Nine Inch Nails’ iconic album The Downward Spiral was unleashed on March 8th, 1994. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, a few rockers spoke with Heavy Consequence about the significance and impact of the landmark LP.
The Downward Spiral followed NIN’s 1989 debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, and the 1992 EP Broken. While both of those releases established Trent Reznor and company as leaders of the industrial scene, The Downward Spiral took NIN to new heights, impacting rock radio with the sexually explicit “Closer” and scoring legions of fans with standout tracks like the wonderfully chaotic “March of the Pigs” and the haunting ballad “Hurt.” The album has gone on to be certified four-times platinum.
In the video above, Godsmack singer Sully Erna recalled, “It was during a really fucked up time in my life. An ex-girlfriend of mine was really, really big onto this record, and she turned me on to Nine Inch Nails. I gotta tell you, I was hooked immediately. It was so aggressive … and the whole stage presence of Trent Reznor and the Nine Inch Nails crew … what a phenomenal record.”
Code Orange vocalist Jami Morgan declared, “Nine Inch Nails is my favorite band of all time. … Downward Spiral is everything to me. … It’s so layered and multifaceted. … Rock music should be in your face, but it should also be artful … no one has ever done it better [than NIN], and no one will ever do it better.”
And Parkway Drive frontman Winston McCall remarked, “In terms of classics, that’s up there with the absolute peak of them. It’s always incredible to be able to listen to an album 30 years on, and still have it feel like it’s cutting edge, still feel like it’s dangerous and sharp and jagged, and The Downward Spiral holds up probably the best in terms of that criteria of any album that has ever been created.”
Today, Trent Reznor himself weighed in on the 30th anniversary, writing, “Spending too much time looking backwards feels dangerous to me, but this day on the calendar caught my attention. Has it really been that long, old friend? I just spent an hour listening to this time capsule of what 28 year old me had to say, and it still excites me and breaks my heart. Be kind to yourselves. Hope to see you soon.”
Watch the video above to get the full thoughts on The Downward Spiral from the members of Godsmack, Code Orange, and Parkway Drive, and see where it landed in Consequence‘s ranking of Nine Inch Nails albums. Spoiler: It’s No. 1.
Trouble viewing the video in the player above? Watch on YouTube.
