NIN - The Slip review

Giving you the slip...

Nine Inch Nails got extra kudos this week when the band announced that its new album, The Slip, was available to download from their website. For free!

“Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one’s on me,” commented NIN frontman Trent Reznor. Never ones to look a gift horse in the mouth, e-Mo Magazine quickly downloaded the album, and here are our initial thoughts.

The Slip opens with 999,999; a Ghosts I-IV inspired ambient track that slowly pulsates into life - like waking from a drunken stupor, as your head swims with white noise and the sound of blood whooshing in your ears.

The album really kicks off with 1,000,000; a rocking track with grimy guitars and thumping electric beats, not too unlike Velvet Revolver's 'She Builds Quick Machines' but with NIN's industrial edge.

Letting You shakes things up with its dance flava; Reznor barely pausing for breath as his grizzly voice calls "We're letting you get away" over the frenetic rhythms. This neatly segways into Discipline, another catchy dance track with a great heavy base that'll have you gyrating against those cute boys faster than you can sneeze.

The Slip takes a bit of a nose dive with Echoplex, a rather run-of-the-mill NIN track that could do with ramping up the tempo a few notches. But things quickly pick up with Head Down, a sure-fire crowd pleaser, with hypnotic vocals and guitars that sound like they being dragged over gravel.

Lights In The Sky slows the pace down to dirge levels with a piano ballad for the disenchanted. We're not fans of the seriously out-of-tune piano, but Reznor's almost whispered vocals draw you in and the track certainly sticks in your mind as one of the better songs on the album.

This neatly blends into Corona Radiata, an ambient track that runs on for 7 minutes. It's certainly worth listening through once, if only for the second half of the track that picks up with a mesmerising beat; but we can't imagine having this on our play lists.

The next track, The Four Of Us Are Dying, carries on the ambient theme but with a more compelling edge. Turn the lights down low, kick back and let the music carry you away to its dark realm. Wicked stuff.

The Slip ends with Demon Seed, a straight-up-and-down rocker that takes you on a rollercoaster ride, bringing you to a climax only to pull you down and then shoot you straight up again. A great end to the album.

Whilst The Slip may not be breaking any new ground for NIN, it would seem petty to complain about a free album! Fancy getting a copy yourself? Then head over to www.nin.com and follow the instructions.

What did you think of the album? Let us know your thoughts on our forum!