A friend of mine, an NIN follower and a Trent Reznor fanatic, recently asked me to put up a review for this album. Before I begin, I'll be honest with you and tell you that I've never really warmed upto NIN's music, or any sort of Industrial music for that matter, save for some early works of Fear Factory. I do, as many of you would, enjoy a couple of their songs like 'closer' and 'hurt' though. In fact, I have never listened to any NIN album through and through--they BORE me quite frankly. Well...that has changed now....and as per the request of my friend, I have finally heard an NIN album in its entirety...much to my dismay though...lol...just kiddin...read on!!I don't know much about NIN's history, except for the fact that 'The Downward Spiral' is considered as a seminal release in Industrial Music; so I won't/can't compare Year Zero to their earlier works or even The Downward Spiral. So what I'll do is give you an unbiased(I'll try my best) opinion on the album's music. Did I just say music???Apparently, it's not music--now before you go judging me on how I also listen to death/grind and talk about "music", please have patience..and read further. If you(except NIN followers) are to perceive this as a piece of music, then you're in for a big big disappointment, coz it's not. What it should be seen as is a piece of art, a piece of art coming straight from the heart of an artist; his angst, his depressions, the misery. I, however, had a tough time putting the pieces together to find the hidden art:). It's very noisy with all sorts of sounds haphazardly thrown in throughout the album--now for some, this may be innovation. Of course, innnovation it is, but then again --what the hell were Pink Floyd doing on The Dark Side Of The Moon?? Didn't all the clicking watches, the tinkering coins, the laughing men and women seem to complement the music there??The answer is a resounding YES. But with Year Zero--it's a no, with a capital n and capital o. That's not to say that the entire album is rubbish though; it does have it's fair share of radio friendly tunes and then some interesting ones. There's Survivalism which has a very catchy chorus, it gets into your head actually; Capital G has a catchy beat and a very pumped up chorus; Meet Your Master has some groovy bass lines and Trent delivers some really great vocals on In This Twilight.
Anyway, the fact is that it's a concept album--something to do with the year 2022 when the world ends or something, and it has some political lyrics(I'm sorry I didn;t go deep into them). As I've said before, I listen to music to listen to music. The message, the social impact, the blah blah can go to hell, if I wanted some intellectual stimulation I'd sit down and have a political debate with my wife or friends:). So, as always, I was not very impressed with what NIN have to offer, some of the songs could get a replay once in a blue moon though; but then they'll be lost in oblivion for me for sure. As for die hard NIN fans, I'm not sure--but I'll still say that you'll most probably love it. And the goth inspired 15 year kids will also add to the 'star power' of Mr. Reznor. To sum it up, if you're one of those who find what goes around in the making of an album, the experiences(read pretensions) of the artists, the self proclaimed junkie/goth status more stimulating than the music itself then you'll love it(Disclaimer: I'm not judging you) coz as they say..to each his own. As for me, I find this a poser effort. And Trent, you're no Roger Waters and never will be.Oh! and stop the silly goth/junkie act and go find a dustbin to live...lol...I just couldn't help myself...sorry:)
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Rating: 6.0/10
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