A few years later, the Downward Spiral came out and the critical acclaim for it was thunderous. By this time, Axl's whereabouts were something of a mystery as were those of Chris. With no one else to influence me, I listened to the critics and purchased a copy of the Downward Spiral. I gave it several listens, but to be honest, it didn't do much for me. I put it in my CD holder where a few years later, my brother (a high school student at the time) would discover it. He and my sister wore that CD out and my brother soon became a NIN completist. You know the type who buys not only every album, but also every single. Clearly my siblings "got" what Trent Reznor was up to and I didn't. I figured the "industrial pop" scene just wasn't my thing.

Fast-forward another 6 months or so and I was now living in a small village in western Kenya. My sister would send me music tapes with some regularity and you have no idea how much I appreciated them (that is, unless you've already read my review of Machine Head's Burn My Eyes album). One of the tapes my sister happened to send me was Pretty Hate Machine. At that point, my thought process went something like this..."Nice gesture, but she should know by now that I'm not crazy about NIN. Doesn't she remember that the copy of the Downward Spiral she and my brother play so often came from me after I found it relatively uninspiring? Well, I guess it can't hurt to give it a listen. After all, I am desperate for new music."

Once I put that tape in my battery-powered boom box, it wasn't long before I realized that I should have listened to Axl and not Chris so many years earlier. I could see why Chris never cared for it - he's not much for anything that sounds too poppy and Pretty Hate Machine is shockingly accessible. I mean, just have a listen to Front 242 sometime and imagine someone who counts them among their favorite bands also enjoying Pretty Hate Machine. Impossible? No, but pretty darn unlikely.

Once I'd given Pretty Hate Machine a few listens, I had no qualms about reversing my opinion on NIN. I've been wrong about bands before and I'll probably be wrong again at some point. I wrote a letter to my sister thanking her effusively for this very precious gift. Pretty Hate Machine became one of the albums I played most during the remainder of my stay in Kenya along with Type O Negative's October Rust and Bloody Kisses, Sepultura's Roots, Metallica's And Justice for All, Rancid's And Out Come the Wolves, Weezer's blue album, and Machine Head's Burn My Eyes.

What made Pretty Hate Machine deserving of such illustrious company? For one thing, it is so obviously a labor of love. Every song sounds lovingly crafted with attention to every nuance (except for production quality which my brother says is poor because Trent didn't exactly have a lot of money with which to record the album). Another point in PHM's favor is that it is so catchy. I couldn't help but hear "Terrible Lie", "Down In It", and "Kinda I Want To" in my head while I was out in the rain forest all day. There's also enough angst on PHM to give Hatful of Hollow-era Morrissey a run for his money. But where Morrissey always somehow sounds playfully above it all even when recounting his most embarrassing experiences, Trent sounds like he really is in emotional pain and doesn't know what to do about it other than scream.

The only people I can't see this album appealing to are industrial music purists like Chris and individuals who never feel angry or angsty. If you don't fit into either of those categories, it is high time you check out Pretty Hate Machine assuming you don't have wise younger siblings who forced you to do so already. Saying you don't like NIN isn't a good enough excuse - it wasn't for me and it isn't for you either.


A review for new fans.   April 13, 2005
 64 out of 67 found this review helpful

If you don't own any NIN's albums, this is definitely the place to start.

"The Downward Spiral" will probably forever be Trent Reznor's most popular and critically acclaimed album. And "The Fragile," in my opinion is Reznor's magnum opus. And although those are some of the best albums in modern rock, they both need time and a few plays to get into. "The Downward Spiral" is a classic, no doubt, but it's so intense, people unfamiliar with NIN may be initially turned off. And with the "The Fragile," there are a lot of instrumentals with long buildups and climaxes (not that that's a bad thing). Both of these albums need a few plays to really appreciate. "Pretty Hate Machine" is more meat-and-potatos and gets right to the point with each song. It's easy to digest these songs with just one listen.

NIN's debut album, "Pretty Hate Machine," is instantly assessable, instantly catchy. Some industrial purists may eschew NIN for being overly assesable/pop, but the hooks in these songs are undeniable. "Pretty Hate Machine" is not the kind of album where you listen to it a few times, every once and a while, or listen to a few songs now and then. "Pretty Hate Machine" is the kind of album that you get hooked on. And it's not just a few songs, the entire album is mesmerizing.

From the opening classic "Head Like a Hole" to the closing "Ringfinger" every song is meticulously crafted and delivered. Even if you know nothing at all about Trent Reznor, just by listening to any of NIN's albums, you get the sense that every song on every one of his albums is a labor of love.

This is the kind of album that any person can relate to. Trent Reznor takes universal feeling and themes of being rejected, disappointed, screwed over, dejected and depressed, and he puts it to catchy industrial beats. There is a certain healing power to the music of Nine Inch Nails. You feel a certain catharsis when you listen to Trent Reznor's music.

