Issue #59: Nine Inch Nails - Broken

Released: September 22nd, 1992

Recorded: March – August 1992

Genre: Industrial Metal

Record Label: Nothing / TVT / Interscope

Duration: 33:09

Producers: Trent Reznor, Flood

Personnel

(Regular band members in bold.)*

Trent Reznor – writing, performance, production
Flood – production
Martin Atkins – drums (“Wish”)
Chris Vrenna – drums (“Gave Up”)
Tom Baker – mastering

* Reznor has been the only constant member of Nine Inch Nails in the studio, though collaborators such as Vrenna have often been assembled as a “live version” of the band for touring.

Track Listing

Pinion
Wish
Last
Help Me I Am in Hell
Happiness in Slavery
Gave Up
– 97. (approximately 1 second of silence each)

Physical (You’re So)
Suck

Happiness in Slavery – (promotional) – November 1992
Wish – (promotional) – 1993 [/expand]

Why Broken is One of My Favorites

Although technically an EP and not an album proper, strong releases like Broken deserve attention just like any other full length record. In fact, I wish more bands would embrace the format; think of all those times where 1/3 or 1/2 of an album was bogged down by filler – they were just one smart decision away from being remembered as a fantastic EP rather than an album with as many highs as lows. Nine Inch Nails is hardly the sort of outfit to fall into this category, but Broken’s ultra-heavy, ultra-fast, and ultra-angry vibe are best presented in short-ish burst that an EP provides.

Broken is Reznor’s most industrial metal album to date, sound much more like Strapping Young Lad’s City or Godflesh’s Streetcleaner rather than Skinny Puppy or Ministry. This record is one big wall of noise, an aggressive, pounding, relentless wall. The guitars are morphed into an entity of vast proportions, full of feedback and static. They sound less like guitars than buzzing and humming machines. Furious drumming keeps pace with the rapid riffing, and ample electronic flourishes swim through the mix to make every second even heavier and nastier than the one before it.

Reznor shouts and screams his way through most of the EP with a rage and fury unlike many other records out there, or at least any records that gained any widespread attention. His tone is vicious and angry, and his lyrics bleak and nihilistic. Broken is a massive “fuck you” to the world and a true musical manifestation of hate.

“Wish” is the record’s catchiest and also most abrasive track. Relatively quiet periods are punctuated by bursts of guitar driven noise, while Reznor fills the track with memorable lyrics that couldn’t paint a more depressive and desolate picture if he tried: “This is the first day, of my last days,” “Twenty-six years on my way to hell,” “I’m the one without a soul / I’m the one with this big fucking hole,” and how could anyone forget “Gotta listen to your big time hard line bad luck fist fuck!” Guaranteed to get any hard rock fan’s juices flowing.

“Last” turns up the “chainsaw level” on the guitar to 11 before descending into a pounding chorus. It’s also got a rhythmic sensibility that keeps the heaviness from becoming monotonous. “Happiness in Slavery” is the heaviest and noisiest of the bunch, with more smothering guitar that only lets up long enough for Reznor to squeeze in an ominous little melody. “Gave Up” begins with a subdued chorus before breaking into a frantic chorus where Reznor hisses/shouts, “Gonna smash myself to pieces / I don’t know what else to do!” Every song on here points to a complete obliteration of the self.

“Pinion” and “Help Me I Am in Hell” are eerie and tense instrumentals while the sometimes hidden “Suck” and “Physical (You’re So)” round out the EP. “Physical” is a great industrial spin on a song originally made famous by Adam and the Ants. Guitar buzzes as loud as ever and works well with the song’s hook. I especially love “TOO FUCK – ING PHYSICAL!” near the end. “Suck,” originally written for Atkins’ side project Pig, is a tad different and leans more towards the experimental, however, it continues to preserve the record’s corrosive sound.

Broken is one of those albums that grabs on and doesn’t let go. It is certainly one of the heaviest and angriest records to surface in the world of mainstream music, but at least it adheres to recognizable song structure and varying rhythms. It’s a hard chunk to swallow at first; there’s not much room for subtlety or nuance. But sometimes being hit with a sledgehammer is the perfect way to experience an body of music. Broken is Nine Inch Nails at their/his most volatile. The raw energy alone is enough to pump anyone up, and it still stands as one of the best and most accessible records where metal meets electronica.

Written by The Cubist

Other albums from Nine Inch Nails in this series:

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Written by The Cubist

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