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100-602: The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails , released on March 8, 1994, by Nothing Records in the United States and Island Records in Europe. It is a concept album detailing the self-destruction of a man from the beginning of his misanthropic "downward spiral" to his suicidal breaking point. The album was a commercial success and established Nine Inch Nails as

200-467: A Macintosh computer, using music editor programs on the computer to distort frequencies in guitar and bass parts as a form of sound design , and creating collages of sounds with Pro Tools . Reznor searched for and moved to 10050 Cielo Drive in 1992 for recording Broken and The Downward Spiral , a decision made against his initial choice to record the album in New Orleans . 10050 Cielo Drive

300-829: A revving motorcycle whilst Pitchfork 's Alex Lindhart cited their 1968 follow up God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It as being "bootleg Einstürzende Neubauten at its grimiest atonality ". AllMusic critic Alex Henderson has stated that experimental group Cromagnon 's 1969 record Orgasm foreshadowed the industrial rock sound. Specifically, Pitchfork's Zach Baron noted their song "Caledonia" for its "pre-industrial stomp". Krautrock musicians Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger included industrial noise on their track "Negativland" (from their 1972 debut Neu! ) as well as krautrock band Faust on their track "Meadow Meal" (from their 1971 debut Faust ). AllMusic stated that Suicide's 1977 debut album "provided

400-472: A sampler , also took inspiration from both hardcore and industrial. In 1986, Canadian band Skinny Puppy released the album Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse , with its lead single, " Dig It ", seeing frequent airplay on MTV . The song was a major influence on Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor , who used it as inspiration when writing his first song, " Down in It ". Chicago's Wax Trax! Records became

500-457: A "very dangerously self-destructive" yet humorous short song written for the album, "Just Do It", was not included in the final version, criticized by Flood who said that Reznor had "gone too far." Reznor completed the last song written for the album, "Big Man with a Gun", in late 1993. After the album's recording, Reznor moved out and the house was demolished shortly thereafter. The Downward Spiral entered its mixing and mastering processes, done at

600-531: A New Orleans artist, acquired the front door from the owner of the building, and then in September 2023 the door was sold in an auction to an undisclosed buyer for $ 127,000 by Julien’s Auctions. After renting out the house, Alvin Weintraub had it demolished in early 1994 and construction on a new home began shortly after. In 1996, the newly constructed home was completed, that he named Villa Bella, and obtained

700-522: A ball gag. A radio edit that partially censored the song's explicit lyrics also received extensive airtime. The video has since been made part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. "Piggy" uses "nothing can stop me now", a line that recurs in "Ruiner" and "Big Man with a Gun". The frantic drumming on the song's outro is Reznor's only attempt at performing drums on

800-688: A concept album featuring themes of abuse, isolation, and mental instability. Committere , an installation featuring artwork and sketches for The Downward Spiral , "Closer" and "March of the Pigs" by Russell Mills was displayed at the Glasgow School of Art . Mills explained the ideas and materials that made up the painting (titled "Wound") that was used for the album's cover art : I had been thinking about making works that dealt with layers, physically, materially and conceptually. I wanted to produce works that were about both exposure and revealing and at

900-430: A lust anthem due to its chorus, which included the line "I wanna fuck you like an animal". Reznor later stated: “It’s supernegative and superhateful. It’s “I am a piece of shit and I am declaring that and if you think you want me, here I am.” I didn't think it would become a frat-party anthem or a titty-dancer anthem.” The music video for "Closer" was directed by Mark Romanek and received frequent rotation on MTV, though

1000-408: A main residence, guest house, pool, and 2-story garage. The main house had been occupied by various famous Hollywood and music industry figures. In 1994, both houses were demolished and a new house was constructed on the site, and the street address was changed to 10066 Cielo Drive. The original house was designed by Arthur W. Hawes in 1941 and completed in 1942 for French actress Michèle Morgan . It

1100-422: A major influence on Joy Division , who formed shortly before its release. Joy Division were signed to the industrially themed label Factory Records which had been founded in 1978; their albums Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980) heavily influenced the further development of industrial rock. Chrome has also been credited as the "beginning of industrial rock" and their 1978 Half Machine Lip Moves

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1200-494: A new address for the property, 10066 Cielo Drive. It is an 18,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style mansion. When he listed Villa Bella for sale in 1998, Weintraub told Los Angeles magazine that this was not the Manson murder house, saying "We went to great pains to get rid of everything ... There’s no house, no dirt, no blade of grass remotely connected to Sharon Tate." However, there is one remaining pine tree that exists between

1300-402: A proposal for a Nine Inch Nails iPhone software application, citing objectionable content in the title track. Days later, Apple reversed the decision, but refused to explain its reasoning. All tracks are written by Trent Reznor Notes To mark the album's tenth anniversary, The Downward Spiral was re-released on November 23, 2004, in high-resolution SACD and DualDisc formats. Disc one of