"Pretty Hate Machine" is a modern-day classic and a cornerstone in any college/alternative collection.


My favorite NIN album   June 26, 2000
 35 out of 39 found this review helpful

Pretty Hate Machine has always been my favorite NIN album, not to mention my favorite album of any artist. Although it's not as heavy as Broken, not as developed as The Downward Spiral, and not as awe-inspiring as The Fragile, something about it has always kept me coming back. From the catchy techno track "Down In It", to the angst-ridden, anti-christianal anthem "Terrible Lie", to the funny yet meaningful "The Only Time", to my all time favorite song "Head Like A Hole", this CD has it all.

Industrial is my favorite genre of music, but I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of Techno/Industrial or Industrial Dance, and I've never liked bands like Skinny Puppy or KMFDM. But Pretty Hate Machine, which falls into the same catagory, still appealed to me. Maybe because it sort of stayed within the boundaries of Industrial Rock, or maybe because it was just plain better than the formentioned bands.

Trent Reznor has always been, and continues to be, my idol. He is a music god, and Pretty Hate Machine only solidifies that statement. While the various other Halo's are amazing, Halo Two remains my favorite, and in my opinion, the most well-rounded and best overall. If you're a Nine Inch Nails fan, you owe it to yourself to have this album in your collection.


Pretty "Hate"   December 22, 2005
 29 out of 32 found this review helpful

Woe. Pain. Anger. Rejection. And some very catchy industrial beats.

Trent Reznor has become legendary for the sound he perfected in "Pretty Hate Machine," his exceptional debut album. Wrapped in catchy industrial beats and sizzling basslines, he exposes all the rage and pain from being betrayed. Like a bad breakup, it's raw and rough and painful, but there's a strange catharsis once it's over.

It opens on a high note with the ear-blowing "Head Like A Hole," which alternates between dark techno and explosive hard-rock. "Bow down before the one you serve/you're gonna get what you deserve... Head like a hole, black as your soul/I'd rather DIE than give you control!" Reznor snarls. And he sounds like he means it, too.

That mix of rage and bitterness permeate the songs that follow. Not every song is a rockin' ragefest: "Something I Can Never Have" is a sweeping, haunted ballad with Reznor lamenting that "I'm starting to scare myself." It's one of the most powerful songs on a hard-hitting record, and shows Reznor's anguished vocals at their best.

But the majority are harder, angrier songs with Reznor's rough industrial-pop, raw singing and sparse electronic beats. The second half does drag a bit, but is pulled back up by the explosive "Sin" ("You give me the reason/you give me control/I gave you my purity/and my purity you stole!") and hauntingly out-there "Ringfinger."

"Pretty Hate Machine" could, in a sense, be seen as a concept album -- a mapping of the painful emotions in a breakup. Okay, painful breakups are not a big deal in the musical world -- every cheesy popstar does them. The difference is, Trent Reznor does them with passion, genuine anger, and explosive music that mirrors the betrayed feelings.

Reznor gets much flack for his angsty songwriting and accompanying vocal style. But it has to be admitted that even when the songwriting is sub-par -- the rather whiny, it's-God's-fault "Terrible Lie" -- Reznor's rough vocals bring them to life in all their painful glory.

This is also Nine Inch Nails' most minimalist album -- no soundscapes, just the guitars and electronics. The instrumentation matches the theme of inverted love -- Reznor throws in some poppy industrial beats, which manage to be darkly catchy and gritty at the same time. Underlying all of this is some smoldering, twisted guitar and drum machines.

Explosive rage, betrayal, confusion and pain lie at the heart of "Pretty Hate Machine," an unforgettable debut that Reznor has yet to equal in pure emotion.


An Industrial Breakthrough   July 24, 2000
 26 out of 33 found this review helpful

I am a fan of "industrial" music. I listen to Skinny Puppy, Wumpscut, Ministry, Front Line Assembly among others and I can honestly say that NIN are head and shoulders above the aforementioned bands. Firstly, remember people, the term "industrial" is not a genre written in stone. None of these bands openly called themselves industrial, it's usually the media and the public who label them as such. I'm directing these thoughts towards the ignorant "industrial elitists" who are too busy whining about whats "real" industrial and what isn't to concentrate on how good the actual music is. In fact, alot of early S.Puppy and Ministry is pretty tame compared to this. Pretty Hate Machine is often referred to as the breakthrough album which popularized industrial music. Wether this is true or not doesn't matter. What matters is that PHM is a revolutionary, dazzling, consistently brilliant debut for Nine Inch Nails. What we have in Pretty Hate Machine is intelligent, savy, and dark electronic rock music. The reason why this album is such a winner is because of Trent Reznor's knack for meshing together harsh, noisy synth and squealing guitar with accessable pop tunes. This album is not for the light-hearted or for people who like their music safe and easy. In conclusion, I'd just like to say that Pretty Hate Machine is a monument to the electronic/EBM, industrial or whatever you want to call it artform.