazing songs like Hurt (though I like the Johnny Cash cover more) and Closer.

When I got this album I was fully expecting it to be a dud, not because I dislike this music, in fact this was one of my favorite albums in High School, or because it's no longer my kinda thing, it still very much is, but mainly the fact that over time as I've listened to more music and dissected it, it also made me have more "stringent" or just being tougher on the music I listen to, not because I think being more mean is fun but it's a better way to distinguish the music that's still relevant to me vs the one that isn't. For some time now I've been dreading coming back to NIN like I have with every album I had listened to in the past and enjoyed when I was younger because more often than not I wind up having more problems with the albums than I do things I still enjoy, and it sucks so much but it's the nature of being more in tune with what and how I enjoy the music I'm listening to. So with all of that it makes me happy that by the time I was halfway thru this album I was confident I wasn't changing my opinion about it, i.e that it's fantastic, one of the best albums of its era and perhaps its genre. Now I do like some aspects about it less than I did before, mainly the lyrics in that they aren't *bad* but if one thing is true about Trent is that he isn't a great lyricist, especially at this time, he is very clumsy in how he tries to wrap his message and intended emotions around certain words which leads to moments like hearing Heresy's very obvious anti religious lyrics delivered mostly well with the implication and metaphor but it's not the most detailed picture, and it only gets worse when the chorus kicks in like "GOD IS DEADDD AND NO ONE CARESSSS" it's hammy as fuck and hilariously edgy, yet it weirdly works if only because the song is that good. Every song has that aspect of the lyrics being clumsy but it works in its honesty, this whole album is a long narrative about an addict's Downward Spiral (if you will) and it's obviously partly autobiographical about what Trent was going through at the time, which I think helps making a song like Hurt be as effective as it is, the images and the narrative aren't the most complex but you can feel every emotion behind a lyric like "what have I become?/my sweetest friend/everyone I know/goes away in the end". And while the lyrics or I guess the way Trent likes to deliver things might be hamfisted, the one thing that absolutely shines in this album is the production and general writing, how is it that after 30 years this album still sounds cutting edge, so many of the weird techniques in this album for producing guitars, use of multiple channels and panning, the sampling, the noise the everything has so much intention and ingenuity that it's hard not to enjoy, a song like Ruiner still confuses me because how is a song that has a bouncy, distorted hip hop beat works so well with these incomprehensibly layered sounds while every chorus is so slow?? I don't know but it sounds so good somehow and the only explanation I have is because Trent knows how to make music sound and feel exactly the way he wants, and that much has remained timeless about this album. Sure, it's edginess hasn't aged that well and I don't care for it much anymore, but everything else remains as good as I remember.

This is a big and complex album. Reznor was breaking new ground everywhere - without his touch Marylin Manson would just be a creepy dude who's ego far outstrips his talent. Innovative use of synths and samples in such a heavy sounding album.

Industrial Rock Innovators

Legend of Industrial/metal music. Thjs waa the first album by them I listened to.

I think I only really liked 'Hurt'

I haven't listened to the full album but I have to say most of the music is pretty good. Also the part 3 minutes in where the guitar is drunk and having a stroke is hilarious.

Doesn’t it make you fell better.

it's sort of a shame he eventually got a girlfriend

Couldnt listen

Jesus Christ, Trent Reznor is one fucked up dude.

Heavy album, very intense. In ways it feels very of its time, but I do still enjoy a lot of this album. The industrial "wall of sound" vibe informs so much stuff that came after this album.

I struggled with this. I don't enjoy the abrasive, industrial sound and nihilistic lyrics. I like hard rock, I like some nihilistic lyrics, just not an entire album of it.

abrasive

This album is definately creative and mixed excellently. From the beggining you know where you getting into. Piggy its autobiographical probably,March of the pings is starting super noisy then it has a dancable bridge and ends up in piano!Heresy is my thing from the album but i can see some Kurt Cobain in some breakdowns. DDD=Dark,Distorted & Disturbing(in a good creative way). 3/5 for me cause some tracks were really difficult for me to listen.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. Some good songs on here, particularly 'closer'. The industrial sound might take some getting used to and the album felt like it dragged a bit. Hurt doesn't hold a candle to the cover by Johnny cash.

I have always loved this album. It sets a mood—and commits to it. My favorite tracks are probably “Heresy” and “Hurt,” but the album commands your attention from start to finish. *Maybe* the album could’ve, or should’ve, been 10 minutes shorter? But if that’s a flaw, it’s a minor one.

im split somewhere between omg this is so cool and what the hell

Not my sort of music, got a little better after a few tracks, but first impressions didn't really change

Doesn’t mean as much to as it once did

For someone who hates gritty, negative, depressing music I sure do love this album. I think it's just so good at expressing all the rage and pain and sadness beneath the "edgy" it's not edgy just to be that way, it's edgy because it's expressing real emotions in a talented and cohesive way. It's a dirty album in more ways than one but god if it isn't catchy. The whole album feels like driving in a fast car at night on a poorly lit highway with no other cars around. I just love Trent Reznor's work. I think anyone who meets me would be shocked that this is a high rating for me but anyone who REALLY knows me wouldn't be shocked at all. I love me some thematic drama and The Downward Spiral delivers.

Took me a while to get through but I still enjoy a decent concept album

Heavy, abrasive, fuzzy and moody music which serves its purpose and no doubt helped a great number of young people in their formulative years. There's some fantastic indie-rock on display if you're in the right frame of mind.

This album came at the right time for me as an adolescent starting to unpick a catholic upbringing someone screaming "god is dead" was kinda refreshing, much to my late mothers absolute horror. But besides all that this is a great album altough very miserable and a bit gross in parts 'I wanna fuck you like an animal' it is also considered, suprisingly delicate and ephemeral in parts. Trent manages to create an album of emotional and textural complexity the likes of which i don't think he ever managed again. The incredible hurt which obtained more exposure through Johnny cash is the epitemy of the album, an angry, wild song but considered and vunerable just like all of us.

Grown up goth

The existential pain and angst of being teenage in the nineties. Good times, good times... I enjoyed the driving bass and the overwhelming noise of it.

I prefer Pretty Hate Machine as my go-to NIN, but there are so many gems on Downward Spiral; Closer and Hurt are epic!

Couple songs are great

I wanted to like this album, but man, it was too tough. The depressive needlessly-violent industrial pill was too much to swallow. 3/10

Never listened to industrial music much, but i was surprised how good this sounds. I like the distorted rock music and also the electronic influences really fit good in it. Also the music embraces the overall theme of the album, as in some songs the music does tell parts of the story. The topic of the album is quite brutal and depressing. Reading the wiki first helped me here to understand, that all this part of the concept. Some songs like "Big Man With A Gun" are quite disturbing. That it then ends with the og version of "Hurt" is the cherry on the top. I wanted to give 4 out of 5 stars first, but after thinking a bit longer about it, i am going to give it the full 5 star rating. Very well thought out album!

In spite of the depressing subject matter (or maybe because of it?), this is a truly gorgeous album. I love the whiplash from hard industrial rock to techno to soft instrumental. Great range, incredible soundscapes. I'm so glad that Trent Reznor did not give in to his suicidal ideations, because he continues to give us beautiful music to this day with his stunning soundtrack career.

First song impression: Definitely not my thing.