Trent Reznor has gone through a lot in his personal life. His career, too, has had its share of peaks and valleys. Be it as a young innovator (Pretty Hate Machine), dark genius (The Downward Spiral), or an after-thought (The Fragile), Reznor aka Nine Inch Nails has somehow kept the beats flowing and his vitality relevant. His newest effort, Year Zero includes a bit of everything-- a concept, pounding drums, industrial guitar fuzz, ready for remixin' dance numbers, and his signature vocal style ranging from apathetic to aggressive.

The time is Year Zero (~ 2022), and the religious right has apparently got a strong hold on the government and the people through various mediums. Conceived largely during the With Teeth tour and inspired undoubtedly by current events, the record boasts soaring guitar riffs that garnish layered, melodious electro-metal as Reznor packs more punches than ever before without putting out personal cries of help. Instead this is more about the world's downward spiral.

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Reznor goes through many roles (and emotions) throughout the album-- be it the misinformed masses, repentant soldiers, or the people in power. Lyrically, the material is a lot of swallow but over frequent listens, the storyline largely falls into place. First single, "Survivalism" sets the general tone-- "I got my propaganda, I got revisionism, I got my violence.. I got survivalism." There are familiar cries of "I used to stand for something, now I'm on hands and knees" in "Capital G" which also features verses seemingly aimed directly at the nation’s current leadership while "My Violent Heart" paints another gloomy picture with refrains of "You have set something in motion, much greater than you’ve ever known." You get the gist. The production stays immaculate throughout and album closer “Zero Sum” is a stunning finale to the record, "Shame on us, we knew from the start, may god have mercy on our dirty little hearts"

Year Zero is already reaching semi-cult status in the internet world with an online game (accompanied and “explained” by a plethora of websites) devoted to the album currently gaining momentum. Reznor also seems to have grown tired of his celebrity status or any desire to remain “popular”, which seems to be a positive for his output. The whole project is an ambitious piece of work we could only expect from the likes of such an artist. Rumors of intentionally “leaked” tracks via USB drives in bathroom stalls of NIN concerts might finally be a thing of the past with the release of the album. While we’re still in the early stages of making sense of it all, feel free to put on your headphones and drone out to the music to figure it out. While actively taking part in the "game" of course. (Suggested reading + many, many more links = Wikipedia)

PS. Year Zero is just the first installment-- Part Two due in a few years, set in, well, a few years later. A movie could well be in the works too.

nine inch nails: [official site] [official year zero site] [myspace]