The Downward Spiral

If the Saw franchise was an album

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Cyberpunk 1994

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

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

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

Alright but not our cup of tea.

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

better than i thought it would be.

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.

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

2.5

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

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.

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

Bardzo ciekawy ale ciężki do słuchania po kilka razy

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

Best- closer

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

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.

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

Is this something I will put on in my free time? Probably not. But god damn it is a cool album and the production is pretty mind blowing. All of the industrial drum shit that has seeped its way into modern music, I’m thinking about mkgee and Dijon, totally stands on the shoulders of this. Also OG hurt is very interesting to hear it’s def the best track imo.

An okay album, I liked Heresy and Hurt the most.

It's angry, but in a way that makes you want to tell someone to get over it.

crazy that closer is the most popular single. loved the synth vibes, was meh on the yelliness but I guess it would be a vibe if I was angry

Some hits, some misses. Probably won't return, but a bit of a mad listen. 3*69 stars, rounded down

Reznor good. Noise bad.

Better than expected

O álbum tem alguns momentos que se destacam. Mas no geral é um álbum ok. TRN Medusa.

Second half banged but wasn't feeling the first half

Great listen overall—an experimental mix of electronic sounds, guitar, and edgy vocals. I was ready to give it 4 stars, but the track Closer really put me off. I don’t mind edgy vocals or provocative lyrics, but this one pushed it a bit too far. It started to feel reminiscent of those 2009 bowl-cut kids, and not in a good way. Still, a solid 7.5/10.

Listened in the truck via YouTube music. Later half of the album was slower and I think better aside from the singles.

It’s good but never did as much for me as other people

Thier soundtrack work (Challengers, The social network, etc) has opened me up to appreciating NIN more than I would have previously

First few songs to scare away the hoes before they do the good stuff

Would have preferred Pretty Hate Machine, unlike Trent who called it "immature" before this sophomore album's release. Never been a fan of NIN but Trent has composed numerous of my favorite movie soundtracks. He is the GOAT of contemporary film scoring but has yet to top his first feature OST for the Social Network. I was quite hyped to hear some similarities between that masterpiece and this album like the synth melody at the end of "Piggy". As suggested by the album’s wiki page, I don't hear the similarities to my favorite album, Low, but I get the art-rock vibes and sorta appreciate them. Similarities unlocked around "A Warm Place" and into "Eraser" which are two great tracks. Looking forward to hearing "Hurt" for the first time in over a decade and trying to divorce it from the obviously superior Johnny Cash cover. Christ almighty I hated that music video for "Closer". Kinda defines what I always expected to dislike from NIN's music right from the jump with the pumping heart to the sounds of the "music." Industrial just ain't my vibe. I think all my favorite parts of the extended album cut were my favorites in the song.

Románticamente caótico

Förutom Hurt har jag knappt hört Nine Inch Nails tidigare. Jag rätt svårt för Trent Reznors sång. I flera låtar funkar det inte alls. Bäst låter han i The Becoming och i Hurt. Jag tycker att skivan växer på mig. Jag gissar att Bowie inspirerades till viss del av detta inför Eartling. Särskilt de sista åtta spår tycker jag är bra. Det är en rå desperat ångest som går rakt igenom högtalarna. Men när jag summerar allt så är det inte riktigt min typ av musik. Klart godkänt.

I’ve never heard a full NIN album because I never liked their biggest songs. I definitely should have been trying a full album.

jako sam se nekoliko puta u životu potrudila oko nin-a, al ne ide

Oh man, this one takes me back. Music to drunkenly fuck to. Music to nihilist to. Music for dirty teenagers with no empathy. Every 90s kid's sex album. It's objectively not good musically. I guess three stars because it was truly innovative for its time and place in the Western canon and made a gigantic ripple in the zeitgeist, but I fully acknowledge that three of these stars could be coming from me associating Closer to past orgasms.

I don't think I was in the right frame of mind (or weather) for this angry, aggro, moody and dissonant album. Some flashes of brilliance and obviously a few straight bangers, but this didn't blow me away like I expected. I will have to revisit someday.

Wasn't a big fan of the parts that were angry and loud, was a fan of the parts that were angry and not as loud

Whereas I can appreciate where this took music and kind of like the sonic aspect, I was not when it came out or ever since been nihilistic enough in anyway to gain any real enjoyment from listening to it. It sonically expresses all the emotion it set out to successfully in my book, and has more musical scope to do so, that say the teen fanboy cartoon anger that I get from thrash metal. So a difficult 1 to score, it is a good album but personally as said appreciate what it does musically, it has strong songwriting, great production and sound and is where hard rock developed into the 21st century but as I don’t relate to the sentiment in any way to really connect its not for me, so 3 Star, but can accept some find will see it as a 5 and some a 1.

This album has its moments and creates some interesting soundscapes rather than songs. It it is definitely a grower but I suspect as I prefer the Cash version of Hurt this is never going to be a classic for me.

pre-listen: Familiar with this album, I recall listening to this in high-school, but can't remember anything specific aside from hurt that stuck with me so I'm looking forward to diving back in to this. Listened: There were not as many memorable tracks for me on this one, closer and hurt of course. Reptile was cool, but nothing really stuck with me. This was a good album to have on at the gym, and definitely benefited from having headphones on. It does feel like a decent entry point into NIN for a new comer, as their later stuff refines on this sound but maybe not the strongest of their albums that I recall. Overall I enjoy NIN songs but maybe not an entire album in one sitting NOTE: Changing my internal ratings to include all stars now. 3 is now what I was considering a 4.

not really my jam, but discovered that Hurt was not from Johnny Cash

A decent album for when you're in an angsty mood.