1400-709: A reference to murderer Susan Atkins ' writing "Pig" in Tate's blood on the front door of the house, was the site of recording sessions for most of the Nine Inch Nails album The Downward Spiral (1994). The band also recorded the EP Broken and filmed the video for "Gave Up" at 10050 Cielo Drive. Marilyn Manson recorded sections of the album Portrait of an American Family at the in-house studio in 1992. Reznor moved out in December 1993, later explaining "there

1500-540: A reputable force in the 1990s music scene , with its sound being widely imitated, and the band receiving media attention and multiple honors. Trent Reznor , the band's sole official member at the time, had moved to 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles , the site of the murder of actress Sharon Tate by members of the Manson Family in 1969; it was transformed into a studio for recording

1600-413: A reputable force in the 1990s. The band's image and musical style became so recognizable that a Gatorade commercial featured a remix of " Down in It " without their involvement. Reznor felt uncomfortable with the media hype and success the band earned, received false reports of his death, depression, and was falsely reported to have had a relationship with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer , and was depicted as

1700-405: A satire of the gangsta rap genre as a whole and was originally about madness. Reznor conceded The Downward Spiral could be "harmful, through implying and subliminally suggesting things", whereas hardcore hip hop could be "cartoonish". Robert Bork also repeatedly referenced "Big Man with a Gun" in his book Slouching Toward Gomorrah as evidence of a supposed cultural decline. Another form of

1800-449: A sex icon. Nine Inch Nails received several honors, including Grammy Award nominations for Best Alternative Performance for The Downward Spiral and Best Rock Song for "Hurt". After the release of The Downward Spiral , many bands such as Gravity Kills , Stabbing Westward , Filter , and Mötley Crüe made albums that imitated the sound of Nine Inch Nails. Reznor interpreted The Downward Spiral as an extension of himself that "became

1900-407: A subsidiary of Interscope . Simultaneously, he began fleshing out the concept for The Downward Spiral , focusing on the life and death of a misanthropic man who rebels against humanity, and kills God before attempting suicide. Reznor frequently struggled with drug addiction and depression, and the themes of the album gradually allegorized his living situation. His peers at some point recommended him

2000-538: A vanguard for the genre in the 1980s and is credited for introducing it to the United States. Ministry 's 1988 album The Land of Rape and Honey , departed from the band's synthesizer-oriented sound for a rock style that drew from hardcore punk and thrash metal , while retaining electronic elements and samples. Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen was also involved in multiple industrial rock side projects that were signed to Wax Trax!, including Revolting Cocks , 1000 Homo DJs and Pailhead . Drawing heavy influences from

2100-606: A variety of musical styles. Some post-punk performers developed styles parallel to industrial music's defining attributes. Pere Ubu 's debut, The Modern Dance , was described by Jim Irvin as "industrial", and Chris Connelly said the musical project Foetus was "the instigator when it comes to the marriage of machinery to hardcore punk ." Music journalist Simon Reynolds considered Killing Joke , which saw mainstream success with their 1985 album Night Time , "a post-punk version of heavy metal ." Others followed in their wake. The New York City band Swans were inspired by

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2200-590: Is allowed to be heard. Reznor realized that he was in the most fortunate situation he imagined when the album was recorded with a normal budget, "cool" equipment, and a studio to work at. Released on March 8, 1994, to instant success, The Downward Spiral debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 , selling nearly 119,000 copies in its first week. On October 28, 1998, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified

2300-406: Is carried over to The Downward Spiral , which includes innovative techniques such as expanded song structures and unconventional time signatures. The album features a wide range of textures and moods to illustrate the mental progress of the central protagonist. Reznor's singing follows a similar pattern from beginning to end, frequently moving from whispers to screams. These techniques are all used in

2400-474: Is referred to as the "Tate House" since Sharon Tate was murdered by members of the Manson Family in 1969; Reznor named the studio "Le Pig" after the message that was scrawled on the front door with Tate's blood by her murderers, and stayed there with Malm for 18 months. He called his first night in 10050 Cielo Drive "terrifying" because he already knew it and read books related to the incident. Reznor chose

2500-568: The Broken EP (1992) and subsequently The Downward Spiral . The album features elements of industrial rock, techno , metal and ambient soundscapes, in contrast to the band's synth-pop -influenced debut album Pretty Hate Machine (1989). Reznor was strongly influenced by David Bowie 's Low and Pink Floyd 's The Wall for their themes of introspection and dissociation, and their focus on texture and space. The Downward Spiral has been regarded by music critics and audiences as one of

2600-555: The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipping 200,000 copies in Canada. A group of early listeners of the album viewed it as "commercial suicide", but Reznor did not make it for profit as his goal was to slightly broaden Nine Inch Nails' scope. Reznor felt that the finished product he delivered to Interscope was complete and faithful to his vision and thought its commercial potential

