NIN's best pre-album single...(Halo 7)

You may be in a tough decision on whether to get this version or the UK double-release. Trust me, this version will suit you just fine. If you see the 2-pack UK release of March of the Pigs for a good price or if you are an extremist collector go ahead and get that. But the American release has all the main and best songs from those on it, anyway.

So with that out of the way, onto the songs.

March of the Pigs opens the CD, as it should. This is the same version as that from the Downward Spiral album. A very nice recording, with the somewhat cryptic lyrics and some fast drums. It's, typically, heavy on the synthesizers; something Nine Inch Nails is known for. This is an overall good song, and keeps the energy going all the way through, except for a few times where everything just pauses, which has become the most famous part of the song.

Reptilian is a remixed and extended version of the song Reptile. It features a somewhat distorted recording of Trent Reznor's voice, and some heavy looping. Many parts from earlier in the song come back, over and over, but adds more each time. It's a lengthy overlapping and looping cycle that enlarges the effect that the studio version of the song incorporated. Which is what most all of Nine Inch Nails' singles do: take elements from the original version and specify those on the different mixes of the songs. Small effects that might be missed on the studio version are pointed out, and used more often.

All The Pigs, All Lined Up is a perfect example of what I said a little bit ago. The song opens with some sound effects that were only subtle in the original version, but haunt the track more noticably this time around. Also added is an audience's cheering in parts. Reznor's voice is more distorted and several of the instruments have been removed or replaced by new ones in order to give the track a new sound. As most mixes do, this track lasts MUCH longer than the original.

A Violet Fluid is a non-lyrical show of sounds, a constant pounding or shooting, with an accompanying synth playing some simplistic notes. It gets a little repetitive, but doesn't last too long. It really isn't a bad track, but it IS a filler.

Underneath the Skin is the second remix of Reptile. This track is far more simplistic than it's "Reptilian" counterpart. It's almost completely instrumental, as well, but does have 'Reptile' shouted three times throughout the track. This is a good example as to why they call the genre 'industrial'. Lots of it sounds like things you could hear in an industrial place, a factory or something like that. Still a great song, despite it being somewhat removed from Reptile.

This is a great single. It's quite basic, but there's a beauty in that. It's another halo you can come to expect from NIN, with some good remixes. This single is easy to find, and at a great price, so even if you're just a casual fan, go ahead and snatch this up when you have a few spare dollars. Who knows, you may just become another NIN fan hunting down every halo you can find. Also, if my title made you curious, the other pre-album singles are Down in It (pre-Pretty Hate Machine) and The Day the World Went Away (pre-The Fragile).