(4/6)
This highly anticipated little gem is the first full album from
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails’ side project How To Destroy Angels. Welcome To Oblivion will never make it
into the top 40, because it is a completely different animal from what’s
popular these days. Hell, I’d be shocked to hear any of the tracks on the
radio. To be honest, I don’t think Reznor cares (nor has he ever). Reminiscent
of 90s industrial with a flair of musical sophistication, Welcome to Oblivion
is a subtle, edgy, and entrancing piece. Where it really diverges from Trent’s
usual work is the addition of his wife Mariqueen Maandig whose voice contrasts
Reznor’s in its softness but matches him, blending beautifully in its throaty
whisper. Reznor has a distinctive, voice that anyone who listened to industrial
in the 90s will recognize immediately from its hissing viciousness. He is truly
an icon of the industrial music scene. Maandig’s feminine vocals round out
their sound creating a complexity that I don’t think Reznor would be capable of
on his own.
The overall sound showcases Reznor’s trademark complexity
and intense layering combining the high pitched electronics of industrial and EDM
with a heavy bass sound more reminiscent of traditional rock and muted vocals
that lend an otherworldly, psychedelic feel to the album.
I give Reznor a lot of credit he’s a man of many talents and
is responsible for at least the majority of the instrumentation on the album
(along with his second time collaborator Atticus Ross and art director Rob
Sheridan). He’s the kind of man that can do anything musically he sets his mind
to. Reznor is constantly innovating while still keeping a firm grip on his
hard-edged, iconic sound. There is no mistaking his music for anything else. He
has a sophisticated, yet raw edge that is palpable in even his smoothest work.
In Welcome To Oblivion he manages to
create controlled chaos in the music itself. The chaos is audible, but each
piece is still clear and distinctive.
The issue I had with the album stemmed more from the nature
of the piece rather than any fault with the music itself. By the end of the
album, things started to feel long and it dragged. It is a heavy album, but.
The weight sneaks up on the listener and it isn’t palpable right off the bat.
By the end of the album I was tired. Not bored, exhausted.
On the whole, I really enjoyed this album it brought back a
lot of pleasant feelings and reminded me that industrial is perhaps not as dead
as we think
Well done.
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