I saw NiN in 1991 at the first Lollapalooza. I really liked Pretty Hate Machine and Broken, but I stopped listening to them shortly afterwards. This album is fine but it’s not my style anymore.

Surprised me. Not bad.

I've heard of Nine Inch Nails, and I've heard of this album. But I've never listened to a single song by them. Honestly, I did not expect electronic-esque music. I always thought Nine Inch Nails was some sort of edgy pop punk band or something of that nature. Colour me surprised when I heard Closer and was pleasantly surprised. One note about a song is that Piggy sounds like Halo 2 intermission music, like right before a massive battle. In fact, a lot of the songs on this sounded like video game music. Which is pretty impressive for a 1994 record, considering what video game music sounded like back then. 1 hour of industrial rock really did take a toll. I was a bit over it by about the half way mark. Anyways, this was definitely a listenable album, but I don't really 'get' it. It just sounds like industrial music that edgy teenagers in the late 90's and early 00's would listen to on their iPods (or whatever was around back then) to sound like they're in a game of Quake rather than walking around the Logan Hyperdome shopping centre with their mum. Hurt was a very good song though. I still prefer my boy JC's version - but props to NIN for writing it.

Instrumentally interesting but falling off in variety as the album drags on. I do not care for Trent Reznor as a vocalist whatsoever. Evocative of autoerotic asphyxiation while crying.

Some of these tracks sound like the shit I made on my laoptop when I was 13 lol. But I actually enjoyed this album in a strange sort of way. It certainly was an interesting listen! Of course a lot of it I found to be corny in that way when Americans try to be edgy and go all anti-christ and sing about explicit stuff like all things sexual and whatnot. Also the "noise" parts I found a bit too much sometimes. But otherwise there were a lot of parts on the album I found myself enjoying more than I expected.

Wanted to like it more

Somewhat enjoyed but nothing memorable for me

I can’t believe this came out in 1994! I strongly associate this with my high school years although I’m not sure why. Tbh this is kind of a gross-feeling album, both lyrics and production, but he commits to it and has a clear artistic vision. To put it another way, he really Nine Inch Nailed the assignment.

I was there for Trent Reznor's initial fame. I saw NIN at the first Lollapalooza (when it was a 1-stage tour). I know this music, but it's never really clicked with me. I give it all sorts of credit for exemplifying the industrial electronic sound that had been developing from the late 80s (Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy, etc.) to the 90's (like Rob Zombie et al). Reznor made it a household sound and thus inspired lots of people to develop that genre further. But as much as I loved RevCo, Skinny Puppy, and Foetus, NIN never really did it for me. I was kinda over it all by the time NIN came along.

Not their best, felt a bit of a slog at times

Noisy

I really liked Mr. Self Destruct and Heresy. I already knew Closer. A Warm Place is a good ambiant song. Overall really like the beats but sometimes the vocals are too much for my taste.

Some songs weren’t too bad but there was a little too much of that thrash’s, discordant sound in others.

Nah. It’s ok but I think NIN did better. I guess it shows that not every major band release is worth hearing a lot.

Ooh nihilistic. Still ok but the abrasiveness is less interesting as I get older.

The album has a great reptation, as have Nine Inch Nals....but. When I actually got down to listening to it....it's just Mid. Compared to Depeche Mod, Throbbing Gristle, and suchlike...its all posture and show, No real substance or threat. 3.5 stars from me.

2.5/5 - rounded up for a re-listen

Man. This is just. Not for me. I can appreciate that this is incredibly influential while also saying pass. There are a couple of songs that I end up liking. Although, one of them is mostly instrumental lol. It's fine. Not my cup of tea. The concept is a great idea, and I'm glad this exists, even if I don't really care for it all that much. Favorite Song(s): A Warm Place, Hurt

Eh

Very good.

This is an interesting combination of heavy metal and electronic music. The components come together into something that is more interesting to listen to than it is enjoyable, but it does a good job of conveying emotion. I'm looking forward to the Tron soundtrack, hopefully it's good!

Not really my thing, but it wasn't terrible.

Complicado de escuchar en algunas canciones, rescato hurt y a warm place

I can see the concept and understand that it's important to the genre, just not my thing.

Ok, ikkje så inspirerande

an interesting soundscape, intricately constructed. pretty much the model for industrial rock. that said. its too "noisy" for me. i can recognize that it's good, but i wouldn't listen again.

I don't know if it was because I was not in the mood for it or what but apart from a few songs there were good I didn't enjoy much of it. Hurt and Closer are classics though. I feel like they belong on a better project.

Classic album but too heavy for me.

Cool

I'll get it out of the way early. I didn't get this as much as I thought I would. I went in thinking I'd really enjoy it. I prefer the original of 'Hurt'. It's ominous and downright creepy and Trent Reznor sounds angry and in pain. So I was hoping the rest of the album would follow suit. I like heavy music but it's too abrasive for me at times. I don't know how people criticised the lyrics when it first released because half the time the vocals are so fuzzy, static, and drowned out by the loud music that it's unintelligible anyway. (Yes, I know that's probably the point). It's not enjoyable to listen to for a full hour. Every so often there's a really cool riff that I like but unfortunately the songs aren't built around them. 'Heresy' has a really cool groove and 'March Of The Pigs' could easily have been a speed metal song from the 80's. A hit and miss album overall, although I did like it more on the second listen, so could very well rise higher with more listens in the future. For now it's a three.

Pigs? Reptiles? Animals...FUCKING?? Where am I, the darn zoo?!

Interesting soundscapes, but rough lyrically.

