Twenty five years into their career Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails have railed against the system with furious anger smashing sonic boundaries while delivering iconic dancefloor hits adored by Goths, Punks and Metalheads alike.
Returning after 2009’s swansong Wave Goodbye tour it would still seem Trent has never been away. In the interim period Reznor has released two albums as a member of Trip Hop outfit How To Destroy Angels with his wife Mariqueen Maandig and picking up an Oscar for scoring Facebook flick “The Social Network” and the U.S. remake of “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”. Coupled with all of this Reznor is now a family man which after over two decades of screaming of isolation and loneliness has had a profound effect on his work.
That’s not to say that it’s all sweetness and light in the Reznorian universe. Apart from the uncharacteristically upbeat ‘Everything’ the album is a fantastically bleak and minimal affair which may just be his best since 2001’s sprawling cocaine fuelled double album The Fragile. Yet while that was a multilayered indulgent affair Trent has stripped back the layers of harsh guitars and angst bleeps to reveal a beating heart bass heavy sound unafraid to explore new sonic territories.
Early influences like Depeche Mode and “Berlin” era David Bowie make themselves heard and the artwork of Downward Spiral artist Russell Mills may elude to Trent’s illustrious past but while that raw aggression may be missing the dancefloor anthems like the funky ‘Satellite’ are impossible to resist. ‘Copy Of A’ see’s Trent kicking out at musical uniformity “I’m just a copy of a copy of a copy, everything I say is done before” over a minimal beat and lead single ‘Came Back Haunted’ is an infectious track with a widescreen chorus.
Hinting both at his past and future Trent has provided us a glimpse into NIN’s future while retaining the melodic sensibilities which saw him take industrial metal from the clubs to the arenas.
Featuring cameos from legendary guitarists King Crimson’s Adrian Belew and Lindsay Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac one could expect grandstand soloing an indulgence but both contributors are subtly employed in the context of the album. ‘Black Noise’ even see’s some Kid A style saxophone blasts adding another colour Reznor may use to paint his bleak yet beautiful vision.
Some may lament for the fractured death rock anthems but Hesitation Marks is a fine example of how a musical visionary continues to evolve while retaining an identity all his own.
8/10
Ross Baker