I love Trent Reznor, he never fails t o impress

(...)You see, it takes intellect to like NIN and the typical generic rock deuch-bag is going to not like NIN because they aren't 'straight forward enough' or my favorite 'they aren't even a real band'. If you have these feelings for Nine Inch Nails, (and are probably looking at this review just to see what all the weird NIN fans are writing about their favoite band), then please give this album a listen and become enlightened by the far more aggressive side of Trent Reznor. This certainly is not Pretty Hate Machine or Downward Spiral, not in terms of genius but in terms of sound. The guitars are much more heavy and obvious than regular NIN. The vocals are so passionate and raw and lowd that you cant help but memorize every word within the first few listens. My favorite song may have to be Last. The riff is bad ass and that solo thing in the beggining is so fu#king sick. Suck is a f*cking great song too. They all are though, Wish is amazing, so is Happiness in Slaver, jesus f*cking christ that song rocks, Gave Up and Physical are just as essential too. The two instrumentals are also good. Like I was saying earlier, if you are alienated by the traditional (amazing) NIN sound and want something a little more straight forward then definetely buy Broken. I wish my friends would give into it, there is a lacking of Nine Inch Nails fans around today.

It doen't get much louder than this

Rating:A

After Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor released Pretty Hate Machine in the late 80's, he found himself obliged to his record company TVT records. Under this obligation he was forced to record several albums, under their label, even though at this point in time Trent was ready to start his own label, which would eventually happen when he released The Downward Spiral, although TVT's name was still attached to the album. The problem was the fact that TVT believed Reznor's music was too dark, and in response to his "appreciation" for such a lenient record company, Broken was released; an 8 song ep that contains some of the most brutal and wrenching industrial music this side of Ministry and Skinny Puppy. Though clocking in at a little over 30 minutes, this is one of the most powerful, compressed, and intolerant albums that NIN would ever release. By combining raw emotion, and the animosity Trent felt being tied into his record company, every single song on this album shows such a departure from the poppish sound of Pretty Hate Machine, that not a single song on here sounds like anything on their previous effort.

The album starts with an instrumental track Pinion, which blends in effortlessly into Wish, a pulsepounding track that shows no remorse for any listeners eardrums as the guitars and drums pound with such power, that you might either be obliged to turn the CD player down a bit, or crank it all the way up (I'm in the latter group). With lyrics that talk about fist-F#cking, and hating everyone, few could argue that Nine Inch Nails could get any bolder after this album, but to the surprise of many Reznor returned after this with the Downward Spiral, a story of one mans descent into madness, and the eventual suicide he had prepared for himself. Tracks such as Gave Up really show NIN in its prime, moving towards the elevated success that they would find with TDS, and interspersing the lyrics with overbearing and enraged guitars, drums, and bass. Recorded at several different places around the US, most notably in Beverly Hills, where the Tate family murders were commited, and where NIN would return to record most of The Downward Spiral, this is a true progression of one of the best musicians of our time. Highly recommended stuff, oh and by the way as the interior says, don't play this album on mono devices unless you want your speakers blown to hell.

Not NIN's best, still a decent listen for its price.

While 1992's "Broken" is easily the most aggressive NIN album to date (that being early-mid 2005), it lacks the presence and structure that really carry the full lengths, namely "The Downward Spiral" and "The Fragile". However, this is not to say that "Broken" is a poor album, but in comparison to its predecessor (the synth-pop-rock opus "Pretty Hate Machine" and its successor ("The Downward Spiral"), "Broken" seems to fall on its face a bit.



Pinion opens the album with a decent buildup, consisting of about 40 second of one guitar riff getting louder. Not bad, keep in mind though, of the 8 tracks on this EP, this is one of them. Wish is much better, with Reznor's advanced lyrics shining through, easily surpassing those of "Pretty Hate Machine" (who else cringes every time he daintily sings "rain rain, go away" on Down in It?). Some decent guitar work here, nice to see that Reznor notices that the addition of a guitar makes an album somewhat more aggressive ;-). Last is a much stronger piece, commanding the listener's attention with a powerful lead in riff, followed by other powerful guitar parts, namely the post-chorus single string blitz.



Here, things go downhill for a bit. There is Help Me I am In Hell, which is basically another throw away track (not bad, but not really enjoyable) and Happiness in Slavery, the ultimate gothic-industrial anthem. Ugly and commanding, this track doesn't really do it for me, especially with the power of Last and Wish still ringing in my ears. Luckily, the album picks up with its best track, the enormous Gave Up. Depressing lyrics abound, the track is carried by an incredible chorus riff after some electronic drums steady the verse into it. A real headbanger and also a sing-along, Gave Up takes the cake.



After about 92 tracks of silence, Physical and Suck come in, one being a cover, and nothing special or memorable at all. Suck is a bit better, but more stuck in the "Pretty Hate Machine" era, and not really fitting well on the album, albeit it is a good track.



"Broken" is a good album, but if you're new to NIN, do yourself a favour and check out "The Downward Spiral" first. If tracks like March of the Pigs, Heresy and Big Man with a Gun appeal to you, this just might be your calling.