This really isn’t my thing, far too industrial and I’m not a fan of any of the shouty, screaming American acts of this era. That said, there is a merit to the darkness and I’m sure some will really relate to its narrative so far that I’ll upgrade from a 2 to a 3 star review

Solid album, ends on a classic

See at as a start to the neu metal wave about to happen but maybe not as polished as later albums in the genre.

There are a lot of people that love this and I appreciate why. To me it is OK and talented songwriting, but kinda like the Eminem album last week, never something I chose to listen to. Something about the industrial sound doesn’t click for me. I feel like I am the naysayer in this group the last two days with Neal Young (good music/songwriting but can’t get past the vocals) and NIN (similar but more about the music/vocal combo).

So I have to admit I never got past the first five tracks listening to this album back in the day. By the time I got done with the first five tracks I was kind of like. Yeah, I wanted to listen to something else. So this was a new experience for me listening to this album all the way through. And I have to admit it was a little darker than I realized. I generally think it's a cool concept, an album about suicide and I like Andrew's thought about the last song being the note left behind. When I was done with it I listened to the Johnny Cash version of her which I actually like better. Overall, this album was a little bit of a disappointment to me knowing that I love those first five songs. The March of pigs might be one of my favorite hard rock songs of all time.

I used to love this in High School. However, since then it seems like my musical palate has changed and quite substantially and it is not what I had remembered. It wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't great, which is probably why NIN has not been in my regular rotation in a long while now. All that said, I can see how this album/artist was very influential, especially for people like me who were rocking out to it in High School.

Very interesting sound, themes were more explicit than I like. Worth listening too, probably won't seek out again though

hard to rate this one as it evokes specific feelings and basically defined the 90s. there's some things I like and some things I don't. if a partner put this album on while we were alone, I would consider it a red flag

I've been meaning to give this a listen for like, three years now lmao I like the grittiness and distortion of it, the concept is really dark and the lyrics do it justice. Some parts I liked, but then others just seemed really underwhelming in comparison.

if you didn't know that mr reznor would go on to make one of the arguably best movie scores ever... would this be considered that good? I don't know. personally, it was very ok but you can see glimpses of the brilliant career he would go on to have in this work.

This one didn’t Hurt as bad as I thought it would. It wasn’t necessarily A Warm Place but it was close.

6.5/10 That wasn’t as industrial as I expected, but it was as dark and angry. A lot of production but that worked pretty well. A wall of blackness, could have been slightly shorter. Liked the songs with programmed beats. The original Hurt is better than the Cash version I think. Best: Closer

Aight

Listened to this a few months ago after raiding my folks' CD collection. Not bad.

hurt is great

Dumbledore asked calmly

Of course, I've heard "Closer" and whatever song Johnny Cash covered. I like NIN, mostly Pretty Hate Machine, which is a pretty good album -- I like Terrible Lie and Sin and lots of the songs off there. I think this album's supposed to be more acclaimed, so I'm excited. Mr. Self Destruct is VERY loud, VERY harsh but I really like it. It's very cool and action-packed. I can't tell how much I like his voice, and his efforts at edginess are obvious and a little cringe-worthy but it's still good music. Closer is a good one. Very cringey but also very good. Which is very much this album. I'll give it a 3.7 bc it's good but not as good as pretty hate machine i think. not THAT good but good

Love the sound and intensity, but it's all just a bit too much to be listening to in one sitting.

When I was a child (sometime in the early 90s) my mom asked me if I liked Nine Inch Nails. I had never heard of them, but they must have been massively popular because my mom had read a newspaper article about them. You couldn't listen to alternative rock radio without hearing Closer or Head Like A Hole. Down The Spiral has always seemed like prerequisite course material for 90s rock 101, much like Nirvana's Nevermind. However, unlike Kurt Cobain's effortlessly cool persona, Trent Reznor sounds like he's straining himself to be edgy. This album lead me to listening to some of Reznors influences: Skinny Puppy and Ministry. You immediately hear them in his music, almost as if NIN is covering those bands. I'm not exactly a huge fan of industrial, but those early artists take me to a strange dark world that feels foreign. It's always exciting when music can put you into a different head space. Down the Spiral just sounds like Reznor is trying to hard. I listened to this album for the first time on higher quality audio equipment and it helped me appreciate some of the complexity in the arrangements. Tracks 1-5 were interesting, but this album fell off quickly for me. There's too much filler. I'm going to give this album a 3 out of 5, mainly for it's cultural importance. It brought harsh industrial music onto pop radio. Perhaps it inspired some people to go buy records by many of Trents influences.

It's like an old movie, I know I should watch it more often I just already know how it ends and it's not that exciting of a story anymore.

This album transported me back to 1995. Im riding bikes with my buddy. He is trying to explain to me there is a song that they say "I want to fuck you like an animal." We go back to his house and impatiently watch MTV post midnight when all the naughty songs and videos are on just to catch the music video that was crazier than the song. I have a soft spot for this album but listening 30 years later the lyrics aren't nearly as edgy as they are attention seeking. Still groundbreaking sound in 1994.

Take a chill pill, Trent

Meh. Can recognize that they are good in their genre, just not my style.

Liked a few of the songs but overall too hard for me

Unique interesting sound, but it’s a bit too gritty for me. Vocals are difficult to hear

"The Downward Spiral" by Nine Inch Nails is a journey into the exploration of despair and self-destruction. The album features ambient industrial rock, showcasing a wide range of sounds from intense rage distortion to somber melancholy. The standout track is undoubtedly "Hurt," especially considering the later interpretation by the collaboration of Johnny Cash and Rick Rubin, which elevated it to classic status. Other notable songs include "Closer," "Piggy," "Heresy," and "March of the Pigs," though the remaining tracks are hit and miss. It has been several years since I last listened to this album. While I hold respect Trent Reznor as an artist, revisiting it evoked feelings of claustrophobia, isolation, and disconnection - emotions reminiscent of anxieties I experienced during the COVID lockdown. This album, once intriguing, has lost some of its appeal to me as I have grown older and my understanding of my place in the world has changed. Worth a listen.

