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Nine Inch Nails
Year Zero

Nothing / Interscope

Posted: Friday, May 11, 2007
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

Nine Inch Nails is one of the most recognized names in the world of music, having consistently tested the limits of appeal in both the mainstream and the underground. Always one to flirt with the conventions of music, Trent Reznor has always managed to inject a healthy dose of sonic napalm into even the most radio-friendly song; even on the commercially viable and ultimately disappointing last album, With Teeth, Reznor still infused layers of grinding industrial textures into what were at their surface indie rock songs. Now, like many bands in the realm of industrial rock, Reznor has chosen to emphasize the political themes in his lyrics and the electronic experimentation in his music, culminating in Year Zero.

Year Zero comes two years after With Teeth; an odd move, at least for NIN, considering the six year gap between With Teeth and The Fragile, and the five years between The Fragile and The Downward Spiral. While some would argue that the greater length of time is necessary for an artist to adequately assess the quality of the music he or she produces, in the case of NIN, it seems to work in the opposite direction. Right from the onset of "Hyperpower!," Year Zero begins with those trademark distorted guitars that steadily build up amidst samples of dissonant shouts and gunfire, driven by a militaristic march leading us into the maelstrom. "The Beginning of the End" begins minimally enough with a simple drumbeat and guitar line, and could mislead listeners into thinking that the indie rock leanings of With Teeth have not been abandoned; nevertheless, the track is rather short, and like "Hyperpower!" builds in intensity with screeches of electronic noises and glitches, recalling co-producer Atticus Ross' work in Error. "Survivalism," the album's first single comes next and is a vintage NIN track full of spurting electronic blips and bleeps with a helping of crunchy guitars.

After the first three tracks, the album really begins to pick up speed, from the twisted, almost jazzy ambience of songs like "The Good Soldier" and "Me, I'm Not" to the gritty buzzsaw electronics of "Vessel," "God Given," and "Meet Your Master." "My Violent Heart" catches the listener by surprise, beginning quietly with subtle beats overtop a bed of eerie atmospheres before it kicks into a scathing barrage of convulsing beats and guitar noise. For those of you who enjoy Trent's more introspective, instrumental moments, "Another Version of the Truth" provides with a swirling array of electronic mist with a subdued piano melody weaving you through the sonic fog, somewhat akin to the interludes found on The Fragile. The album's closer, "Zero-Sum" does the same, albeit with a few layers of distorted percussion and sparse vocal harmonies singing a morose yet oddly uplifting melody to lead us out of the audio apocalypse.

Suffice to say, Year Zero is an excellent return to form for Nine Inch Nails, proving that Reznor has returned to what he does best: manipulating sound into a blistering mix of noise and melody. Even the lyrics portray an enhanced sense of maturity, less littered with expletives that seem to signify much of Reznor's past outings. And in case you thought NIN was devoid of humor, the album insert contains a faux-patriotic warning from the United States Bureau of Morality, a fictional organization (or is it?). The presence of Ross certainly adds to the flurry of electronic tweakery, making the case that Reznor has found a musical center, a kindred spirit who can help move him forward without getting bogged down by an extreme sense of perfectionism; perhaps this explains the long gaps between the last few albums? Be that as it may, Year Zero will likely not reach the same level of adulation as The Downward Spiral or the musical mastery of The Fragile, but at least listeners can rest assured that Nine Inch Nails are back on course as a force for innovation and creativity in music.