2700-480: The Dissonance Tour , which included 26 separate performances with co-headliner David Bowie on his Outside Tour . Nine Inch Nails was the opening act for the tour, and its set transitioned into Bowie's set with joint performances of both bands' songs. However, the crowds reportedly did not respond positively to the pairing due to their creative differences. Despite this, in a 2012 Rolling Stone readers' poll,

2800-477: The Record Plant and A&M Studios with Alan Moulder , who subsequently took on more extensive production duties for future album releases. Numerous layers of metaphors are present throughout The Downward Spiral , leaving it open to wide interpretation. The album relays nihilism and is defined by a prominent theme of self-abuse and self-control . It is a semi-autobiographical concept album, in which

2900-641: The 1980s with the success of artists such as Killing Joke , Swans , and partially Skinny Puppy , and later spawned the offshoot genre known as industrial metal . The genre was made more accessible to mainstream audiences in the 1990s with the aid of acts such as Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson , both of which have released platinum-selling records. Richie Unterberger assessed the Red Krayola as "a precursor to industrial rock" with their 1967 record The Parable of Arable Land exhibiting music made by 50 people on anything from industrial power tools to

3000-786: The 1995 Mortal Kombat: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack , which was certified platinum by the RIAA in January 1996. Marilyn Manson released their album Antichrist Superstar in 1996, which was certified platinum by the RIAA two months after its release date. In the United States, Antichrist Superstar sold at least 1,900,000 units. Marilyn Manson's EP Smells Like Children was certified platinum in May 1998. The band's third album Mechanical Animals went to number 1, dethroning Lauryn Hill 's solo debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and selling 223,000 copies in its first week in stores. It

3100-683: The Archbishop of Denver , Reverend Charles J. Chaput . Participants criticized the album, Nine Inch Nails' label-mate Marilyn Manson , and the 1999 film The Matrix for their alleged contribution to the environment that made incidents like Columbine possible. The committee requested that the Federal Trade Commission and the United States Department of Justice investigate the entertainment industry's marketing practices to minors. In 2009, Apple rejected

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3200-612: The Downward Spiral  ... deeper & deeper it goes. to cuddle w. her, to be one w. her, to love; just laying there. I need a gun. This is a weird entry ... I should feel happy, but shit brought me down. Dylan Klebold from one of his journals two years before the shooting. Before the Columbine High School massacre , perpetrator Dylan Klebold referenced lyrics from Nine Inch Nails songs multiple times in his journal. Klebold heavily identified with

3300-498: The New York's no wave scene, Cop Shoot Cop incorporated two bass guitars with no guitars. In the 1990s, industrial rock broke into the mainstream with artists and bands such as Nine Inch Nails , Orgy , Rob Zombie , White Zombie , and Marilyn Manson . In December 1992, Nine Inch Nails' EP Broken was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) . Nine Inch Nails gained further popularity with

3400-541: The Nights of Nothing showcase as "tight, brash and dramatic", but was disappointed at the lack of new material. On the second of the three nights, Richard Patrick was briefly reunited with the band and contributed guitar to a performance of " Head Like a Hole ". After the Self Destruct tour, Chris Vrenna, who had been a member of the live band since 1988 and frequent contributor to Nine Inch Nails studio recordings, left

3500-563: The Pigs", "Hurt" and an uncensored video of "Closer". There is also an interactive discography and an image gallery. High resolution 24-bit/48 kHz 5.1 Surround sound and stereo versions of The Downward Spiral can be played on a DVD-Audio player, allowing the user a similar high fidelity experience as the SACD layer of the Deluxe Edition. The DualDisc release does not contain the additional B-sides and demo tracks. Credits adapted from

3600-540: The Self Destruct tour in support of The Downward Spiral . Chris Vrenna and James Woolley performed drums and keyboards respectively, Robin Finck replaced Richard Patrick on guitar and the bassist Danny Lohner was added to the line-up. The stage set-up consisted of dirty curtains which would be pulled down and up for visuals shown during songs such as "Hurt". The back of the stage was littered with darker and standing lights, along with very few actual ones. The tour debuted

3700-469: The Tate house to calibrate his engineering skills and the band bought a large console and two Studer machines as resources, a move that he believed was cheaper than renting. Reznor collaborated with the Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros drummer Stephen Perkins , the progressive rock guitarist Adrian Belew , and the Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna . Belew's first visit to the studio involved playing

3800-460: The United States. A large Industrial metal scene also emerged in Europe in the 20th century. The Industrial Metal band that manages to appeal to the largest audiences worldwide is Rammstein . Other names have also proven successful in the European scene, including Pain , Deathstars , Dagoba , Eisbrecher , Gothminister and Godflesh . 10050 Cielo Drive (Los Angeles) The property had