This was overstimulating but also interesting

Quite theatrical, but a bit too noisy for me

This was good. NIN can get a bit repetitive for me, but this was a very interesting album.

Nicht meine Musik - hab auch nicht gecheckt, dass es ein Konzeptalbum ist

3.5

Hurt was great; reminded me of Johnny Cash's excellent version.

Up until Closer... Banger of an album. Then... noise, until a decent song in Hurt, turned into a triumph by Johnny Cash.

Es como la white girl music de los 2000

Sometimes Good but messy

Surprisingly rough music that goes outside the lines. Nice, but you have to be in the mood

Трент Резнор - гений?

Interesting

Like a lot of these (and one of the reasons I started the project) I have never listened to a full NIN album. I knew and liked a few of the songs and still enjoyed them listening to them this time. I found listening to an hour of it a bit strong. I had never actually heard the original I hurt myself today, having only heard and very much enjoyed J. Cash's cover. I still contend the cover is better but it was interesting to hear the original.

I like the style, with it's heavy-handed electronic rock, aggressive scraping and banging, whispery and screamy vocals. Though at times it does border on unbearable for me. Closer made me gag. Hurt is a classic. New ones for me that I enjoyed "piggy", "heresy" and "a warm place".

I should love this. Incredibly discordant, dark, and brooding. I just also find it fairly boring.

Correcto

Absolutely not what I needed on a Monday morning! Obviously Hurt is a classic, whether this version or the Johnny Cash one honestly, the rest did not do much for me.

A little too teenage angsty for my tastes but I respect the hell out of it. I’ve figured out that “Closer” is a more fucked up version of George Michael’s “I Want Your Sex”. This is definitely the most receptive I’ve ever been listening to NIN though so I could see me coming around fully in a couple years or so.

Long repetitive sections get old - Boring and slow does nothing to really move the song (Piggy). Sonically can get brutal, unable to understand some lyrics without reading. Obviously very angsty, but intriguing with the general tone of the album. Spaces where they have drawn out instrumentals to build tension is a good element. Great concept for an album, feels very personal. Reznor is an interesting character that definitely bleeds through on this album, great imagery and vulnerability in the lyrics, although not much my speed in terms of tone/feel for a suicidal narrative until the end.

good rock album but a bit too angry for my liking. i did still enjoy the hearsy song because it's so cliche grunge

Gonna have to listen to this again but I think I thought it was ok?

Not their best, takes a little while to get going.

lowkey did.not fuck w </3 first song was p good and then all went downhill from there

Noch nie gehört, als Hintergrundmusik ganz gut, aktiv zuzuhören ist schwierig, sehr trashig teilweise

I’m just not a huge fan of the industrial pop genre that dominates the release. “Closer” may be played out at this point, but it’s still a banger.

This album makes me toe uneasy to genuinely like it.

I loved this when it first came out and listened the heck out of it! But…now it feels kind of juvenile? I was a teenager at the time. I guess I’ve just kind of outgrown it. I’m still giving it three stars though.

Die Hits hitten, die Misses missen hart. Im Schnitt drei Sterne

As someone who isn't on a downward spiral, this album didn't personally relate. However, it is pretty neat.

really good

I have listened to this before! Twice actually! I always disliked it. Maybe not disliked....but it didn't really speak to me. The vocalist sounded whiny, and the industrial elements weren't..."raw" enough, it felt dumbed down to me. But alas, as we say in Poland - do trzech razy sztuka...or, I believe in english it would be "thrid times the charm" - because this time around, I really did like it! Granted I wouldn't say it's one of my favourite industrial albums now or something (as of writing, "20 Jazz Funk Greats), but I can appreciate the vision and sound more. The non-vocal tracks at the end were a highlight for me. I still don't really vibe with the lyricism, but I feel like all in all, this album works well for what it's trying to be. Fun stuff.

This album is like being out late and graffiti tags. There is a lot of anger and angst, but the voice is cool. There are some scream-y songs, but mostly just singing the lyrics through gritted teeth. The instrumental aspect is amazing, it is so interesting and funky. The guitar is peak.

My feelings toward this are complicated. Could I be in the mood for this? Sure, but not often. And not when I listened to it. It's a lot.

Not really my vibe, not sure why so many people bum them it’s nowt special

I was excited to revisit this album, but it’s not as good as I remember. I mean it is good, interesting sonically, fairly unique for the time it was released. I definitely think it would be cathartic to write/play this style of music. I don’t know, maybe I’m just not as sad and/or angry as I once was, but I fully expected to give this 4 or 5 stars. I think I’ll finally settle for a 3, maybe 3.5 rounded up to 4. Hurt is of course a classic and an amazing song, but crazy how after Johnny Cash covered it the original just doesn’t quite feel the same… it’s still great, but Johnny definitely made it his own.

I became aware of Reznor (& Ross) through his soundtrack work, which I admiteddly like and love much more than the personal/NIN releases that I’ve heard. But while I’ve listened to this once or twice before, albeit not so carefully, I’m suprised that I didn’t previously realize just how much of a precursor this is to his scores in terms of the techno-y sound. That’s unfortunately not enough of a strength to love this, as much of the edgy lyrics and emo singing is just the type of music that’s bound to fall flat for me. Between the opening and closing tracks only two songs stoos out to me, and one of them is the completely instrumental A Warm Place.

