So impressed with all you do
Tried so hard to be like you
Flew too high and burnt the wing
Lost my faith in everything

One of the necessities to create powerful art that transcends time seems to be an equally powerful inspiration. Not surprisingly, Trent Reznor rented the house where the infamous Manson Family murdered actress Sharon Tate to record his 1994 smash hit The Downward Spiral.

Unfortunately, since that album Trent struggled with depression and abuse of drug and alcohol. He stated in a magazine,
"...it was during that tour (The Downward Spiral) that problems started to arise. Prior to that I would have considered myself pretty normal. With the Downward Spiral, I can remember where I was in my head, what I was thinking, and I can remember writing that record, and the mindset. This record that was about an extension of me, became the truth fulfilling itself."

I suppose that's what inspired him because The Fragile is 23 tracks of raw anger, hatred, confusion, and desperation. But the true genius of The Fragile is it's ability to beautifully cloak it all with catchy hooks disguised under machine noise and heavy metal riffs. If you find yourself nodding your head to "The Day the World Went Away" even without any interest in Industrial music, it's because Trent can rival heavyweights like T-Pain in the art of writing catchy and memorable music. Yet for those seeking escape from "radio pop", NIN provides what you can call "angry pop"; everything from destitute whimpers to loud angry screaming. Ultimately although The Fragile may seem like a juvenile exploration of disillusioned emotions, if you close your eyes and raise up the volume I'm sure you will see as well as feel the universe Trent paints, rich with color and chaotic complexity.