3900-485: The act permanently to pursue a career in producing and to form Tweaker . The Downward Spiral ' s release date was delayed at various times to slow down Reznor's intended pace of the album's recording. The first delay caused the process of setting up Le Pig to take longer than he expected, and its release was postponed again as he was educating himself different ways to write songs that did not resemble those on Broken and Pretty Hate Machine . He considered delivering

4000-550: The addition of various theatrical visual elements. Its performance of " Happiness in Slavery " from the Woodstock concert earned the group a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1995. Entertainment Weekly commented about the band's Woodstock '94 performance: "Reznor unstrings rock to its horrifying, melodramatic core—an experience as draining as it is exhilarating". Despite this acclaim, Reznor attributed his dislike of

4100-460: The album found the music to be highly abrasive. Pareles asserted that unlike other electro-industrial groups like Ministry and Nitzer Ebb , "Reznor writes full-fledged tunes" with stronger use of melodies than riffs. He noticed criticisms of Nine Inch Nails from industrial purists for popularizing the genre and the album's transgression. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave it an "honorable mention" in his capsule review column and summed

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4200-707: The album quadruple platinum, and by December 2011, it had sold 3.7 million copies in the United States. The album peaked at number nine on the UK Albums Chart , and on July 22, 2013, it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments in excess of 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. It reached number 13 on the Canadian RPM albums chart and received a triple platinum certification from

4300-485: The album to Interscope in early 1993, only to experience a writer's block as he was unable to produce any satisfactory material. Interscope grew impatient and concerned with this progress, but Reznor was not forced by their demands of expediency despite crediting the label for giving him creative freedom. He told the producer Rick Rubin that his motivation for creating the album was to get it finished, thus Rubin responded that Reznor might not do so until he makes music that

4400-405: The album was ranked number 200 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time , then was re-ranked 201 in a 2012 revised list. The Rolling Stone staff wrote: "Holing up in the one-time home of Manson-family victim Sharon Tate, Trent Reznor made an overpowering meditation on NIN's central theme: control." It moved up to 122 on the magazine's revised list in 2020. The album

4500-515: The album's deluxe edition re-release is nearly identical to the original version; track anomalies such as sounds from previous tracks creeping up on start of tracks are fixed, and it includes a stereo and multi-channel SACD layer. The second bonus disc is a collection of remixes and B-sides and also includes a stereo SACD layer in addition to the Redbook CD layer. The last three tracks on the bonus disc are previously unreleased demo recordings from

4600-646: The album's theme of angst had already been used by grunge bands like Nirvana , and that Nine Inch Nails' depiction was more generalized. Using elements of genres such as techno , dance, electronic , heavy metal , and hard rock , The Downward Spiral is considered an industrial rock , alternative rock , industrial metal , industrial , and art rock album. Reznor regularly uses noise and distortion in his song arrangements that do not follow verse–chorus form , and incorporates dissonance with chromatic melody or harmony (or both). The treatment of metal guitars in Broken

4700-443: The antidepressant Prozac , but he declined to be medicated. Reznor wanted the album's sound to diverge from the abrasion of Broken , emphasizing mood, texture, restraint and subtlety, although he was unsure about its musical direction. He decided to utilize "full range" sound, focusing on texture and space, and avoiding conventional usage of guitars or synthesizers with a recognizable sound palette. Subsequently, he mainly worked with

4800-403: The appeal of the lawlessness and the lack of morality and that whole thing is the other end of it, the victims who don't deserve that. Reznor took the front door of the house with him when he moved out, installing it at Nothing Studios , his new recording studio/record label headquarters in New Orleans . Nothing Studios was later sold and the façade of the building changed. Christopher Moore,

4900-545: The band released an accompanying remix album titled Further Down the Spiral . It features contributions from Coil with Danny Hyde , J. G. Thirlwell , electronic musician Aphex Twin , producer Rick Rubin, and Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro . The album peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200 and received mixed reviews. Recoiled , a remix EP of " Gave Up ", "Closer", "The Downward Spiral", and "Eraser" by Coil,

5000-463: The band's grungy and messy image in which they would come out in ragged clothes slathered in corn starch. The concerts were violent and chaotic, with band members often injuring themselves. They would frequently destroy their instruments at the end of concerts, attack each other, and stage-dive into the crowd. The tour included a set at Woodstock '94 broadcast on pay-per-view and seen in as many as 24 million homes. The band being covered in mud

5100-501: The best-produced album of the 1990s. The Downward Spiral ' s emphasis on transgressive themes drew criticism from American social conservatives . Senator Bob Dole , then the head of the Republican Party , sharply denounced Time Warner , the former owner of Interscope's former parent company Warner Music Group , after a meeting between Michael J. Fuchs (head of WMG), William Bennett , and C. Delores Tucker . During

