How ironic it is! The second I decide to open a website dedicated to all things metal, Nine Inch Nails - a band I have listened to since my late teens - go and release their most accessible “rock” and therefore least “metal” album to date. Although based upon their history within the scene, what the hell – I’m going to review it anyway. Please feel free to send your complaints so I can delete them without caring.
So here we have it – another six year wait, another NIN release. It’s hard to believe Trent Reznor and Co. have been doing the rounds since 1989, and yet have only managed to release 4 full-length studio albums. So it’s 2005 and it’s that time again - Trent has emerged from his cave (or millionaire’s mansion more accurately) with a new band, a new haircut and a new album – namely titled “With Teeth”. I have to jump straight in and say: after extensive listening of “With Teeth” this week, it sadly doesn’t warrant the ridiculous amount of time it took to release. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a bad album, and while I will also add - it is my least favourite of all NIN material to date – again, I feel I should review the album as a separate entity, rather than try and compare it to past achievements that have set the quality bar relatively high.
Now I’ve read a fair few reviews of this album in the past couple of weeks. There were of course, the predictable 5/5 or 10/10 reviews from the mainline music press (no label/money obligations there then obviously, oh no) - irritating because while this is no turkey, it’s certainly far from perfect. The band have also been getting coverage in the broadsheets – either The Times or The Telegraph (I can’t recall which) proclaiming the album to be a “modern masterpiece”. Again, I feel people are going to be misguided by this, with the news press only really taking notice due to the involvement of Dave Grohl and perhaps the inclusion of a few retro-sounding beats within the album (the start of the track “Only” sounds scarily like it could turn into an Electric Six number – don’t worry, it doesn’t). On the flipside there have also been plenty of knee jerk negative reviews – some from disgruntled long term fans, but mostly from ever predictable elitists in search of that extra scene point. I mean who would have thought it – when Trent said he was going to release a “much more simplistic, stripped down, single-song orientated album” that he would actually go and release a much more simplistic, stripped down, single-song orientated album. Seriously, really didn’t see that one coming.
So rather than writing off “With Teeth” on first listen I’ve opted for not being a total mong - and actually taking the time to get to know the album before I jump on my soapbox. My opinion on this disc seems to be up and down like a yo-yo if I’m totally honest. On first listen I was instantly hooked - but by midweek I was fed up with several tracks – parts of the album quite frankly bored me to tears. And then bizarrely, the evening before I sit down to put my views to paper - with my mind pretty much made up on giving it a 6 or 7 out of 10 - I listen again and find that tracks I previously tired with have a new lease of life and have grown on me quite considerably. Damn.
“With Teeth” has a promising start. Opener “All the Love In The World” features the familiar understated NIN piano sound, starting off quite melancholy, then picking up in the second half to become a particularly upbeat (by NIN’s standards) almost dance-like number. The “clap your hands” status is soon quashed however, with second track “You Know What You Are?”. This is the closest the album comes to NIN’s industrial roots – featuring a thundering beat, venom filled chorus and masses of noise. This is definitely the heaviest moment on “With Teeth”, being quite reminiscent of the track “No, You Don’t” from 1999’s “The Fragile”, it’s just a shame a card like this gets played so early on.
“The Collector” benefits from the drumming skills of Dave Grohl, with a lumbering, purposely awkward beat, pushed along by a menacing fuzz-bass line, and even including a rather bizarre acid-jazz piano section – all overlayed by almost spoken-word vocals. Purely because this song is so different, I find it to be one of the most interesting. “I am the collector, I drag a net behind me, it collects feelings.” says Trent – sounds like fun, just make sure you don’t snare a dolphin by accident.
“The Hand That Feeds” needs no introduction really - surely everyone has heard this single by now? It’s a shamelessly foot stomping, upbeat slice of commercial dance-rock, and while I wouldn’t have expected it from NIN, it doesn’t stop me liking it – it makes me want to boogy. What I will say is – don’t judge the album on hearing just this song. It is most definitely a total curveball where the rest of the album material is concerned. That’s not to say it doesn’t have it’s other catchy moments – “Everyday is Exactly the Same” (headbobbing chorus and piano verses) and “Getting Smaller” (more aggressive dance-rock) both being great rock anthems, even if the latter does have an intro that sounds disturbingly like “The Hives”. Sure, the album is certainly more accessible than previous releases, but it’s not THAT accessible. Infact, one might think that coming off the drugs and booze and becoming a millionaire rockstar might have cheered Trent up a bit. But it doesn’t seem so – in places “With Teeth” is still a very miserable and “dark” album.
“Love is Not Enough” indicates this darker side early on - sounding like a cross between “Reptile” and “Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally”, bringing a slow, sense of foreboding to the proceedings. The title track “With Teeth” is also in a similar vein, and was actually one of the aforementioned tracks that just didn’t work for me – but lately it’s beginning to grow – so maybe it needed some time. I will however point out that pronouncing “With Teeth” as “With-AHH Teeth-AAH” throughout the chorus is one of the most annoying things I’ve ever heard. The track “Only” has an interesting retro vibe that somewhat reminds me of “Pretty Hate Machine” era material – especially with it’s excessive use of synth effects.
What spoils the album the most for me is when things go a bit awry towards the end on tracks “Sunspots” (grating and irritatingly slow, and far too similar to the above mentioned “darker” songs) and “The Line Begins to Blur” (a droning, tuneless dirge that sounds like it failed to get onto “The Fragile”). Not only are these songs relatively un-inspiring, but they also stunt the flow of the album dramatically - completely ruining the run up to the two main closing songs “Beside You In Time” and “Right Where It Belongs”.
These two songs, for me, are the only time on “With Teeth” when I feel like NIN manage to push all the right buttons musically – they are the essence of what NIN do best and why I’ve always been a fan of the band. Emotional, ambient and atmospheric, and ironically the most “instrumental” songs on the album, one a synth based, uplifting build-up to the album finale, the other a whimsical, melancholy piano based album closer. When the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, I know at least they are doing something right. Definitely almost on par with “La Mer” and “The Great Below” (album closers for “The Fragile”).
While I try not to dwell too much about being disappointed in “With Teeth” as a long term NIN fan, I also realise not every album by a band you love is going to be exactly what you want. To expect so would be foolish. While this album certainly lacks something – perhaps because it’s less challenging, perhaps it just doesn’t flow nicely, or perhaps - horror of horrors - some of it is just plain un-interesting, who knows - I haven’t really had time to work it out for myself yet. So again, I can’t see how other people can pass such quick certain judgement.
As a totally separate entity, this album is certainly a solid, worthwhile release. Mainstream issues aside, the problem lies in too many people telling you it’s either astounding or dreadful – it really is neither – just a good enjoyable album that won’t really change your life.
Standout Tracks: All the Love in the World, The Collector, Only, Beside You in Time.
Overall Score: 8 /10
