Nine Inch Nails

The sound of Nine Inch Nails combines the electronic-infused aggression of industrial metal with memorable hooks and friendly melodies more common to pop music. This is widely considered to be responsible for NIN's ongoing success. The band is also well known for their easily recognisable logo and powerful live performances.

Pretty Hate Machine

Trent Reznor recorded the entirety of NIN's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, in the dead of the night at a recording studio where he was the janitor. Except for some guitar parts and Reznor's vocals, the entire album was made with synthesizers and drum machines, lending the album a distinctly '80s' feel. Released in 1989 on Interscope Records, PHM was a groundbreaking set of overtly aggressive music in a pre-grunge music scene. Three singles, "Down In It", "Head Like A Hole", and "Sin" were released from the album.

While the record label was distinctly reluctant to release the album, the refined melodies combined with Reznor's lyrical vitriol and musical prowess ensured the album sold well in underground musical circles. Following the release of the album, NIN toured with such legendary artists as Skinny Puppy and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Trent started his own imprint label towards the end of the tour, entitled Nothing Records. The first act he signed was a promising up-and-coming goth band known then as Marilyn Manson and The Spooky Kids.

Broken & Fixed

In 1992, Interscope records were keen to dump NIN, or at least keep them on the road. The band's sophomore release, Broken, was recorded "in secret" on tour for PHM.

By catching the record-label off guard, Reznor managed to get the EP released, as it contained more trend-friendly pop melodies. The EP was less synth-based, and contained mostly live instruments. Notably, too, Broken was more aggressive and darker in both musical and lyrical content than PHM.

The albums first single, 'Wish', soon became an alternative radio hit, and Interscope was convinced to keep NIN on. The followup singles, 'Gave Up' and 'Happiness In Slavery' were not as well-received, but the album later received attention for the disturbingly violent promotional film (also entitled Broken), made by Coil member Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson. The film, intended to resemble a snuff movie, was banned universally, though is available on the Internet.

Later that year, reinterpretations, remixes, and alternate takes from the Broken EP were released as the Fixed EP.

The Downward Spiral

Released in 1995, NIN's second full-length release, The Downward Spiral, was widely anticipated as NIN's underground following had grown in the 3-year gap since the last two EPs. With the first single, "March Of The Pigs", released before the album, expectations were running high.

The lavishly packaged The Downward Spiral was a delicately produced concept album, bearing a refined and more original sound for NIN, and is still widely considered to be the bands best album. Weighing in at an hour, TDS was swamped with brutal metal tracks, grimy sleaze-anthems, and even a piano ballad ("Hurt").

The albums second single, "Closer", was the defining song for NIN's commercial success. within a month of its release it was in billboard top 10 charts, and TDS went platinum almost overnight.

Before long, NIN were darlings of rock radio everywhere, appearing all over MTV and being heralded as the new alternative music heroes. Even the difficult-listening Downward Spiral remix album, Further Down The Spiral, sold hugely.

During the course of the supporting tour, Trent Reznor's ongoing addiction to drugs and alcohol had heightened, and he was soon known for being difficult, antisocial, and aggressive.

The Fragile

For a band with as explosive a success story as NIN, four years was a long time to wait between albums(though a song for the soundtrack to Lost Highway, "The Perfect Drug", was released in the interval). After coming out of the Downward Spiral tour, Reznor disappeared from the public eye, leading to speculation of the bands future. However, Reznor emerged in late 1998 to announce that he was working on a new double-album. Reznor himself claimed to have been clean of drugs and alcohol, but later revealed that he had a relapse into addiction during the recording of the album.

1999 saw the release of the long-awaited The Fragile. Spread across two discs (just labelled 'left' and 'right'), The Fragile was a softer side of NIN, though certainly not less angry. The album featured prominent instrumental creativity, including many instrumental tracks. Reznor used repeated melodic avatars, including bass riffs and piano melodies, to tie the album together. The single "We're In This Together" was well-received by commercial radio, though not to the degree of past NIN recordings.

However, it was the controversial second single, "Starf*ckers, Inc.", which dealt with Reznor's relationship with musical protege Marilyn Manson, that brought the most spotlight to the new album.

As per usual, a remix disc entitled Things Falling Apart, was released to little critical or commercial acclaim.

And All That Could Have Been, Still

Comprising of several shows from the Fragility tour, NIN released a live DVD/CD entitled And All That Could Have Been (the title being a lyric from "The Great Below" from The Fragile). The DVD showed off the band's intense onstage presence, elaborate stage-show, and Reznor's personal intimacy with the crowd at shows. Also featured in a DVD "Easter-egg" was Marilyn Manson, with whom Trent had patched things up. The CD, while just the audio from the DVD, still sold widely, in part due to a special second disc, Still.

Still was a short EP of a few new songs and some re-interpretations, all minimal and piano-oriented. The one entirely original new track, "And All That Could Have Been", was a hit amongst hardcore NIN fans.

With Teeth

Much like the previous instance, a long wait came between albums for NIN. Even though Trent Reznor announced that he was recording as early as late 2002, the recording process and release date were pushed back many times, and the album, With Teeth, was not released until 2005 (the initial release date being 2003). Reznor says that he recorded most of an album and then scrapped a majority of the material.

Teeth saw the NIN front man finally off drugs, and, with the help of a revitalised lineup and some live drums from Dave Grohl, produced a sharper and more focused sound than The Fragile. First two singles, "The Hand That Feeds" and "Only" both sold well, and NIN took to the stage for the With Teeth Tour 2005, their first tour to be entirely sold out.

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