Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth

This is the most dissapointing album I have ever heard in my entire life. I actually anticipated the album a lot because NIN is THE most influential music in my life. After hearing The Hand That Feeds on the radio a few times prior to its release, I did not completely lose my hopes; the radio usually features some of the worst songs from some of the best albums. After burning an advance copy illegally, with the plan to purchase the album upon its release, I quickly learned that The Hand That Feeds truly is one of the better tracks on the album. After one listen, I literally threw the CD away and lost a lot of respect for Trent Reznor. I understand he has cleaned up his life quite a bit, but if this is going to compromise the quality of his music as drastically as it has, then bring on the drugs and the torment. I cannot say I have completely lost respect for NIN because his earlier work is some of the best music ever made. I just think that it would have been a better career move to stop making music than to do like Metallica did and start making horrible music.

Think about it: "With teeth" suggest a projection of agressiveness and solid musical stand but that in reality miserably fails into a weaker/brainless pop tentative.
I will thwart that title with a pity euphemism: Toothless.
History has shown that theres indeed some weakening impulse on bands in through the years and an urge to create more "compatible" musical material for audience in order to emancipate their will of profit that will sustain their well accustomed burgueois lifestyles.
Metallica is a clear spot followed by NIN. Bands with a name and a style, even with some kind of "ideology" (metallica probably more) that promptly got dissolved into the futile, insipid, uninspired radio chart, global radio style and the tempting proximity of the crowds.
NIN doesnt pretend to be "industrial" anymore, he shows his real face, the real depth that always had. The bones are visible and all the leather and the spikes are out. And we can see an skelleton made with marshmellows, not even bones.
The opening song was intended to be a radio hit. alternative sounding, funky and disco rythm. originality or brilliant idea? you tell me!. then we find a song after song of common coarsed pop with some NIN typical sounds, a mouse making noises behind the pop structure. yeah he needs to remind yourself what he used to be...with some noises.
the last two songs reminds a bit of "the fragile" but completely lacks any strong emotion or even some accent of honesty. songs for closing a weak album? yeah we have some.
why dont we try what we did before?
The future of NIN is probably clear. Trent using Hilfinger sweaters for advertising, singing in duo with Madonna on stage, making more videos for MTV and "mixing influences" with some unknown latin band in order to "recreate" his career.
Whereas there was a "mastermind" here it is necessary to ask ourselves: to where he left? at least where his "industrial pop" music is it?
nothing... toothless.
Comformity and setback way to go!

While this album is definately on a softer note compared to past NIN releases, I personally feel that it is still a very solid album from the genius that is Trent Reznor.

Immediately tracks that stand out include The Line Begins to Blur, Love is not Enough and yes, even The Hand That Feeds (with moments that hark back to Prett Hate Machine).
I will admit that some tracks (Only being the main one) caused me to think that Trent had gone Electroclash, but on the whole this album comes across as big success.

Definately worth the money of any NIN fan.

Perhaps Trent is getting older (when wearing a black sweater in past photo shoots, he has looked rather like a soccer mom), or perhaps the substance abuse has caught up with him. Or perhaps he just listened to the radio a bit too much and his brain's gone soft, but this is the most "pop" NIN album, and not in a good way. The industrial edge of earlier work is gone. He sings a lovely falsetto, has harmonizing vocals, and includes a tambourine, and that's only the first track. I could almost see people clapping along and swaying rhythmically in some stadium, wearing the shirt they just bought, and a notable lack of spikes or leather.

But I like that song, especially when compared to the boring, repetitive vocals on the following tracks. "The Hand That Feeds", the first radio track, which has all the pointy industrial edges softened for mass consumption. "Only" starts with what I could only call a nu-disco beat, and is joined by a funky bass line. Yes, funky. And instead of screaming and spitting teeth, or whispering his dark dreams to us, he speaks, and he reminds me of Ben Folds for some reason. But Ben is fun, and Trent is supposed to be a bit scary. Even when he does scream some obscenities, I'm just thinking of Ben Folds on a bad day, an alternative rocker gone a bit dark, perhaps with an ex-metal band as the new guitarist.

Only on the last two tracks really appease me. Mind you, these aren't filled with the vitriol and rusty barbs that used to rend my ears, but they're the slightly spooky quiet tracks. Perhaps Trent is only a specter of the past monster he played, or perhaps that costume no longer fits.