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5200-504: The blueprints for post-punk , synth pop , and industrial rock ." In 1976, English musician David Bowie collaborated with American musician Iggy Pop on his 1977 solo debut The Idiot . Musically, the album is said to contain elements of industrial rock, notably the closing track, "Mass Production", which contains numerous "proto-industrial noises" created using tape loops , and is described by Hugo Wilcken as "early industrial electronica". The Idiot has been described as having

5300-595: The concert to its technical difficulties. The main leg of the tour featured Marilyn Manson as the supporting act, who featured the bassist Jeordie White (then playing under the pseudonym "Twiggy Ramirez"); White later played bass with Nine Inch Nails from 2005 to 2007. After another tour leg supporting the remix album Further Down the Spiral , Nine Inch Nails contributed to the Alternative Nation Festival in Australia and subsequently embarked on

5400-441: The cover of the album. It is made of plaster, acrylics, oils, rusted metals, insects, moths, blood (mine), wax, varnishes, and surgical bandaging on a wooden panel. "March of the Pigs" and "Closer" were released as singles; two other songs, "Hurt" and "Piggy", were issued to radio without a commercial single release. "March of the Pigs" has an unusual meter , alternating three bars of 7/8 time with one of 8/8. The song's music video

5500-399: The decades following the album's release. Other equipments and software Reznor used for recording the album include Oberheim OB-Mx, Minimoog , Prophet VS keyboard, Eventide H3000 Harmonizer, Pro Tools and various Jackson and Gibson guitars. In December 1993, Reznor was confronted by Patti Tate, who asked if he was exploiting Sharon Tate's death in the house. Reznor responded that he

5600-513: The end of World War II , Morgan had returned to France. In 1944, the house was sold to Dr. Hartley Dewey and his wife Louise, where they converted the barbeque shelter into a guest house and added a dressing room for the pool. In 1946, the Deweys rented the home to Lillian Gish while she was filming Duel in the Sun . Rudolph Altobelli (1929–2011), a music and film industry talent manager , bought

5700-407: The first time the whole thing kind of slapped me in the face. I said, "No, it's just sort of my own interest in American folklore. I'm in this place where a weird part of history occurred." I guess it never really struck me before, but it did then. She lost her sister from a senseless, ignorant situation that I don't want to support. When she was talking to me, I realized for the first time, "What if it

5800-408: The first time, the whole thing kind of slapped me in the face. I said, 'No, it's just sort of my own interest in American folklore. I'm in this place where a weird part of history occurred.' I guess it never really struck me before, but it did then. She lost her sister from a senseless, ignorant situation that I don't want to support. When she was talking to me, I realized for the first time, 'What if it

5900-441: The guest house behind the main house and was unaware of the murders until the next morning, when he was taken into custody by police officers who had arrived at the scene. He was later cleared of all charges. Altobelli moved into the house just three weeks after the murders and resided there until 1988. During an interview on ABC's show 20/20 , he said that while living there, he felt "safe, secure, loved, and beauty". The house

6000-477: The guitar parts in "Mr. Self-Destruct", and he was told to play freely, think on reacting to melodies, concentrate on rhythm, and use noise. This approach improved Reznor's confidence in the instrument: he found it to be more expressive than the keyboard due to the interface. Belew praised Reznor for his "command of technology," and commented that the music of Nine Inch Nails made innovations "that are in [his] realm." Vrenna and Perkins played drum parts recorded live in

6100-480: The home from Altobelli. On August 9, 1969, the home became the scene of the murders of the eight-months-pregnant Sharon Tate, Wojciech Frykowski, Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring , and Steven Parent committed by Tex Watson , Susan Atkins , and Patricia Krenwinkel , members of the Manson Family cult. Charles Manson himself was an associate of Melcher and had previously visited the house. William Garretson , Altobelli's caretaker and an acquaintance of Parent, lived in

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6200-431: The house and pool on the property as well as two wooden posts that were originally part of an arbor. The owner of the property as of December 2013 was Hollywood producer Jeff Franklin . In 2010, he had made this comment to Architectural Digest : "What I fell in love with here was the setting, the view, the privacy, and the amount of flat land" but complained that the design of the house was badly conceived. The property

6300-540: The house for $ 86,000 in the early 1960s (equivalent to $ 876855 in 2023) and often rented it out. Residents included Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon (it was their honeymoon nest in 1965 ); Henry Fonda ; George Chakiris ; Mark Lindsay ; Samantha Eggar ; and Olivia Hussey . Charles Manson visited the house in late 1968, when it was occupied (from May 1967 to January 1969) by couple Terry Melcher (the son of actress Doris Day ) and Candice Bergen . In February 1969, Roman Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate began renting