More a concept album about being an angry. Very much captures the time but also sounds dated for it. Some of the slower jams are pretty good. "Closer" is probably the most well known song that you can’t play on the radio. "Hurt" is obviously fantastic but skip to the Johnny Cash version. 3⭐️

Ehkä joskus teinimpänä olisin välittänyt tästä enemmän, mutta nyt kolmoseksi jää.

Some tracks sound great, and I can see why this was so impactful when released, but this just isn't my genre

👍🏼

decent

Bit noisy innit? It was decent, but not enough for me to be honest! Dude has a cool as fuck name though.

I have a weird relationship with NiN. They're a band I should like but often they don't quite hit for whatever reason. I think some of the lyrics are just straight up cringeworthy. That said this album has a couple of really great tunes on it. Closer is terrific.

didnt grab my attention. a couple good songs but mostly forgettable

the music, including the very welcome instrumentals and interludes, is a 4. the vocals and lyrics are a 2.

i am of the age for this to have been a real eye opener and it stands the test of time really well

Nin was never a top band for me, but I do respect what Trent Reznor was able to create with this album. I did not listen to it much when it came out, but did give it a spin or three years after it's release. There are iconic songs on it and I feel like it says something when you are not in the immediate orbit of this album/music, yet you are familiar with snippets of lyrics and music from it. The guitar sound on some of these songs has a hissy almost corrosive feel that just isn't really my thing, but I get it in the context and darker feel of the album and the context of the industrial genre. Ultimately this album is innovative for it's time.

For some reason I never listened to this album when it came out, just the hits that came off of it. Doesn't really seem like I was missing anything. I'll give him credit for his musical inventiveness but I don't see any reason to listen to this again.

Nine Inch Nails is one of those bands that's impossible to avoid at least hearing about if you are at all into metal and such. And yet I've never really heard anything of theirs other than 'Closer' and 'Hurt'. I don't think I've ever really realized that they had such an industrial sound before now and I'm not sure it's entirely my cup of tea. I flip back and forth a lot on whether I think it's pretty cool or just noise. At the moment I think I'm leaning towards "pretty cool". Maybe it will clear up if I listen to it more, but I don't know if I'll find the time anytime soon... Standouts Closer Reptile Hurt 4/5

I assumed that I would have liked industrial sound more. Not. I assumed this album would have been greater joy for me. Nope. Is this album good? Yes but after two full album listening I know there won't be third.

Industrial rock but not nearly as sucky as The Prodigy. Not sure why this is better. I still don’t like it very much. Hurt is great. Why are they looping screaming crowds? Not cool. Not for me. Hopefully I get out of the 90s soon.

I never got this album. Everyone praises it so much, but i just never got the appeal. Its not bad, its just not for me, which is strange, beacause i love all of the components its supposed to have

I had a good time cleaning my house to this album

I can appreciate the music but this album is just to loud for me

I think what makes this project a little difficult is context. This was a pretty amazing album at the time it came out but going back to it 30 years later it doesn't have the same affect as it did when I originally heard it. Still great though

"Closer" and "Hurt" are great. The rest is too harsh and murky for my taste.

-NIN on 1001 album challenge… here we go… I listened to Pretty Hate Machine a few months ago and it was alright. I think I like this more. even if it’s not all really my kind of music it had some awesome songs that hit really hard -the vocal affects and lyrics are really really fun, shits tough -Favorites are Heresy, Closer, and Reptile

The main thing I have learnt about metal music is that it's a lot quieter than I think it is. Which probably makes it better music

i really wish i liked this album more. i’ve tried listening to it a few times before this, but it just doesn’t really speak to me. i still hold Trent Reznor in high regard though, so i give it a 3. also because Closer fucking rules.

Not as good as I remember when it came out. A little too heavy in places for my current tastes

It was decent, feel like if I super paid attention to it or listened to it a few more times it would really click. Industrial isn't really my thing all the way. 6/10

solid

3 alright not big fan of industrial music

I only really like a couple of NIN songs from their entire discography...

Not my thing. I’ll give it a 3 since I recognize Trent Reznor is a whiz bang musically. But this album was a lot of noise for me and not much music.

S'alright.

Not what I was expecting. A very interesting listen 3/5

Crazy for 1994, yeezus-esque not really for me

I can definitely understand the cultural impact of this album, and think I may have enjoyed it more as an angsty teenager. Some of the songs found me waiting for the album to be over, but others like Piggy and The Becoming were really interesting and I enjoyed them quite a bit. Of course, Closer, being the single from the album, was one that I already knew and enjoyed.

I like "Piggy", "March of the Pigs", "Closer", and "Hurt", but most of the rest of it just doesn't do it for me. It's too long and there's too many songs that are more soundscape that song. 3.5 stars.

Big fan of the synthpoppier Pretty Hate Machine and Closer on here is my kind of jam but even though it is considered something of NIN’s absolute masterpiece it is way too rackety and abrasive with very few tunes that I actually like. The remix album featuring Spyro The Dragon called The Downward Spyro is way better.

It was alright. Of course for it's time, it was new, shiny, and edgy. But it definitely did not hold up.

I expected to like this more. The singles are great, but the rest of it didn't really hit me. Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind.

Die Hits hitten, die Misses missen hart. Im Schnitt drei Sterne

Bit too industrial for me, though closer is one of my favourites.

Pretty Good

It's fine. Not for me. Hurt rips though

Recorded at 10050 Cielo Drive—the Manson murder house—which seems fitting for how brutal and strangely accessible this is. There’s some undeniably cool stuff here, but I just don’t go to this level of psychological collapse, nor do I really want to.

