On Nine Inch Nails‘ new album Hesitation Marks, which came out earlier this week Trent Reznor’s rage never comes to a boil. Instead, it simmers, steaming the top of the pot without spilling over and getting away. Considering the sentence that most often coincidences with the name Trent Reznor is “I want to f*ck you like the animal,” this is a big change, and one that mostly works well (the album suffers slightly from repetition, albeit danceable repetition).
Still, Reznor’s at his best when he’s screaming, which is why the eight songs after the jump, taken from throughout NIN’s 20-plus-years together, are eight of their best. (Sorry, Ghosts I–IV.) And certainly among their angriest.
(via Getty Image)
Song: “Head Like a Hole”
Album: Pretty Hate Machine
“Head like a hole/Black as your soul/I’d rather die than give you control.”
Song: “Heresy”
Album: The Downward Spiral
“Your god is dead and no one cares/If there is a hell I will see you there.”
Song: “Ruiner”
Album: The Downward Spiral
“Now the only pure thing left in my f*cking world is wearing your disease.”
Song: “Somewhat Damaged”
Album: The Fragile
“Made the choice to go away/Drink the fountain of decay/Tear a hole exquisite red/F*ck the rest and stab it dead.”
Song: “Starf*ckers, Inc.”
Album: The Fragile
“All the pain/How did you think we’d get by without you?”
Song: “Meet Your Master”
Album: Year Zero
“Count down to the end/Gotta make it come faster, faster/Right around the bend/Is a coming disaster.”
Song: “Getting Smaller”
Album: With Teeth
“I think I’m losing my grip/But I can still make a fist.”
Song: “Demon Seed”
Album: The Slip
“I will use my voice/And I will use my fist/To destroy/Everything I can.”
