Spiraling Further Toward Immortality

Nine Inch Nails had already released two stellar albums and won a Grammy. But it was 1994's The Downward Spiral that took the industrial metal band to the apex of its acclaim and popularity. Meshing the catchiness of Pretty Hate Machine and the abrasiveness of Broken, The Downward Spiral is an excellent combination of nin styles. The huge hits are not nearly enough to grasp the scope of this album, one of the masterworks of '90s rock.

The Downward Spiral couldn't have had a more perfect opener than Mr. Self Destruct. It starts with harsh, gunshot-like pulses before blasting into loud, coarse, synthesized metal. Trent Reznor proceeds to identify himself with several themes explored more deeply throughout the album: sex, religion, drugs, and pain. This track prepares us for the next thirteen self-destructive, anguish-filled pieces of tortured genius.

Piggy's slow, thumping beat - which never rises to metal - sets it apart from other tracks, making it one of the more memorable. Its most memorable element is its chorus, which shows a sense of confidence and defiance through apathy: "Nothing can stop me now/ I don't care anymore." Continuing the pig theme, March of the Pigs is a short, schizophrenic track oscillating between fast insanity and soft singing.

One of the album's strongest is Heresy, a brutal attack on the idea of a vengeful God and those who kill in His name. Reznor uses soft, high-pitched vocals to create a psychotic mood in the verses, describing "his perfect kingdom of killing, suffering, and pain," but he unleashes all his fury in the pull-no-punches chorus: "Your god is dead/ And no one cares/ If there is a hell/ I'll see you there."

Oddly, this pain-filled album's biggest hit is one that, even ten years later, still elicits a guilty chuckle from those who hear the explicit chorus, whether they get the song's full meaning or not. Don't think the line "I want to fuck you like an animal" is some sophomoric attempt to gain attention - this is, after all, Trent Reznor we're dealing with. Closer examines human beings' desire for raw, animalistic sex as well as the way we use sex to fill emotional or even spiritual voids. Its music is unique and addictive - pulsing synth beats with a static background help reinforce the song's theme until the unmistakable piano ending.

After such a massive assault in the first five songs, it may initially be hard to get into the rest. But press on because strong pieces continue after Closer. Ruiner starts by harking back to a Pretty Hate Machine sound before lashing back into harsh metal. The Becoming's methodical pace evokes a little creepiness, but it's the shrieks in the background that make this so disturbing. I Do Not Want This is given an epic feel from its soft, sad verses gradually climbing toward the enraged chorus of "Don't you tell me how I feel." It ends with the repetition of an unforgettable verse, also rising toward demented screams: "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."

After that, the next three seem almost filler-like, but they are important pieces of the whole. Big Man With a Gun is a brief but bitter tirade exploring the male fascination with big guns and big penises. Not a great song, but it gets the job done. The eerie instrumental A Warm Place leads into Eraser, which starts as a heavier instrumental until Reznor launches into simple but powerful screams. Things pick back up with Reptile. Using slow but heavy industrial beats, Reznor bitterly sings of a woman with "the blood of reptile just underneath her skin." This song contains one of nin's grander choruses in "Oh my beautiful liar/ Oh my precious whore." The suicide-themed title track gives us one last bit of creepiness before the classic curtain call.

Hurt is a soft but powerfully emotional, gut-wrenching anthem for those in pain. Its lyrics are simple enough to resonate with anyone going through some kind of anguish: "I hurt myself today/ To see if I still feel/ I focus on the pain/ The only thing that's real." In 2003, Johnny Cash left a stirring last impression before his death by releasing a cover of Hurt along with a video that moved even Reznor himself.

Cash's rendition gave the song a whole new meaning, especially the line "Everyone I know goes away in the end." This is a testament not only to Cash's genius but also to Reznor's. With Hurt, Reznor conveyed his pain so well that years later, people from different generations could use his words to describe their own pain. The timelessness of The Downward Spiral as a whole is sure to prove itself in the same way for generations to come.


Also from Nine Inch Nails:

Pretty Hate Machine
Broken
With Teeth
Year Zero
Ghosts I-IV