NIN: Anything but 'Fragile'

Five years after his breakthrough album Downward Spiral, Trent Reznor once again gives us a peek into his twisted soul with his latest two-CD release, The Fragile. The end result is a Nine Inch Nails album that does not meet expectations. After a large buildup, fans will be dissapointed by the lack of a new NIN sound.

Six years ago, before Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails was relatively unknown to the music scene. Previous albums Pretty Hate Machine and Broken were respected but never got major media attention. Reznor's next release, Spiral, and a brilliant performance at Woodstock '94, got the world's attention and revolutionized alternative and metal music.

The Fragile illustrates why there is no comparison between Reznor and the various copycat bands that followed Nine Inch Nails. Meticulously crafted techno cuts, excessive guitars, vocals that seamlessly go from subdued to screeching, and a haunting outlook on the world are once again masterfully portrayed as Reznor broods with his use industrial wizardry.

The album seems to run a tad bit long. Trent may have gone a bit overboard with two CDs containing some forgettable instrumental songs. Yet, if you play both albums continuously, an hour and a half, the album flows quite well. If you are short on time, you may prefer disc one which features more of the traditional heavy guitars and strong vocals for which NIN is known.

While none of the tracks on The Fragile really stand out this album is chock full of good tunes. The opening track, "Somewhat Damaged," creepily eases you into the album and then hits you with heavy guitars. "The Wretched" is powerful, yet somewhat depressing song about shattered dreams. "Star..." is probably the loudest, dirtiest song off the album and is reminiscent to "March of the Pigs". Others worth listening to are, "We're in this Together," "No, You Don't," and "The Day the World Went Away."After all the hype surrounding this CD you can't help but be disappointed the first time you listen to it. After five years of waiting to find out what Trent is going to do next, listeners find nothing really shocking or innovative. Maybe the world has become desensitized with the Eminems and the Marilyn Mansons of today. Regardless, The Fragile is still an excellent collection of Nine Inch Nails' own unique brand of rock and proves that they do not necessarily have to "shock the world" to stay entertaining.

Check out http://www.9inchnails,com or http://www.nin.com/ to get real video clips, pictures, or quicktime clips of the band. There, you can also find out the latest goings on and other important band information.