Review of Year Zero

Trent Reznor takes a look into the future 15 years off, and things are looking pretty grim. The artwork reflects the horrors of today (the wall keeping hell out of paradise) and the future (chips inserted under skin, removed to resist). The music this time is noisy, minimal and different from previous releases, though that familiar NIN sound does pop up now and again, a reminder of the long thread Reznor has woven through the skin of his musical career. Year Zero would be a little fresher had Jeordie White (NIN’s live bassist and Marilyn Manson’s former sonic architect) co-written. Josh Freese is in the mix, and Saul Williams joins in on the hook for single “Survivalism,” a wartime anthem that takes it back to Pretty Hate Machine’s “Wish.” Although lacking a little dimension, Year Zero is another fine stake in the black heart of the Bush administration.

8/10