Release Date:  March 8th, 1994

Recorded:  1992 – 1993

Genre:  Industrial Metal/Rock, Hard Electronic Rock

Record Label:  Nothing / Interscope Records

Duration:  65:02

Producer:  Trent Reznor, Flood

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

 Why The Downward Spiral is One of My Favorites

For the inaugural edition of “The Cubist’s Favorite Albums from the 90’s,” I want to touch on what might just be my very favorite 90’s album, Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral (TDS). It is a seminal record by almost all accounts and has stood the test of time quite well. While today’s youth may not be as angsty and maligned as they were back in 1994 (or at least not overtly so), TDS can provide a very adult listen as well.

You can find lengthy diatribes on The Downward Spiral’s status as a concept album all over the web. Some of them are little more than incoherent ramblings while others achieve an almost dissertation-level brilliance. I tend to regard much of this analysis as spurious, though I’d be remiss to deny the album’s value as one cohesive work. And although you won’t find me analyzing every repeated motif, or talking about the tranposition or inversion of melodies, or peeling away layers of feedback to uncover the elusive lyric that ties it all together, I do view this album as a pround, deeply personal work of art with an unrivaled sonic intensity to match its unrelenting exploration of isolation, hate, and the darkest corners of the human condition.

Some may regard Reznor’s follow-up album The Fragile as his magnum opus, but frankly, The Fragile is downright boring compred to TDS. The mechanical noises, chainsaw guitars, fuzzy, pulsating bass, and layers of static and distortion are melded beautifully into something that will never again be replicated. Like any album, I’m not necessarily in love with every single one of the tracks, though I don’t hate any of them either and listening to the entire record from start to finish is immensely satisfying.  Ironically, I find the actual song “The Downward Spiral” the most musically uninteresting track on the album, though conceptually it marks the climax of the story being told.

“Mr. Self Destruct” marks the angry, violent birth of the album with its pounding rhythm section. I love the ongoing conversation between the man and the devil on his left shoulder. If this song doesn’t make you want to pick a fight with a lesser deity, you may want to check your pulse. “Heresey” introduces the anthemic “your god is dead / and no one cares” with an incredible amount of conviction. “March of the Pigs” is infectious with its uncoventional 13/8 time signature, followed by the radio hit “Closer,” an exploration of sex, dominance, and a mutated sense of spirituality. “Big Man with a Gun” marks the hyper-aggressive transition of the album, while “A Warm Place” gives us a moment of respite from the chaos before gradually descending into the multi-layered “Eraser,” itself culminating in the repeated cry of “KILL ME!” The machine-driven “Reptile” evokes images of filthy, decaying contraptions, dedicated to the abolishment of humanity. Finally, “Hurt” closes the album with the poignant tale of a man who has learned nothing and is beyond redemption. The tracks I left out are noteworthy as well, though these represent many of my personally favorite moments.

Pure industrial music is often credited with being experimental and unconventional, utilizing samples, distortion, and layering of effects to create impressive soundscapes. The problem is that most industrial pioneers had a particular distain for guitars and rock/metal in general. Reznor wasn’t the first to put together rock sensibilities with an industrial perspective, but I think he took the concept about as far as it could go. He truly perfected noise as music on this album and helped to define a distinct “hard electronic rock” sound.  Reznor used unorthodox methods to record the majority of the album, favoring experimentation, looping, and processing to strict arrangements.  The Downward Spiral may not be easily digestible upon first listen, but there’s much to discover with each successive play.

Twenty years later, I can still feel the incredible amount of energy oozing forth from these songs. There are moments that are still bone-chilling after all this time, such as the shrill mantra of “it won’t give up it wants me dead / goddamn this noise inside my head” in “The Becoming” and the strained, raging cry of “you don’t know just how I feel” in “I Do Not Want This.” The Downward Spiral may not be an everyday listen from start to finish; it’s dense and dark, but it so perfectly encapsulates despair that it’s hard not to be sucked in and start relating these themes to personal matters. You don’t have to be in the midst of your own “downward spiral” to get it, though if you are going through dark times, it can at least serve as a reminder that other people know what absolute inner hell feels like. There are many albums that I discovered as a teen that I still treasure, though the relevance has waned along with my youth. However, TDS remains abstract and timeless enough to avoid such a fate.

Even without the personal connections, The Downward Spiral is a rare, wholly original masterpiece that can and should be appreciated based on musicianship alone. The lyrics won’t appeal to everyone, but they’re still intensely personal, and their delivery is as real as it gets. So many songs and albums are about love: love lost, love regained, new love, and so on. The Downward Spiral stands out as a collection of anti-love songs, a refreshing accomplishment in its own right. Other albums may be “just as good as” The Downward Spiral, but will anything ever be better? I don’t think so.

Written by The Cubist

Other albums from Nine Inch Nails in this series:

• 1989 – Pretty Hate Machine – Issue #58-I
• 1992 – Broken – Issue #59
• 1999 – The Fragile – Issue #60

Back to The Cubist’s Album of the 90’s

Written by The Cubist

Co-founder, Head Author, & Site Technician

Find out what these ratings mean and how I rate video games.

I collect as much video gaming paraphernalia as I can get my hands on, especially when it comes to hardware. With over 40 systems including oldies like the ColecoVision and Intellivision, obscurities like the CD-i and 3DO, and the latest and greatest including the Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, and PS Vita, I get easily overwhelmed. Most of the time you can find me firmly nestled sometime between 1985 and 1995 when it comes to my games of choice, but I’m also having a great time seeing what the 8th generation has to offer.

Currently in love with: Mortal Kombat

Email me anytime, about anything: thecubist@nerdbacon.com