Broken begins with an instrumental opening, Pinion, which is a great lead into Wish, the song that earned Reznor a grammy. Then comes Last, one of the greatest metal songs ever written. Help Me I Am In Hell, a peaceful yet depressing minute long instrumental, is a break from the assault. Immediately following it is the angriest song on the album, Happiness In Slavery. My personal favorite, Gave Up, ends the album displaying a show of grief and failure.

There are two hidden tracks, Physical and Suck, both of which are great, but don't stand out compared to the main songs. Broken is short...only six songs and two instrumentals long, but what it lacks in length it makes up in lasting appeal and quality. This album is like a collection of singles, and each track will never get old. It's a great way to release anger and an outlet for inner torment.

Broken does, however, differ greatly from other Nine Inch Nails albums, especially Pretty Hate Machine. If you fell in love with PHM's techno sound, this assault might come as a surprise. Needless to say though, if you're a Nine Inch Nails fan you must own this amazing EP. This is a step forward in the evolution of the greatest band (or musician I should say) of the 90's.


an all around excellent cd and worth the money   January 23, 2000
 20 out of 26 found this review helpful

"Broken" is an 8 track EP. 2 tracks are "hidden," those being tracks 98 and 99, "Physical" and "Suck" respectively. "Broken" is, as many others have said, a very *angry* cd. It may only be 8 tracks, but it's filled with rage and fury. It is much unlike all of NIN's other works, which fall into five stages: Pretty Hate Machine era, Broken Era, The Downward Spiral era, The Perfect Drug era and The Fragile era. It sounds like nothing else you've heard from NIN, but it is still an amazing work. Looking at it musically, it is *incredibly* complex, coming in second only to "The Downward Spiral". But this cd is really about release. When do I listen to it most? When I'm angry, when I need to release. And probably the best song ever written for that purpose is "Last," which, when one is angry, couldn't sound better as it's playing at 130 decibels out of my stereo.

Would I recommend this? Absolutely. It is *well* worth the money you'd spend buying it from Amazon. Also, check out Halo Six, "Fixed" - remixes from this cd and also *very* cool. Of course, if you're a NIN fan, you *have* to have both of these cds.


Nine Inch Nails - 'Broken' (Interscope) EP   June 2, 2005
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

'Broken' was like a follow-up EP to the 'Pretty Hate Machine' CD,as NIN vocalist/frontman/producer Trent Reznor was experiencing some legal hassles regarding putting out new NIN material.I remember playing this six song EP over many times when it first came out.Liked the industrial metal goods,such as "Pinion","Wish" and especially happening "Happiness In Slavery" as I used to put this song on my home answering machine.Very well done.


The classic EP   January 15, 2006
 13 out of 15 found this review helpful

When Nine Inch Nail's debut album "Pretty Hate Machine" (1989) was first released, it was greeted with little fanfare or commotion. Over time, however, through word-of-mouth, the album caught on. In the early 90s it became an underground and college favorite. Through constant touring and the emergence of the popularity of alternative rock in the early 90s, Nine Inch Nails started to take off. While fans eagerly awaited Trent Reznor's proper follow-up, they eagerly devoured the stop-gap EP "Broken" (1992).

While "Pretty Hate Machine" went for straight-forward industrial beats, "Broken" is far heavier, more aggressive, with more guitars. While the club/techno crowd may have been more receptive to the debut, "Broken" is an EP that would just as likely appeal to metal fans. Equal parts metal and industrial beats, "Broken" can be seen as a prelude, or a sneak preview of what Reznor would unveil two years later with his masterpiece "The Downward Spiral" (1994).

Clocking in slightly past the half-hour mark, with eight songs (two tracks are hidden, two are instrumentals) "Broken" is pretty short. But the EP is so angry, so aggressive, with no reprieve; the shortness in length probably works for the best.

"Broken" features the NIN classics and concert staples, "Wish," "Gave Up," and (the hidden track) "Suck." The lesser known "Last," "Happiness in Slavery," and a cover of Adam Ant's "Physical" (also hidden) are no less memorable. Instrumentals "pinion" and "Help me I am in Hell" help round out the CD.

Back in 1992 when CDs were relatively new to consumers, having ninety-one silent, second-long tracks separate the final two songs from the first six may have been cool and inventive. Now, however, it seems kind of pointless. Still, it's no big deal.

If you are a fan of NIN, "Broken" is just as essential to own as any of the studio albums.



Interesting, almost compelling   November 10, 1999
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

I must admit that I am not your average industrial metal rock fan, having grown up with Hendrix and the Doors and pushing 50. I picked up NIN's "Broken" on a whim in a drugstore sale bin and I can barely believe how this music has taken a grip on me. I love cranking it up on the commute home from work. It has a way of clearing out the mental cobwebs that no other music even comes close to. Some hear anger in this stuff. I hear a destructive, apocalyptic joy strangely combined with rage. It makes me want to scream, not in anger but in raw exhultation, a kind of celebration of being alive even though trapped in career and suburbia - true "Happiness in Slavery".