Not really my thing but I appreciated trying it. Love the raw energy.

As one half of iconic industrial rock duo Houmous & Chutney I know a thing or two about production and I just can’t quite get on board with the production here. I can really appreciate what they are trying to do but it’s largely just missing enough depth and power for me. Hurt is a banger though! Didn’t see our song writing credits though? I’ll have to take that up with the legal team. 3.1

Has some good songs, but mostly just an angry soul yelling at me. Not what ya want to hear first thing in the morning! 'A warm Place' was a pleasant surprise!

Not great for the anxiety

Feels like music they’d listen to in the matrix. This kind of hurt my ears but that’s the point?

goeie nummers, maar iets te repititief voor mij..3.5 sterren

I’ve never really listened to NIN before and my first impression is that this is a pretty impressive album. It’s not exactly an easy listen and I’m not sure what is happening 80% of the time but I think if I listened to it a few times over I might appreciate it more. 3 for me, but I could see it higher for a lot of people

A hit or two is all ya need.

I think this was my first experience with nine inch nails and, pretty solid

Pretty long album! And pretty catchy!

# Album Name: The Downward Spiral # Artist: NIN # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: When i listened to this the first time, i thought, what the actual fuck is this mess. Theres a ton of .....just noise. It did not make any sense if im honest. Some of it completely random or unsettling samples being used throughout. The vocals also drove me crazy. My hearing isnt the best so its annoying when i cant hear lyrics. I did come back to this album though and it is a grower. There's a lot of hurt, anger and energy in this album. Its definitely not for everyone. The first 6 tracks were the better part of the album. Hurt is a fantastic song, although i do prefer the johnny cash version. # Top Tunes: Mr Self Destruct / piggy / Closer / Ruiner / Hurt # Would I listen to it again? Mainly the first half of the album.

Musically decent, I personally don’t like the vocal style and I despise the lyrics

I might hate NIN…

This is a classic album. I could only listen to half of up. And I listened to Hurt. Johnny Cash really did it justice

Angry, filthy and noisy. I might have liked this at 15 but it’s too negative and lame to entertain me at this stage of the game. 3 stars for writing Hurt

It wasn't for me. I had to stop after a few minutes, just not to my tastes.

I have never been a big NiN fan. There are a few of these that I like a bit, but it’s just darker than I prefer. I understand the draw, it’s just not for me.

trent reznor and his similarly angry friends (parental advisory explicit content)

Do their fans call themselves the knights who say NIN?

3.3. Closer + Hurt

Overall mess screamy than I expected. I love Closer. Probably won’t ever listen to the rest of the album again .

intense and brutal. And yet, some of these are bops?

I always found it hard to rate NIN as this album shows. The first tracks are not very good. They are obscure distorted shouting with annoying guitars. Only with "Closer" the album becomes more interesting. Many tracks are an up and down, some better, some worse. I wouldn't obsess over this band and maybe it's a good testament of the 1990s harder rock music slowly grunging out (so to speak).

Sometimes sounds really hard. Others sounds like a Grunge band.

An interesting listen. A difficult one. I liked it but I don’t feel like I could ever listen to it again…

pretty good probably

Downward Spiral was a punch to the ears when it came out. Several (no reason to mention how many…) years later and it still holds up. Listening as a teen it was volatile, aggressive and a perfect combination of metal, techno and songwriting. As an adult I now question how in Closer he states, “you bring me closer to God” but a few songs later in Heresy he states “God is dead / And no one cares / If there is a hell / I'll see you there” which implies that sex with the unknown participant is “dead” and therefore rather insulting to whomever. Don’t plan on a second date for that one Mr. Rezner! In my opinion, Pretty Hate Machine was a superior album but this one, like or hate it, left a mark on history.

On one level, this isn’t at all my thing. But there’s an underlying level of care for the music and something creative guiding it all. Maybe this guy should write scores?

There is a lot I like about NIN. There are more than a few songs like on this album. But so much of it just sounds like noise to me. And Closer feels more and more cringey the older i get.

Definitely demonic BUT the album featured a lot of uncanny sounds that were used in interesting ways. A textured sonic experience.

3.5

Eeh. Production quality stood the test of time. Feels a lot like angry teenager music though, it's hard to listen to now.

3/5

2/10 it was cool not a big rock fan tho my mom would luv this album

Oof, in the way I listened to this album, that is, catching up after a vacation, this came in RAW. I do not dislike it but I will probably not return to it.

I have never been a big NIN fan, but I listened to this with an open mind because I know how much Jess loves Trent Reznor. It was about as expected. Liked a few of the songs but not my normal jams

I respect NIN. I loved "Head Like a Hole" when it came out. Great early 90s to mid 00s rock. That being said, I don't really need to hear another NIN album. Trent is good, but not great. Just my opinion.

Never really listened to industrial rock before this. The album is cohesive, some songs like closer and hurt are phenomenal. Overall album is about 3.5/5 for me.

A chilling, hateful album with the Sharon Tate-linked backstory to match. Experimental, sometimes to a fault, as distortions overstay their welcome and make lyrics (pretty important for a concept album) indiscernible. The timbre of Trent’s voice simply gets overpowered too often. There is a lot of thought-provoking artistic value here, but its rarely enjoyable to consume. My favorite aspect was the percussive synth lines that he’d heavily utilize in his film scores two decades later, with the heavily-instrumental final third of the album also hinting at that future direction. Listened to: on a bus to NYC. Favorite tracks: Heresy, Reptile, Hurt

Not my cup of tea

3+

A lot rawkier than my usual playlist but some great songs. Doesn't sound 20 years old.

