Nine Inch Nails – Bad Witch LP

Description

OnBad Witch,Trent ReznorandAtticus Rossconclude the conceptual narrative arc started on 2016’sNot the Actual Eventsand continued on 2017’sAdd Violence. Drifting outside the comfort zone of what aNine Inch Nailsalbum is expected to sound like,Bad Witchis the least accessible of the trilogy, a pessimistic, misanthropic, and frustrating cacophony that challenges even the most devotedNINfan. And yet, after multiple listens,Bad Witchreveals itself as the most cohesive and enveloping experience of this period. AsReznornoted in interviews,Eventsfocused on self-reflection and self-destruction, whileViolencesearched for answers from a broken world.Bad Witchconcludes that we’re the problem and humanity is doomed. That nihilistic blood courses through these six songs, which can be divided into pairs: a triptych within the trilogy.

Reznorlaunches an immediate assault with “Shit Mirror,” a corrosive reflection of the worst of us all. Shards ofBrokencut through the distortion and handclaps and saxophones herald a “new world, new times” asReznoraccepts that “mutation feels alright.” Bleeding directly into “Ahead of Ourselves,” the torrent continues, withReznor’s ring-modulated vocals buried beneath a heavily programmed drum’n’bass beat and jagged riffs. Maniacally hopeless, humanity is condemned as a pack of “knuckle dragging animal(s)” who celebrate ignorance.Reznorhasn’t been this outwardly pissed off in years and it’s a thrill.

The heart ofBad Witchowes much toDavid Bowieand his final album,Blackstar. Instrumental jazz break “Play the Goddamned Part” — which recallsLost Highway’s “Driver Down” expanded with more sax squeals and piano tinkering — serves as a five-minute introduction to theLynch-iannoir of lead single “God Break Down the Door,” an oddity in theNINcatalog that debutsReznor’s hitherto unheard,Bowie-esquecroon.Bad Witchcloses with a pair of experimental squalls that devour nearly half of the album’s run time. “I’m Not from This World” builds with ominous dread, an unnerving mutation ofReznor’s work on the Quake soundtrack. “Over and Out” endsBad Witchand the trilogy itself with more sax, full-throated singing,Year Zerobeats, and ghostlyFragile-era xylophone. Both warning and resignation,Reznorcautions “time is running out” as the song evaporates into the ether, ending this 18-month journey on an uncomfortable note. As the band looks back upon three decades of pain and rage,ReznorandRossleave the sonic bread crumbs and callback allusions to the first two installments, advancing with fresh and surprising new possibilities for the coming era ofNine Inch Nails.