6400-645: The latter being heavily censored. A remix album titled Further Down the Spiral was released in 1995. Reznor conceived of The Downward Spiral after Nine Inch Nails' run in the lineup of the Lollapalooza festival tour, feeling increasingly alienated and disinterested. The band's concerts were known for their radical onstage dynamic in which members acted aggressively, injured themselves, destroyed instruments , and polluted stages. Reznor had begun to feud with TVT Records , resulting in him co-founding Nothing Records with his then-manager John Malm, Jr. as

6500-427: The liner notes of The Downward Spiral . Shipments figures based on certification alone. Industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music . It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Throbbing Gristle , Einstürzende Neubauten and Chrome . Industrial rock became more prominent in

6600-530: The local no wave scene, notably Glenn Branca's band Theoretical Girls "You Got Me" as well as punk rock, noise music (particularly Whitehouse ) and the original industrial groups. Steve Albini 's Big Black followed a similar path, while also incorporating American hardcore punk . Big Black has also been closely associated with post-hardcore and noise rock , though their ties to industrial music are extremely apparent. The Swiss trio The Young Gods , who deliberately eschewed electric guitars in favor of

6700-551: The luxury home resembling an early 19th-century European style farmhouse. The house was completed in 1942, with an address of 10050 Cielo Drive. It was on a 3.3-acre level lot above Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills. The home included a 3,200 square foot main residence; barbeque shelter; swimming pool; and a 2-story garage. According to the Los Angeles Times , Morgan paid $ 32,000 (equivalent to $ 470,000 in 2020). By

6800-410: The meeting, Tucker and Bennett demanded that Fuchs recite lyrics from "Big Man with a Gun". Interscope had previously been blamed for releasing gangsta rap albums by rappers such as Dr. Dre , Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg that were deemed objectionable. Reznor called Tucker (who erroneously referred to Nine Inch Nails as a gangsta rap act) "such a fucking idiot", and claimed that the song was actually

6900-410: The most important albums of the 1990s, and was praised for its abrasive and eclectic nature and dark themes, although it was sensationalized by social conservatives for some of its lyrics. The album spawned two lead singles, " March of the Pigs " and " Closer ", in addition to the promotional singles " Piggy " and " Hurt ". The lead singles were accompanied by music videos, with the former shot twice and

7000-600: The music video of "Closer" on MTV as an adolescent and expressed that the album changed his perception of popular music from that of songs heard on the radio to albums with cover art. Stereogum ' s Tom Breihan remains favorable toward the album since influenced youth culture, with teenagers wearing ripped fish nets on their arms. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . Adrien Begrand of Stylus Magazine considers The Downward Spiral to be an "over-the-top masterpiece" that ranks alongside My Bloody Valentine 's Loveless (1991) as

7100-434: The network heavily censored the original version, which they perceived to be too graphic. The video shows events in a laboratory dealing with religion, sexuality, animal cruelty, politics, and terror; controversial imagery included a nude bald woman with a crucifix mask, a monkey tied to a cross, a pig's head spinning on a machine, a diagram of a vulva, Reznor wearing an S&M mask while swinging in shackles, and of him wearing

7200-481: The original album. All tracks are written by Trent Reznor , except "Dead Souls" by Joy Division and "Memorabilia" by Soft Cell DualDisc (Halo 8 DVD-A) The DualDisc edition of The Downward Spiral contains the same CD content on Side A as the Deluxe Edition, with a DVD-Audio layer on Side B. When played on DVD-Video players a Dolby Digital 5.1 multi-channel or Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mix of The Downward Spiral can be selected, along with videos of "March of

7300-499: The overarching plot follows the protagonist's descent into madness in his own inner solipsistic world through a metaphorical "downward spiral", dealing with religion, dehumanization, violence, disease, society, drugs, sex, and finally, suicide. Reznor described the concept as consisting of "someone who sheds everything around them to a potential nothingness, but through career, religion, relationship, belief and so on." Media journalists like The New York Times writer Jon Pareles noted

7400-562: The protagonist of The Downward Spiral as a symbol of his own depression. On May 4, 1999, a hearing on the marketing and distribution practices of violent content to minors by the television, music, film, and video game industries was conducted before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation . The committee heard testimony from cultural observers, professors, and mental health professionals, that included conservative William Bennett and

7500-502: The record up as, "musically, Hieronymus Bosch as postindustrial atheist; lyrically, Transformers as kiddie porn." Jonathan Gold , writing for Rolling Stone , likened the album to cyberpunk fiction. Entertainment Weekly reviewer Tom Sinclair commented: "Reznor's pet topics (sex, power, S&M, hatred, transcendence) are all here, wrapped in hooks that hit your psyche with the force of a blowtorch." The Downward Spiral has been listed on several publications' best album lists. In 2003,

7600-593: The record, and one of the few "live" drum performances on the album. He had stated that the recording was from him testing the microphone setup in studio, but he liked the sound too much not to include it. It was released as a promotional single in December 1994 and reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Released in 1995, "Hurt" includes references to self-harm and heroin addiction . The Nine Inch Nails live band embarked on

