10 Defining Nine Inch Nails Anthems

After making a blistering return to the fray in 2013 with their brooding opus ‘Hesitation Marks’, Trent Reznor and co. are set to bring their awe-inspiring live show to UK shores this May for dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, London, Nottingham and Manchester.

With just weeks to go until the fervently anticipated tour kicks off, we thought it would be the perfect time to put together our pick of Nine Inch Nails anthems.

10. Discipline One of the dizzy zeniths from free album ‘The Slip’, this was NIN’s first musical output since departing from Interscope Records. A perfectly layered anthem, it marked a slight shift for NIN into a more pop orientated Depeche Mode-esque landscape. The lyrics are deliciously dark, however, packed with lines about submission and domination.

9. Closer One of the most notorious Nine Inch Nails masterpieces due to its provocative lyrics about self-hatred and sexual obsession, Closer continues to cause controversy today. Musically, the song’s combination of robotic samples, distorted vocals and that perfect sounding wah pedal gets any sane person to tear up the room.

8. Into the Void The third offshoot from NIN’s 1999 album ‘The Fragile’ and the perfect soundtrack choice for horror movie ‘Final Destination’, the slow and moody vibe of ‘Into The Void’ gives an almost gothic, darkening feel, only to be broken up by swathes of beautiful electronic instrumental.

7. Every Day Is Exactly The Same Lifted from 2005’s ‘With Teeth’, the track is a typically and insular and claustrophobic tour-de-force packed with gnawing repetitive lyrics like “Every day is exactly the same / There is no love here and there is no pain.” Reznor’s lyrics are typically honest and red raw, and the gradually building intensity suits the disposition of the track perfectly.

6. Came Back Haunted The song that heralded Nine Inch Nails’ musical return in 2013, ‘Came Back Haunted’ didn’t disappoint! A work of dark beauty, an incessant, crunching electronic riff forms the backbone of the track amidst layers of synths and Trent’s archetypal urgent delivery. The perfect electronic anthem for the alternative world.

5. Capital G Boasting one of the most memorable intros of any Nine Inch Nail’s song to date, Trent’s vocals are packed full of attitude as he sings about a careless and corrupt human being. While many have speculated that the ‘G’ stands for George W Bush, producer Atticus Ross has revealed it means ‘Greed’.

4. Hurt The heart-wrenchingly powerful 1994 song builds musically and emotionally throughout before slowly becoming a high wall of distorted noise. Even though the Johnny Cash cover is widely perceived as the most popular version, there’s no deny the impact of the original - which Trent refers to as his “most personal song ever.”

3. The Hand that Feeds Such is its unequivocal brilliance, this is one of those songs that needs very little introduction. Taken from ‘With Teeth’, it is the highest ever charting Nine Inch Nails song and who could deny why. Packed full of attitude, fury and passion, it should rate highly on any Nine Inch Nails fan’s playlist.

2. March of the Pigs Angry, fast, brutal and packed full of distortion, March of the Pigs is probably one of Nine Inch Nails most aggressive tracks to date. Strung together with a mixture of layers; this tune with take you from the noisiest sounds that ever came out of your stereo to a beautiful piano solo. It’s a roller coaster ride of noise, so step right up, march!

1.Head Like a Hole With incessant riffs, an abrasive electronic beat and captivating lyrics, Head Like a Hole perfectly** **crams everything you love about Nine Inch Nails into four minutes and 30 seconds. NIN’s second single from way back in 1989, the track set a high benchmark for the rest of the band’s career – one they’ve consistently lived up to.

Tickets to Nine Inch Nails’ tour are on sale from kerrangradio.co.uk/tickets right now!

See them at the following shows:

MAY 2014 Birmingham LG Arena – Sun 18th Glasgow Hydro Arena – Tue 20th Cardiff Motorpoint Arena – Wed 21st London, The O2 – Fri 23rd Nottingham Arena – Sat 24th Manchester Arena – Sun 25th