Year Zero

Performer: Nine Inch Nails
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: On his 2007 full-length studio follow-up to WITH TEETH, Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor steps away from the relatively straight-ahead rock aesthetic of that record, opting instead for an intentionally abrasive sound lined with sharp shards of noise and static. Tied together by an enigmatic, X-FILES-like concept involving an apocalyptic scenario, YEAR ZERO is marked by tell-tale tracks such as "Survivalism," a fierce number that harkens back to THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL, and "In This Twilight," a bleak, distortion-filled song. Reportedly influenced by the Bomb Squad's spare, hard-hitting production on vintage Public Enemy releases (a point driven home by the stark, stuttering "My Violent Heart"), ZERO also reveals that Reznor picked up a few experimental tricks from tour-mates TV on the Radio, as best exemplified by the guitar squalls of the aforementioned "Survivalism." Less personal and more cinematic than preceding outings, YEAR ZERO is arguably NIN's least-accessible album, and proves that Reznor hasn't abandoned his SPIRAL-era post as a sonic agitator who has infiltrated the mainstream. Despite its imposing and impossible title, Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D is actually a highly accessible record. That's meant literally. As an addendum to the Nine Inch Nails remix album on disc one, disc two comes on a DVD/CD ROM that features the multi-track masters of all the original tracks, allowing listeners to revise and remix the tracks themselves. Who would have thought Trent Reznor would release the first industrial-pop "Choose Your Own Adventure"-style album? That remarkable novelty aside, disc one of Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D contains some excellent remixes of tracks from 2007's YEAR ZERO. Not only is the material strong (YEAR ZERO was the best NIN effort in years), but the remixes, which include work from Kronos Quartet, Bill Laswell, the Faint, and Olof Dreijer from the Knife, bring a fresh spin to NIN's music by highlighting its dancey and experimental tendencies.

Rolling Stone (p.111) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007". Entertainment Weekly (p.61) - "[H]e drives his messages home with the whisper-to-a-scream vocal melodrama and the most chaotically catchy tunes he and his arsenal of machines can generate." Alternative Press (p.158) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "For YEAR ZERO, Nine Inch Nails chairman Trent Reznor sets his machinery on 'kill' and points it toward authority and herd mentality, dicing up guitars and laptops synths like an Enron paper trail." Kerrang (Magazine) (p.70) - Ranked #8 in Kerrang's "The Top 20 Albums Of 2007" -- "[A] spectacular, chilling record..."

Before Nine Inch Nails, electronic-based rock was often considered devoid of feeling and danger. Leader Trent Reznor merged synths with tortured vocals/lyrics, distorted guitar, and repetitive, slamming rhythms into an unpredictable amalgam, helping to popularize industrial rock in the '90s. In the process, Nine Inch Nails became one of the biggest alt-rock acts of the era, responsible for enduring hits like "Head Like a Hole" and "Closer," while inspiring legions of younger bands. The ever-stoic Reznor continued to evolve and create innovative music well into the band's third decade.

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