 "1994 Nine Inch Nails" | 2009-09-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: ASJ54MITON1NO |
| Nine Inch Nails, manages to break new ground with The Downward Spiral, a somewhat dark album, with interesting sounds and textures. Worth checking out, if you haven't already. |
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 "Nails" | 2009-09-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2NF1Q2ND80R8Q |
| If you like good music, you'll love Downward Spiral. One thing I won't call this album is "bad" or "pointless." |
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| ""Nothing can stop me now"" | 2009-01-07 |
| - Reviewed By small_bad_wolf |
The Downward Spiral was the second full length album from Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails, following the EP Broken. Whereas Broken exchanged the electronics of NIN's debut for hard rock guitar, this album is a blend of the two. As a fan of the band's synthesized sound, I was happy for the slight return to form, while at the same time excited by the musical growth it displayed.
No Nine Inch Nails record could be called cheery, but with the possible exception of 2005's With Teeth, this is probably Trent's angriest record. It's pretty full on throughout with few interludes of calm (most notably the moving finale "Hurt" and the instrumental "A Warm Place," plus the unlikely radio single "Closer" which is most similar to his earliest work.) It's this aspect which causes the album to not hold up quite as well for me as a listener over the years. Basically, I've somewhat outgrown it. It's still a masterpiece of production and sound design, but the lyrics simply aren't as relevant to me as they were when I was younger.
The DualDisc version comes with the remastered album on one side in standard CD format, and a DVD on the flipside. The DVD contains the album mixed in 5.1 surround sound and upon playing it, it felt like I was listening to the album for the first time. There were so many sounds that were previously buried, or that I didn't even notice at all in the regular stereo mix. The sound separation and clarity is spectacular. It really makes you appreciate the layering of the music in a new way.
The DVD also contains the unedited video for "Closer" in surround and the videos for "March of the Pigs" and "Hurt" in stereo (as they are live recordings.) Finally, there is a discography and a gallery of visual elements used in the art for the album and it's related releases.
If you already like this album and you have a surround setup, you owe it to yourself to upgrade for the new mix alone. |
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| "The very best NIN there is" | 2008-10-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3NCAAQ1V7M7IP |
...and probably even the best industrial rock album ever made and ever will be made. Every single track has it's moment and there's no vain or dull tracks at all. This record is full of hate and "self destructive behaviour", just the way industrial rock albums should be. The Downward Spiral probably won't fully open to you at the first time you listen to it but more you play it, more you'll love it.
Yes, I am a huge NIN fan and this album started it all for me. |
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| "Dissecting the Spiral" | 2008-09-16 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
A lot of people seem to bash a review titled "A Kid's Review," so I'm going to start off by saying that I am 14 years old, not 13 or under, and I don't consider myself an expert on Nine Inch Nails or on music in general. I just like putting my opinion out there to help people make informed decisions about the music they buy.
Now, I think it's generally pointless to pigeonhole an album as "the best album ever." It does a disservice to all the other great albums out there, just as it seriously narrows your or anyone's taste in music. On a similar note, an album doesn't have to be totally obscure for you to like it. Don't tell me this is pop. Sure, it has elements of a pop-like structure, but just because other people actually know about an album and like it doesn't make it mainstream.
So now we're at The Downward Spiral. What Trent has here is a fairly depressing, not-so-easy listening mix of techno beats, synth, static, sound effects, loud guitars, screaming, whispering, occasional singing, and a bunch of melodic hooks. No, it's not metal, and I never said it was. It doesn't easily fit into a genre, but it's not genre-shattering. It's just a snakier, more sinister, depressing version of what Trent was already doing. The lyrics supposedly depict one man's descent into insanity, which is more or less suitable. The lyrics are not earth-shattering, but those who say they're inane are missing the point. Big Man With A Gun is satirical, Closer is desperate, Heresy depicts religious fanatics, not religion. This is an album meant to show, not to tell. It describes, it doesn't instruct. Don't take it to heart. If anything, it says what not to do if you wish to remain sane and alive in today's society.
If nothing else, Trent Reznor is a master of texture. If, perhaps, you're turned off by Closer's chorus (which you shouldn't be, for reasons I've already explained), then listen carefully to the final two-and-a-half minutes of the song. When a hook comes in that you really like, focus on it, and be amazed as the other hooks and beats surrounding you complement and enhance it. Switch focus to the piano melody, and I'm sure you'll be pleased to find that this crazy layering effect applies to everything in the song. Do the same to the exploding March Of The Pigs and suddenly it seems more melodic, rather than Reznor merely screaming "I wanna f*** it up!" and such as you may have thought at first. The piano coda stands out more, and the synth line is melodically interesting.
All of the above said (and I know it was long, but hopefully it was helpful), The Downward Spiral isn't for everyone (at times, myself included). If nothing else, buy Closer and listen to it in the manner that I suggested, and you might find something you like. If you like it enough, buy the whole thing and let it sink in. But let it sink in multiple times so you can actually appreciate what Reznor has done here, instead of dismissing it as "mainstream," or the opposite extreme, "just noise." |
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| "Down In It" | 2008-08-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1ADOB95GLYMWU |
| Not much can be said about this that hasn't been said before.Yes,it is dark and intense and explores the deepest parts of the psyche but i don't think this is necessarily a bad thing.I think this album can be very therapeutic in a way to help release built up emotions.Embrace the way you feel when you listen to this album as it is in all of us humans."The Downward Spiral" is an emotional rollercoaster and is well worth the ride if you stay on till the end.I got this cd when it first came out and it STILL gets regular play at my house.Buy,cheat,or steal a copy of this if you have to.Just get it whatever you do! |
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![Nine Inch Nails - Further Down the Spiral [US]](product_images/166000/166912_thumb.jpg)
