Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails; common misconception number-one: that they’re a band. It’s really just sharp-haircutted, dark-electro strumpet Trent Reznor, a man whose foreboding, self-produced usage of home-computing recording-skills formed 1989’s debut, ‘Pretty Hate Machine’: an instant critical hit, although more commercially revered in the subsequent inaugural annum of the ‘90s. A plethora of sweeping keys and hard guitars, it was industrial at its most primal, yet – conversely – welcoming.
Nine Inch Nails; common misconception number-two: that it was to be something easily tour-able. By the time Reznor had finally formed a line-up to undertake the mammoth touring-circus Lollapalooza, it was 1991; yet the debut performances instantly catapulted NIN to near-legendary status. Legal wrangles with the label halted a second LP – but the interim-exerted ‘Broken’ EP in 1992 ensured a worthwhile stopgap, making the Billboard top-ten. ‘The Downward Spiral’ as an album, meanwhile, finally followed, and was a nod to Trent’s more ‘70s prog influences; guitarist of indisputably influential proggers King Crimson, Adrian Belew, even guested.
Nine Inch Nails; common misconception number-three: that Reznor is confined to just his own project. In between, Reznor managed to take on some production-duties – not least full credits on Marilyn Manson’s classic ‘Antichrist Superstar’, as well as soundtrack aiding on David Lynch’s ‘Lost Highway’ and Oliver Stone’s ‘Natural Born Killers’. 1999’s ‘The Fragile’ formed the basis of a long-awaited, third album – following ten years on from NIN’s debut – and debuted at number-one in the States.
So, with baited breath, the public awaits 2005’s fourth album proper, the only NIN action in f**king ages, frankly (not counting a 2000 remix record, ‘Things Falling Apart’, or Johnny Cash’s now-legendary, swansong single, ‘Hurt’ – a classic NIN track Cash covered prior to his death in 2003, complete with heart-wrenching, multi-award-winning video).
Trent’s new work is called ‘With Teeth’, and boasts drumming from some bearded muppet called Dave Grohl (he was part of Nirvana, apparently, in addition to album-takes from Queens of the Stone Age, Killing Joke and his own Foo-somethings), and ensures an accompanying series of buddies that number bassist Jeordie White (formerly of Marilyn Manson / A Perfect Circle), guitarist Aaron North (formerly of The Icarus Line), keyboardist Alessandro Cortini, and drummer Jerome Dillon will soon be joining Trent on the road. It’s a year that’s set to see the re-emergence of a flawlessly modern influential act; and a project from Reznor that was enough for ‘Time’ to deem him one of the nineties’ most influential men in America. Who’s to dispute it. The legacy thus far says it all.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: Featuring possibly the shorted URL, like, ever (nin.com), what Reznor’s official site lacks in letter-based fortitude, it manages to excel in minimalist and abrupt, to-the-point here’s-yer-info-style aplomb.
NINEINCHNAILS.NET: A website so comprehensive, we’re slightly intimidated. Split into four parts – a news-section, a store, a community, and downloads - .net is quite ample and rampant for the die-hards.
VIDEO – ‘HAND THAT FEEDS’ 2005: savour the latest visual offering from NiN.
INTERVIEW-ARTICLE – Coming Soon: rockfeedback has bagged some one-on-one, face-to-face time with the influential dark menace overlord himself, Trent Reznor. View the in-depth aftermath imminently.