7700-593: The release of their 1994 album The Downward Spiral , which was certified 4× platinum by the RIAA in 1998. The band's 1999 album The Fragile was certified 2× platinum in January 2000. With the success of Nine Inch Nails, the band's debut album Pretty Hate Machine was certified 3× platinum by the RIAA. In the 1990s, four Nine Inch Nails songs went on the Billboard Hot 100 . Several industrial rock and industrial metal artists such as KMFDM , Fear Factory , Gravity Kills and Sister Machine Gun appeared on

7800-447: The same dealt with closure and covering. Given the nature of the lyrics and the power of the music I was working with, I felt justified in attempting to make works that alluded to the apparently contradictory imagery of pain and healing. I wanted to make beautiful surfaces that partially revealed the visceral rawness of open wounds beneath. The mixed media work 'Wound' was the first piece I tackled in this vein (no pun intended) and it became

7900-536: The same with drum parts. Digidesign 's TurboSynth and Zoom 9030 effects unit were used extensively to process guitar tracks, often in conjunction with a Marshall JMP-1 preamp ; Zoom 9030 was also used to distort vocals. Acoustic drums in various settings, as well as Roland 's TR-808 and R-70 drum machines were sampled through multiple Akai S1000s and a Kurzweil K2000 . Additionally, Vrenna had compiled various movie samples on Digital Audio Tapes for Reznor to sample, which were gradually identified by fans in

8000-478: The song "Hurt", which features a highly dissonant tritone played on guitar during the verses, a B5#11, emphasized when Reznor sings the eleventh note on the word "I" every time the B/E# dyad is played. "Mr. Self Destruct", a song about a powerful person, follows a build-up sampled from the 1971 film THX 1138 with an "industrial roar" and is accompanied by an audio loop of a pinion rotating. "The Becoming" expresses

8100-556: The state of being dead and the protagonist's transformation into a non-human organism. "Closer" concludes with a chromatic piano motif : The melody is introduced during the second verse of "Piggy" on organ, then reappears in power chords at drop D tuning throughout the chorus of "Heresy", and recurs for the final time on "The Downward Spiral". The album was chiefly inspired by David Bowie's Low , an experimental rock album which Reznor related to on songwriting, mood, and structures, as well as progressive rock group Pink Floyd's The Wall ,

8200-470: The studio; the tracks were rendered into looped samples. Reznor took a similar approach to recording guitar parts: he would tape 20- to 25-minute-long sessions of himself playing guitars on a hard disc recorder with the Studio Vision sequencer. Reznor frequently sampled excerpts from his guitar session tracks and processed them to sporadic and expressive points to convey the album's themes, also doing

8300-401: The tour (pairing Nine Inch Nails with Bowie) was named one of the top 10 opening acts in rock history. The tour concluded with "Nights of Nothing", a three-night showcase of performances from Nothing Records bands Marilyn Manson, Prick , Meat Beat Manifesto , and Pop Will Eat Itself , which ended with an 80-minute set from Nine Inch Nails. Kerrang! described the Nine Inch Nails set during

8400-526: The truth fulfilling itself," as he experienced personal and social issues presented in the album after its release. He had already struggled with social anxiety disorder and depression and started his abuse of narcotics including cocaine while he went on an alcohol binge. Around this time, his studio perfectionism, struggles with addiction, and bouts of writer's block prolonged the production of The Fragile , and Reznor completed rehabilitation from drugs in 2001. One year after The Downward Spiral ’s release,

8500-558: Was a result of pre-concert backstage play, contrary to the belief that it was an attention-grabbing ploy, thus making it difficult for Reznor to navigate the stage: Reznor pushed Lohner into the mud pit as the concert began and saw mud from his hair entering his eyes while performing. Nine Inch Nails was widely proclaimed to have "stolen the show" from its popular contemporaries, mostly classic rock bands, and its fan base expanded. The band received considerable mainstream success thereafter, performing with significantly higher production values and

8600-565: Was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA in March 1996. White Zombie's vocalist Rob Zombie began creating pure industrial metal albums in his solo career. Rob Zombie's 1998 solo debut studio album Hellbilly Deluxe was certified 3× platinum by the RIAA less than two years after its release date. In November 1999, Powerman 5000 's album Tonight the Stars Revolt! was certified platinum by the RIAA. The album sold at least 1,316,172 units in

8700-733: Was certified platinum by the RIAA in February 1999 and sold at least 1,409,000 copies in the United States. Orgy also experienced mainstream success during the 1990s. The band's 1998 album Candyass was certified platinum by the RIAA in July 1999. Orgy's cover of New Order 's song " Blue Monday " went to number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the Dance Club Songs chart. White Zombie experimented with industrial metal on its 1995 album Astro-Creep: 2000 , which

