The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails

Thirty years on, Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral still feels like a fresh breath of thick, toxic-filled, self-hatred-driven, cathartic air. This album is not a pretty journey to take. Anyone who has heard it will attest to that fact. So why have I chosen to write about its importance to me personally?

I am a music lover, and ideally, if I was a better singer, and more disciplined with playing an instrument, that's what I would have liked to have been - a musician/songwriter.

Anyway...I have always been interested in the subgenres of music. I like fusions and a unique take on styles, especially anything alternative. So, industrial metal was very appealing. It bridged a nice gap between the electronic music I was getting into, like The Prodigy etc. and the metal and rock I was also consuming. Nine Inch Nails was always my favourite industrial band. Even though they have become something more than that over the decades that followed since the 90s when I first encountered them, it's probably the place they fit best, sonically, if we were going to categorise them.

At the core of Nine Inch Nails has always been Trent Reznor and his internal conflicts. While this was all evident on the previous releases like the debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, and the EPs that followed Broken and Fixed, it was most comprehensively and deftly examined in 94's The Downward Spiral.

A concept album that is about a misanthropic and detached outsider and his journey into self-destruction and then the release/relief/bitter end (depends how you read the album's closer) of suicide.

I know...sounds like all the makings of a lovely 60+ minutes of music to listen to, doesn't it?

Why did I pick this over the, frankly, 1000s upon 1000s of others I could have? This left an impression. I don't think I've fully listened to the album in many years (despite its inventiveness, and it being a masterpiece, it's still a hard listen) That's one of the fascinating things about it, really. Trent Reznor was always, like many people, a troubled individual, but he was also a musical maverick, and The Downward Spiral is a strange, dichotic piece that showcases one of the most creative songwriters, musicians and producers of any generation at the height of his powers, while at his lowest.

It's a cliché that the finest art is often produced by people who are at their worst.

What always impressed me about Nine Inch Nails and Trent's writing and approach was that nothing was off-limits. As I am sure the many millions of others of NIN fans throughout the world likely feel, I have always felt seen and not alone, because of the subject matter of so much of his music. Self-hatred, depression, addiction, issues with religion (I am in a happier place religiously now than I ever was, but in the 90s... things were different, and this album spoke to me and my mindset at the time).

As I said at the outset, there’s nothing overtly pretty about this album (aside from a rather splendid and trippy acoustic breakdown in the song The Becoming). It seems to become dirtier, more caustic and detached, the closer it gets to the end. But that's why it's so powerful and lives rent-free in the darkest recesses of my mind. The weight of carrying around so much angst and believing you're the only one at the bottom of the hole is lifted, even if only slightly, when you realise you are not alone.

Some 20 years after its release, with the addiction issues I've been battling, I found I resonated even more with Trent and The Downward Spiral. I doubt there is anyone who could not find something to resonate with this album. In his own self-destructive, introspective way, Trent Reznor helped shine a light on the things perhaps society would rather forget. I remember many reviewers for publications that didn’t understand Trent’s music would write it off as self-indulgent and depressing. That’s a very narrow-minded and inaccurate stance to take. Life can be, and is, for many people, depressing, whatever the reason.

Trent is one of the many writers, authors, filmmakers and artists who have influenced my writing. His music and lyrics, especially on The Downward Spiral, taught me that it’s best to be honest – even when the truth is dirty and something you might want to shy away from.

Influential and inspirational. I don’t doubt this album has helped a lot of people. It certainly helped me.

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Thanks for reading!

Author's Notes: I hope just made it for this challenge, as I only realised today was the deadline! This is for Angela Hepworth's Calling All Music Lovers July 2024 Unofficial Challenge, which you can find out more about below.

The main video is a link to the album, but if you would prefer Spotify link, then see below.

Here are some other things by me: