Disco de Nine Inch Nails: “With Teeth [PA]”

Nine Inch Nails are back with their fourth effort "With Teeth," and once again Trent Reznor has made an outstanding album.

Although the album has a sense of urgency, "With Teeth" is not as angry or intense as "Pretty Hate Machine," (1989) or "The Downward Spiral" (1994). Overall, I think the actual songs on "With Teeth" sound most similar to those on "The Fragile" (1999). Unlike "The Fragile," however, there are not any instrumentals. "With Teeth" gets more to-the-point. Although I personally loved the long instrumentals on "The Fragile," fans who thought the album was too self-indulgent or long, may be more pleased with the format of "With Teeth."

One additional difference between "The Fragile" and "With Teeth" is the welcome addition of drummer Dave Grohl on several of the tracks. His playing gives the album more of a live, organic feel, and gives the sound a shot in the arm. Unfortunately, what tracks he plays on are not listed on the CD case and there is no booklet. However, you'll know when you hear him.

I liked "With Teeth" after the first listen. However, much like "The Fragile" this is definitely an album that grows on you with repeated plays. There's a lot going on in all of the songs-subtle things, solos, guitars and keyboards-things that you might not pick up on the first couple times. It definitely gets better with repeated plays. Like all Nine Inch Nails albums, each song is meticulously and painstakingly crafted, there is no filler.

The themes of "With Teeth" are similar to those on past NIN albums-loneliness, rage, fear, nihilism-but Reznor sounds less bleak, more confident, if only slightly so.

The album starts out with the rather sluggish "All the Love in the World," which has an almost claustrophobic feel. It sort of grinds itself along, and gives way to a satisfying buildup and sublime finale when the piano kicks in towards the end.

"You Know What You Are?" sounds frantic, and is intensified by the pounding drums.

"The Collector" has a really cool, almost funky bass line. It has a great groove and the chorus is really melodic. It's very infectious.

"The Hand that Feeds" was a good pick as the first single, as it is pretty representative of the album as a whole. This mid-tempo industrial rocker is very catchy.

The slow-paced "Love is Not Enough" is one of the album's more rock orientated songs, when the guitars kick in. The verse sort of rolls along, and then explodes into the chorus. The keyboard solo toward the end is a nice touch.

I think "Everyday is Exactly the Same" would be a good choice for the next single. It has a very cool, low-key industrial background. It reminds me somewhat of "That's What I Get" from "Pretty Hate Machine." The song is especially beautiful when the piano kicks in.

The album's title track "With Teeth" takes a few listens to get into. It starts out rather sluggish and claustrophobic...and then...you can hardly hear anything, as Trent Reznor whispers the words over a faint piano...it's very melancholy...and then it gets back to where it started, only now it is more intense.

"Only" has a bit of retro feel; it sort of sounds like something Gary Numan or Devo might do. It has a lot of synths going on and is very interesting. It's really catchy and I think a potential single.

The fast paced "Getting Smaller" is effective and keeps up the momentum.

The pacing of "Sunspots" is what makes the song really work. It starts out slow, builds up, intensifies, slows down again, builds up, intensifies, it keeps the listener intrigued. The keyboards and guitars are subtly added in and sort of creep up on you-it's a cool effect.

The distorted "The Line Begins to Blur" is mid-paced, but intense. It transforms and becomes hauntingly melodic. The guitar solo, while not technically brilliant, is really catchy and part of the song's highlight.

"Beside You in Time" keeps going on-and-off, like when you turn a radio off-and-on-this creates a really cool throbbing effect. The song actually sounds like it's throbbing. The throbbing gets more and more intense as the song rolls along.

The closing "Right Where it Belongs" is beautifully eerie. The piano and the underwhelming vocals really give the song a nice effect. The song builds up and gets more intense; but the song, and the album, go out with a whimper rather than a bang (not that that's a bad thing).

Again, this album takes a few listens to really appreciate. It gets better and better with successive plays. "With Teeth" is an album to be relished with repeated listens.

If you've never liked Nine Inch Nails, this album probably won't win you over. If you disliked "The Fragile," you also probably won't like this album. If you disliked "The Fragile" because of its long instrumentals, but liked the actual songs, you will probably like this to. Most NIN fans in general should be pleased with "With Teeth."