8800-478: Was directed by Peter Christopherson and was shot twice; the first version scrapped due to Reznor's involvement, and the released second version being a live performance. "Closer" features a heavily modified bass drum sample from the Iggy Pop song " Nightclubbing " from his album The Idiot . Lyrically, it is a meditation on self-hatred and obsession, but to Reznor's dismay, the song was widely misinterpreted as

8900-429: Was interested in the house as her death happened there. He later made a statement about this encounter during a 1997 interview with Rolling Stone : While I was working on [The] Downward Spiral , I was living in the house where Sharon Tate was killed. Then one day I met her sister [Patti Tate]. It was a random thing, just a brief encounter. And she said: 'Are you exploiting my sister's death by living in her house?' For

9000-436: Was limited, but after its release he was surprised by the success and received questions about a follow-up single with a music video to be shown on MTV. The album has since sold over four million copies worldwide. Many music critics and audiences praised The Downward Spiral for its abrasive, eclectic nature and dark themes and commented on the concept of a destruction of a man. The New York Times writer Jon Pareles' review of

9100-553: Was listed on Wire 's "100 Records That Set The World On Fire (When No One Was Listening)". Industrial rock was created in the mid- to late 1970s, amidst the punk rock revolution and disco fever. Prominent early industrial musicians include Throbbing Gristle , Cabaret Voltaire , NON , SPK and Z'EV . Many other artists have been cited as influences such as Kraftwerk , Gary Numan , and Tubeway Army as well as Einstürzende Neubauten and Fad Gadget . Many other musical performers were incorporating industrial music elements into

9200-431: Was my sister?" I thought, "Fuck Charlie Manson. I don't want to be looked at as a guy who supports serial-killer bullshit." I went home and cried that night. It made me see there's another side to things, you know? It's one thing to go around with your dick swinging in the wind, acting like it doesn't matter. But when you understand the repercussions that are felt ... that's what sobered me up: realizing that what balances out

9300-403: Was my sister?' I thought, 'Fuck Charlie Manson .' I went home and cried that night. It made me see there's another side to things, you know? The British producer and engineer Flood, known for engineering and producing U2 and Depeche Mode albums, was employed as co-producer on The Downward Spiral ; it became his last collaboration with Nine Inch Nails due to creative differences. For instance,

9400-560: Was placed 10th on Spin ' s 125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years list; the Spin staff quoted Ann Powers' review that appreciated its bleak, aggressive style. It was ranked number 488 in the book The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time by heavy metal music critic Martin Popoff . In 2001, Q named The Downward Spiral as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time ; in 2010, the album

9500-586: Was ranked number 102 on their 250 Best Albums of Q's Lifetime (1986–2011) list. The Downward Spiral was featured in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . In May 2014, Loudwire placed The Downward Spiral at number two on its "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994" list. In July 2014, Guitar World placed The Downward Spiral at number 43 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list. The immediate success of The Downward Spiral established Nine Inch Nails as

9600-512: Was released on February 24, 2014, via British record label Cold Spring . Retrospective reviews regard The Downward Spiral as one of the most important albums of the 1990s and Reznor's greatest work. The 2004 edition of The New Rolling Stone Album Guide gave the album five out of five stars and called it "a powerful statement, and one of the landmark albums of the Nineties." Writing for Entertainment Weekly , Kyle Anderson remembered watching

9700-615: Was similar to the house which sat on its own plateau directly below 10050, 10048 Cielo Drive, which was often called the Twin House. The French country-style structure was located on 3 acres (1.2 ha), and included a private drive on Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, an area west of Hollywood in the Santa Monica Mountains that overlooks Beverly Hills and Bel Air . The hillside structure faced east and

9800-476: Was surrounded by thick pine and flowering cherry trees. According to official documents with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the architect of record for this home was Arthur W. Hawes (1873–1951). The builder was J.F. Wadkins Corp. Michèle Morgan , French actress for RKO Radio Pictures , arranged for architect Arthur W. Hawes to design a home and for J.F. Wadkins to build

9900-449: Was then sold to John Prell, a real estate investor. The purchase price was $ 1.6 million in 1989 (equivalent to $ 4 million in 2023). In 1992, Prell sold the property to Alvin Weintraub, another real estate investor. The final resident of the original house was the musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails . Reznor rented the house in 1992 and set up a recording studio there. This studio, dubbed "Pig" (sometimes called "Le Pig") in

10000-419: Was too much history in that house for me to handle." Reznor made a statement about working in the Tate house during a 1997 interview with Rolling Stone : While I was working on Downward Spiral , I was living in the house where Sharon Tate was killed. Then one day I met her sister. It was a random thing, just a brief encounter. And she said: "Are you exploiting my sister's death by living in her house?" For

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