Title: The Slip
Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Genre: Industrial Rock
Release Date: 5th May 2008
Label: The Null Corporation
Album Review
Trent Reznor must have had a creative burst some time ago. Only one year after the release of ‘Year Zero’ he released the ‘Ghost I – IV’ album, a pure instrumental excursion into experimental ambient received by many fans with very mixed feelings. Just about a month later a new single ‘Discipline’ was available as free download just to be followed by a complete new NIN album with the title ‘The Slip’ available in various digital formats for free. All you need is a valid E-mail address.
The album begins with a small dark instrumental called ‘999,999’ building up more and more tension as it progresses to emerge in the following track ‘1,000,000’, a genuine rocker and also an explosive one drowning in a hell of distorted bass lines and noises running through it. ‘Letting you’ merges in a storm of pounding industrial beats, fighting against the wailing guitar riffs and through that unleashes a storm onto the listener. ‘Discipline’ being the single harbinger for the album comes in a rather danceable suit with sort of a disco feeling to it. Clean, structured drums and again a distorted bass line or guitar riff and a piano line give the track a soft note. ‘Echoplex’ pretty much works after a resembling scheme, only hat the drums originate from a synthesizer and the guitars are not as destructive this time.
‘Head Down’ is a whole different thing, the sound is gritty and covered by a layer of dirt and it sounds raw like an uncut diamond and I, personally like that sound it has. The change of mood however came pretty unexpected to me, submerging the track in filigree darkness. ‘Lights in The Sky’ is a fragile piano ballad, reduced and intimate and therefore very emotional with a nostalgic feeling due to the use of this out-of-tune piano. At the end it blends into ‘Corona Radiata’ which could have been also on the ‘Ghosts’ album. A twining entity of dark ambient, introducing a slow dark beat in its second half, alongside a distant wall of cascading gloomy synth melodies. With ‘The Four of us are Dying’ follows another instrumental which is keeping a stately pace with a hypnotizing drum line over which alternating streams of mellow and harsh guitars are woven. The finishing track ‘Demon Seed’ is rhythm-wise very interesting. Clean beats with a broken bar and (for the most part) wave-like guitars evolving to a climax of industrial noise to suddenly almost fade away just to come back and kick some butts again.
I’ve read many opinions of people, labelling the album as bad and unfinished sounding, but personally I think it’s an overall good release and I won’t do any comparisons to previous releases as you should see the album as a unique one with its one sound which it has undoubtedly. Especially ‘Head Down’ or ‘Demon Seed’ are true gems so try the album and find out for yourself. Just go to http://theslip.nin.com/
Tracklist
01. 999,999 – 1:25
02. 1,000,000 – 3:56
03. Letting You – 3:49
04. Discipline – 4:19
05. Echoplex – 4:45
06. Head Down – 4:55
07. Lights in the Sky – 3:30
08. Corona Radiata – 7:34
09. The Four of us are dying – 4:38
10. Demon Seed – 4:59
Line-up
Trent Reznor
Josh Freese
Robin Finck
Alessandro Cortini
Website
http://www.nin.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/nin
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8
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