Before he was a two-time Academy Award winner (for 2010’s The Social Network and 2020’s Soul), Trent Reznor melted brains and faces with his hardcore industrial music as the sole member of Nine Inch Nails.

The Downward Spiral, released in March of 1994, was NIN’s second full-length album, following the critical and commercial favorite Pretty Hate Machine.

I was and remain a fan of Pretty Hate Machine, which pairs solid songcraft with hard-edged musical experimentation. But I remember hearing and discarding The Downward Spiral pretty quickly.

It surprised me, then, to realize this album ended up performing even better than its predecessor, going 4X Platinum and reaching #2 on Billboard’s album chart. It also receive effusive critical acclaim. So what was I missing?

Nothing, as it turns out. The Downward Spiral is ear-splitting and ugly almost from start to finish. It baffles me that it found a wide audience given how unpleasant a listening experience it offers. I guess people in the mid-90s were just into the rough stuff.

The Downward Spiral does have one worthy moment, and that is closing track ‘Hurt.’ This haunting song was covered by Johnny Cash in 2002, a year before his death, and became a surprise hit.