Didn’t fancy it but surprisingly enjoyed it

This album absolutely deserves a place in this book. As part of helping to bring the industrial rock sound more to the mainstream, the Downward Spiral has a claim based simply on that. I have always been more of a casual Greatest Hits type of NIN fan, though I have heard this album (along with Pretty Hate Machine) quite a few times. I also like this version of "Hurt" almost as much as I like Johnny Cash's version. There is more I like on this album than I do not like. Piggy, Heresay, Big Man with a Gun, Hurt and Reptile are all great songs. Of course, there is also March of the Pigs with the pretty piano part followed by more industrial rock which felt so original in 1994. Closer had a music video that scared me as a kid, as well as a pretty funny polka re-write by Weird Al, and enough curse words to satiate me as a 13 year old.

Never really been into NIN. This isn't my really thing but it's fine.

A little screechy but I liked it

Industrial Rock I guess? I never listened much to NIN, because no one song pulled me in. So hearing the full album was a much more fair opportunity to assess. Turns out, I had not missed out.

Noise rock. A little obsession with God. Play this one loud.

It's pretty fucking miserable. It's good, but miserable. And a bit too edgy at times, I actually found it to be a bit cringey occassionally. But yeah it's very well made, it all sounds pretty dope. Fav songs: - Heresy - Closer - Ruiner - Hurt

Album that has both Closer and Hurt on it. Definitely prefer the Pretty Hate Machine era but Trent was definitely doing his own thing.

Conceptionell industrial rock album telling the story of a suicidal man within its downward spiral.

Trent Reznor is one of those paradoxical artists who I respect but do not necessarily enjoy listening to.

Not my thing.

No private session used for Spotify. Industrial noise rock at it's finest. It's a little too melodramatically angry for me, I know some folks really connected with it, but not me. Hurt is a classic, though.

Oh it's fine. Bonus point for reminding my of Broken / Fixed EP and the look on my program managers face when I played it at 2 in the afternoon.

have to be in a very specific mood to enjoy this. I was not.

Nine Inch Nails go so hard in The Downward Spiral! At some points, their industrial sound is like you're in a horror movie and I felt so off kilter--but that was the obvious intention, so I give credit where it's due. "Hurt" in particular made me feel unnerved because of the static sound, harsh cords, and minimal piano; it's fascinating to see how Johnny Cash adapted the song, but it's just as fascinating here, too. NIN excel in the industrial genre--every single song was just right. I would even describe NIN as harsh but in a good way. This as their second album reveals to me that, yeah, NIN were always this way. 3.5

Angry?

Viel grunge-Geräusche, düstere Stimmung 3/5

Heavy

bleak

Average...prefer Pretty Hate Machine

I tend to process negative emotions by listening to music that really externalizes turmoil via fast rhythms, hard production, and angry lyrics. This album offered some of that (tracks like Big Man With a Gun, Eraser), but would pivot sharply to near silence. I felt like I was riding straight off a cliff. Knowing someone who's struggling with depression, I found this haunting and a bit disturbing. I think it really achieves what it sets out to, but I don't imagine I'll be giving it a cover-to-cover relisten again. The last track really hit too close to home.

I have never really understood the hype around NIN. I definitely don’t hate them, but they also don’t excite me in the way that other people are. It means I listen to this every couple of years in the hopes it will get better (for me) but it never does… Maybe next time

I think I like the idea of NiN more than the music. There’s so many good little bits and ideas in this, and I love the production, but it just doesnt work for me like I would like it to. It sounds more like a scrapbook of ideas mashed together. Some are great, others not so.

This is one of those albums , irregardless of quality , is either a hit or miss for you sonically . It is not a bad album in any right and some people may consider it as one of their all time favourites , but it's just not for me.

Much more my vibe than the last 2! Rock on

This albums has some intersting sound choices that sometimes go well and sometimes makes my ears bleed, lol

An interesting and deliberately challenging listen, but not one I have any desire to go back to.

This album grew on me the further into it I got. After the first song I thought for sure that it would be a 2 star album for me, but the song variation and themes worked really well. Not every song is my cup of tea, but there are some fun ones.

101/1001

Don't think I've ever really listened to industrial rock. Album was very quiet at times, but also could go hard. Would give this a 2.5, round it up to a 3.

This was exhausting. Lyrics are revelatory. Music made it one long dirge. Categorizing as industrial rock is dead on because this is a tough job to listen to… Johnny Cash’s later cover of “Hurt” has always been a favorite.

N-I-N has a cool vibe and sound that defines their albums, and this is no exception. It's a cool mesh of hardcore electro and metal, and it makes for an interesting listen. That said, I don't find a ton of variety in their music. Its either a fast N-I-N song or a slow one. Wash, rinse, repeat. Good for a listen or two, probably not an album I'll consistently return to.

What a stellar album. An essential industrial album. This album has great tracks likes Hurt, piggies, Reptilian, and closer. However there are some tracks that just don’t do it for me. The Fragile and hesitation marks seem more complete albums to me.

Great at what it's doing but this is such teenage edge. This sounds like a kid who grew up with their parents listening to 80s Peter Gabriel while they argued and the kid played video games. I think this should be on the list for his it influenced a genre but it's nothing magical. It sounds like what someone puts on when they slam their door after being told they need to start paying their own phone bill.

I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. I went fully into this just expecting loud noise. March of the pigs and Heresy are great song and I enjoyed self destruct Favourite song: March of the pigs Least favourite: the becoming Album artwork: I wont be getting the poster.

