In 1993, Trent Reznor said he wanted his epitaph to read: “REZNOR: Died. Said 'fistfuck'. Won a Grammy.” Well, 20 years later the man's got an entire essay ready to scrawl on his tombstone. His industrial behemoth, Nine Inch Nails, has become one of the most influential acts of all time, selling millions of records worldwide and helping to shove the genre into the mainstream consciousness.
Their eighth full-length, ‘Hesitation Marks’, is something of a comeback record after the band’s surprise reformation, with Reznor returning to where it all began after time spent composing film scores and experimenting with How To Destroy Angels. And it delivers.
Opening with the synth-laden squelch of Copy Of A, it’s immediately clear that Reznor knows exactly what he's after. He's not bothered about rehashing 'The Downward Spiral'. He's not fussed about forging another sprawling epic in the same vein as 'The Fragile’. He’s made a record for the kids to dance to.
The same idea applies to lead single Came Back Haunted. In terms of style, it's all very much in the same ballpark as The Hands That Feeds from the superb 'With Teeth'. A filthy, muffled flurry of guitar creeps in toward the end, providing an extra element to the danceable ditty.
Of course it's not all up-tempo arse-shakers; it wouldn't be a Nine Inch Nails album otherwise. Low-tempo, piano-driven number Find My Way lowers the tone a wee bit, providing a satisfying change of pace.
The general lack of full-on guitar throughout the record makes for a refreshing take on the industrial genre. Reznor hasn't succumbed to the wobbly call of dubstep like Front Line Assembly, nor has he beaten the double pedals to death and tried to be Slayer, as Ministry have been doing for the past few years. The absence of a scuzzy six string makes it immediately apparent just how good a songwriter Reznor is; Everything has a melody to die for, while All Time Low hams up the atmospherics and displays his disturbing falsetto croon.
But when the guitar does kick in, well, it's a bit magic. During the final portion of I Would For You, a fuzzy, distorted guitar solo materialises underneath the pounding electronic beat. It's moments like this that make you realise just how much of an extensive understanding Reznor has of both rock music and electronica.
This isn't the best album Nine Inch Nails have ever released. It's not as danceable as the classic 'Pretty Hate Machine'. It's not as deep, meaningful and bloody depressing as 'The Downward Spiral'. And 'Year Zero' and 'The Slip' probably have more catchy tunes than this latest offshoot from Reznor's mind.
‘Hesitation Marks' signals where Nine Inch Nails are in 2013. Not content with repeating himself, Reznor has peeled back and explored yet another corner of the genre he himself helped to carve, coming up with some damn good tunes along the way. For this alone, he can only be applauded.
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