Sadly, its not. The new Nine Inch Nails is definitley more organic, which is what Reznor promised. The drums, the keys, vocals, everything sounds more live. NIN in 2005 is actually more of a "Band" than an expanded one-man project that it used to be. Dave Grohl's drumming is pretty good I guess, it's solid anyway. I'll tell you right off the bat, if you loved Nine Inch Nails mostly for the heavy, loud, grating aspect they once had, then you will be disappointed with this release a little...you just will. If you, like me, like NIN for the lush melodies, cool drums patterns and an overall dark ambient/heavy feel then you will probably like this album. I will admit it is most definitley not Trent's best offering...fans will attest. There is a prominent 80's funky feel throughout the album. However, this is NOT in anyway the same style as Pretty Hate Machine, With Teeth actually expands on that style. I'm not doing a stupid track by track review b/c everyone's opinions are different anyway, but the best songs that exemplify the new Nine Inch Nails sound is Only, Every Day Is Exactly The Same, and Getting Smaller. Definitley a retro feel going on here. The whole album is mostly bass-driven which is totally new for NIN. The guitar is there but its not as prominent as the bass. This combined with some warm, mellow keys thoughout makes this album very low and thunderous, while still being very melodic. Even though its not as dark as all the other albums, it sure as hell isnt all kisses in the sunset. This is just me, but I did notice some songs just seemed to meld together towards the end of the album...I couldnt tell where one song ended and another began unless I was looking at the track number on the cd player. The album is less-varied towards the end but still an entertaining listen, especially for Sunspots. That song is awesome. Sunspots sounds like old school NIN, with the throbbing low bass and the anthem-like guitar chord changes. Think Reptile, but updated. Take note when you listen to With Teeth that even the heaviest tracks on the album(You Know What You Are & Getting Smaller) arent even that heavy! There is little to no screaming on this release. But it's still good. The only thing this album lacks compared to past releases is the anger. The dark, anger-induced lyrics that made past songs like Big Man With A Gun and Wish so heavy and gritty are not on this album. Nine Inch Nails intensity hasn't backed down, but Trent isn't angry anymore. I would most definitley recommend With Teeth to any Nine Inch Nails fans b/c without it, your collection is incomplete. I do recommend it to fans of rock music and industrial heads as well. It is definitley worth listening to repeatedly just like the other records. Just remember: This is far from a "masterpiece". Trent has had several of those already and has chose to release a more straight-forward album. Why not? This is the best way I can sum up the new NIN album. You decide. Nuff said.

First off, as far as where this album is musically, forget the comparisons to previous albums, they won't tell you anything. To all those who say this album sounds the same as his others, you obviously haven't listened closely enough (and of course they're gonna sound somewhat similar - after all, it is the SAME person putting out these albums). To all of those who think this isn't a masterpiece like TDS or The Fragile, you're right, it isn't. To be honest, I didn't really want a "masterpiece". Sometimes I just feel like listening to a good rock record that doesn't demand deep concentration and focus to enjoy and to fully "get it". Here, Trent has chilled out a little and given us a record that rocks, grooves, plods, and moves without any pretense.

With Teeth is exactly the kind of album Trent needed to put out. The Fragile (and even TDS before it) were extremely involved, layered, and methodically planned (although it worked very well for those albums). With this album, you get a straightforward rock album recorded with actual acoustic drums (by the way, is Dave Grohl the only rock drummer around anymore??? it's not like the parts he put down are complicated...), all the while still keeping Trent's trademark production, piano lines, hushed to intense vocals, and varied song style/structure. Nothing Trent is doing here is extremely new, but he has placed variations on themes he's explored before while adding an extra sense of musicianship - namely, more beat/drum n bass/groove centered songs, particularly on "Only", "Sunspots", "The Collector", and the lead single "The Hand That Feeds". He also expands on his layered, piano guided themes on "All the Love in the World" and "Right Where it Belongs".

Bottom line, don't get overemotional about this release. No need to expect this album to change your life. This is Trent just jamming out and enjoying his craft.

There will be a small but vocal group of NIN fans who will remain unhappy with this album, perhaps because Trent refuses to be as repetitively self-indulgent, wallowing in his near-suicidal darkness, as they are accustomed to.

To them, I offer my condolences since they will be unable to hear a great new album. Let them stick with the old stuff and complain about their man `selling out', or encourage him to get back on addictive substances. Trent Reznor has moved on.

He has taken all of the audio experimentation, the textures, and the varied tools of his craft that he developed in the 1990s back to the strong, efficient songwriter who broke on the musical world with 1989's "Pretty Hate Machine."

So this listener (for one) could not be more pleased. Because no matter how extreme or abrasive Reznor makes himself sound, his real strength is in good songcraft--and "With Teeth" is comprised of 13 high-energy tracks, with no fat, and the kind of range in material that makes a great album experience. From the danceability and self-deprecation of "Only" to the brutality of "Don't You Know What You Are?" he is firing on all cylinders.

Reznor is enough of an artist to have both an original voice and be accessible at the same time. And when I say accessible, I >don't< mean there are not parts on "With Teeth" that won't get a listener's blood pumping or put their nerves on high. I mean accessible in the best sense--strong melodies and lyrics, and yet with enough depth to reward repeat listens.

It is no mistake that the last track here is "Right Where It Belongs"--while hardly a happy song, it is a definite sign that Trent Reznor has new horizons to explore, that Nine Inch Nails is evolving, and that a major talent is still major in 2005.

This isn't an opinion based review. I do like this album, but that's not what this review is about. The point of this review is to say to everyone who is wondering why lots of people are giving this album bad reviews that the only reason people are giving bad reviews is because they forgot how long it took them to love the old NIN albums. Most NIN fans will agree that they did not LOVE the downward spiral, further down the spiral, broken, fixed or phm, even the fragile on the very first listen. No one can eat six weeks of food in one sitting, and it is hard to fall in love with complex music upon first listen.

The truth about this album, [with teeth] is that it is Trent Reznor doing what he's always done, make music for the sake of making music, not for money. If you liked his old stuff, give this stuff a chance.

...and just to help everyone else out, if you do get this album and don't love it after the VERY FIRST LISTEN, please don't get on the internet and review it immediately with your rose-coloured reviews referencing his older material.

There should be a rule stating that albums should have been listened to at least 10 times before reviewing, because most negative reviews of this album are knee-jerk reactions from people with no memory.

SWEIGHT!!!