Well, this is cheery. Pain, degradation, despair and hopelessness set to music that sounds like being trepanned with an electric drill. I imagine. Actually, I’m being hard on this. I do like harsh, industrial electronica - my introduction to NiN was via the Quake soundtrack and I really like the movie and TV soundtracks that Reznor is doing now. Hurt (at least the Johnny Cash cover) is a masterpiece. This is just a bit *too* grimdark for my tastes.

Actually better than i thought it would be, very nice dark tones.

Always a good listen.

This one had me all over. I'll be honest and say this isn't my kind of music. I've never been a fan of really aggressive or raspy anger. And for the first few tracks I tolerated it rather than enjoyed it. However I did come out the far side resp dating the work and kind of enjoying it. There is a lot more variety and depth than id expected. The light and dark were good contrasts and the album was filled with good ideas and hooks. When 'hurt' appeared at the end it was very interesting to get a different perspective on it habig only heard the Johnny Cash original (joke). I won't be going back, but I'm glad I listened.

Cool

Who hurt you Trent? NIN are cool as fuck, but they never really blow me away. Closer and ...Pigs are classics, but there's a lot of similar sounding songs padding around that. If you want a raw as hell album to have carnal sex to this is the one, but I'm hiding this CD when grandma gets in the car.

Angsty, adolescent, and humorless. It hasn’t aged well, but still, moments of real brilliance shine through.

You must be in the right mood - if not, too much „noise“ and much too less music 🤔

Prince for incels

Respect the process but not my jam.

NIN isn’t my thing but it’s a solid album

Love me some Trent Reznor, but even my more edgy younger self wasn't into NIN. Really like the cover of Johnny Cash's 'Hurt' though...

I now see that I have a love/ hate relationship with Nine Inch Nails. The passion and depth of his angst have been a beacon with his music and the gritty rawness is always amazing. But it starts to feel hopeless, bleak, like damn dude, lighten up... But it doesn't. I love industrial music (for reasons I don't understand) but it is not necessarily dark and ominous. This is. Under the right circumstances I can really embrace this, I really do like it a lot, and always have. It is like a great movie that nobody can favorite because it would be way too emotionally taxing. Great does not equate love in these cases. I think we need to take Nine Inch Nails in smaller doses than a full on album all at once..

Well this was a fun album at the time, and it really helped progress the music scene in a whole new direction, but to be honest NIN really didn’t age well, and standing the test of time is very important if your making a list of the best albums of all time.

Tough one. I recognise The Downward Spiral as one of the great and important albums of the 90ies but it wasn't quite my thing then and it isn't now. I think I like my angsty depression soundtracks more on the ethereal side.

Not terrible, not great.

Closer and Hurt are amazing. And I admire Trent Raznor's abilities - this album does exactly what he wants it to do and how he wants it to do it. A great concept album. And the video for Closer is one of the best I've ever seen, a perfect match. But in terms of listening? Not for me. I'm not & was not ever a sad angry young man nor a mid 30s angry quiet woman, the two groups of people who are the biggest fans I know. It's a 3 for the artistry & the ability of Closer to suddenly pop up in my head decades later. Complete with Trent spinning in midair.

Closer Hurt

I really like NIN and have since Pretty Hate Machine came out. Unfortunately, this is such a product of its time - with all its angst and desire to shock - that I never really got into it like I have with other NIN releases. It’s a good enough album, but it pales in comparison to the band’s whole discography.

Not my usual taste but I enjoyed! Probs not the best thing to listen to while I was mid depressive episode but I rlly liked the electro vibes of closer

Interesting

- Ich dachte, dass ich mehr von NIN kennen würde - War nicht so, von dem Album kannte ich nur Closer und Hurt - Hurt ist ein absoluter Oberbanger und das Johnny Cash Cover einer meiner Alltime Favs - Irgendwie ein bisschen abgefucked das Album, was mir gut gefallen hat und der Stil ist absolut stringent - Leider fand ich das aber auch an vielen Stellen ziemlich anstrengend Rating: 3,25/5

I liked this more now than I would have a few years ago, having heard Trent Reznor's solo work I can hear the musicality in these tracks more easily than I used to.

Industrial indie. Like when released. Not so much any longer

The Downward Spiral is brutal, harsh, abrasive and sometimes quiet and beautiful. It’s an album of extremes. Hurt is masterpiece, possibly the greatest album closer of all time. 6.4/10

Not my taste, but I didn't mind listening to it

Definitely not my style. Can barely understand any of the lyrics, distortion of the backing tracks is way too high. Most of the album sounds like a factory where the parent company would be legally required to tell employees to wear ear plugs. I know it was all intentional, but still. I’ve definitely heard a few of these songs, but never knew the context. By the latter half of the album, I really started to appreciate how they put the album together. So many different styles that brought me through a range of emotions. It sort of reminded me of the Nick Cave album, but it was actually well executed. Some appreciation here, but I still don’t really want to listen to it again.

How high can one song carry an album? Hurt and its legacy are undeniable. I don’t feel as if the album is very accessible, even hurt took me a few listens to appreciate it. That makes me wonder if the rest of the album would be the same way, though. Being that we have ~950 albums to listen to still, another listen will have to wait.

I like doing this random generator because I don’t know that I’d ever give Nine Inch Nails a full album listen otherwise. There were definitely parts that were way too rock heavy for me, the screaming isn’t my thing. But there were parts that I enjoyed, like the instrumental sections at the end and a couple of the other songs. I came into this one only knowing Hurt and Closer, and those two are probably the only ones I’d potentially go back and listen to. I also think it’s wild that this came out in 1994, it sounds like it was much more recent. Good, just not for me.

somehow my first time listening to nine inch nails; enjoyed it quite a bit, but probably will never seek it out on my own again