The ingenious marketing concept behind Nine Inch Nail’s latest album, Year Zero, is almost as creative as lead singer Trent Reznor’s lyrics.
Months before the release of the latest album, a fan noticed that the letters on the back of a Nine Inch Nails tour shirt were bolded to form the phrase “iamtryingtobelieve.” This led to the first of many Web sites preaching about a drug called Parepin, the year zero and many other conspiracy theories.
While the ambiguous nature of this Web site scavenger hunt left much to the imagination, its unique approach builds on the idea behind the album — an idea that in 15 years, the world will become corrupt with greed and power. Politically driven and taking place 15 years in the future, Year Zero is quite a ride for the entirety of its 16-track run. The band pushes out relentless beats and heavily distorted guitar riffs while Reznor lets loose his thought-provoking poetry through the speakers. It is made clear within the first few tracks that NIN doesn’t care too much for the government; namely, George Bush. In fact, the song Capital G seems to be a direct and sarcastic attack on the president, boasting a chorus ending with the lines: “traded in my god for this one, he signs his name with a capital G.”
The album sticks to the beautifully creative and wonderfully imagined concept of Year Zero and proves to be a great and unique burst of creativity to the music world.
The love/hate aspect of their music stays the same. If you hated it before, this album won’t change your mind, but if you’ve ever enjoyed anything NIN has put out, this album is easily worth your cash.
The verdict:
“This is the Nine Inch Nails that fans have come to know, love and respect.” - 5/5 stars.
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