Review Summary: Basic but layered. Simple but emotional. This is, to put it square, The Fragile redux. Despite that, the toned downed sound still manages to bring depth and the emotional lyrics make this a required listen for all fans.
There has always been a long wait between albums for NIN. 5 years from Pretty Hate Machine to The Downward Spiral. 5 years from The Downward Spiral to The Fragile and 6 years from The Fragile to With Teeth, Trent Reznor’s latest offering. Now onto the album.
Like his previous, With Teeth focuses on the darker issues of life. These includes depression, addiction, destruction and loss. Also included are NIN’s trademark aggression found in March of The Pigs and No, You Don’t. This is primarily found in Know What You Are, The Hand That Feeds and Getting Smaller. Those are the similarities. The differences are quite large. Compared to the other albums this is very tame. From about the second track something seems to sink in. This is quite basic. Surely this should make the album more direct and too the point but it actually adds more depth. There are almost no random industrial sounds or bursts of noise.
Now to the songs themselves:
1. All The Love In The World
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This is an enjoyable opening that may irritate fans of loud harsh guitars and pounding walls of sound but it truth this is a beautiful, sad piece that is coupled with paining lyrics, soft beats and a very well placed finish. 4.5/5
2. You Know What You Are?
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This is one of the “destructive” songs and also one of the only ones on the album to feature speed drumming. It is basic and may be shallow but is irresistible all the same. 3.5/5
3. The Collector
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A step down from the first two, this is a bit on the boring side as, again, has almost no depth. The lyrics are good but don’t feel completely up to scratch. Still a good bass helps keep the song standing; if only just. 3/5
4. The Hand That Feeds
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A heavy political song (don’t dwell on political) that features a to-die-for bass and good lyrics as well. After a so-so start to the album this brings it right back to its feet with good turns from all instruments and lyrics. It may get annoying or even shallow to some after a while but it will always be a classic. 5/5
5. Love Is Not Enough
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This song really emphasizes on the drums. There are interesting sounds from the drums here that give it an echo or ambient feel but it is quite clear that the distorted guitar rules the chorus. Once again the lyrics are of good quality but the bass could have been used to greater extent. Still, this works perfectly well and fits in nicely with the rest of the record. 4/5
6. Everyday Is Exactly The Same
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The dark synthesizer here is the key. The distorted guitars are back but only used in the chorus (as the previous). This is good as it gives more room for the haunting synths to sink in. The drums aren’t used as dramatically as before but still do the song some good. 4.5/5
7. With Teeth
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This is really just terrible. The drum beat is all over the place, the guitars are unnecessarily harsh and, what it comes down to is boringness. It’s length doesn’t help it and it seems taxing having to listen to the whole thing. The lyrics are also boring; its either describing a weird sex scene set in a dentist’s office or a Greek divorce. It may seem to be looking up during the mid-way piano hiatus but jumping straight back into the song again (always makes me jump) is really not needed. 2/5
8. Only
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Great use of basic sounds here. The vintage drum works very well and the classic guitar even better. The lyrics, although nothing special, are very catchy. Classic NIN. 5/5
9. Getting Smaller
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Finally a layered song. This is a good thing and a bad thing. The double bass and crunching guitars create a rushed atmosphere, which may be the point but then again it feels like it just missed the mark. By inches. 4/5
10. Sunspots
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Another layered song, and its good. It may be a little slow paced but that just adds to the atmosphere. It like a harsh version of The Fragile with scraping guitars and bass. 4/5
11. The Line Begins To Blur
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The heavy guitars may not be to everyone’s taste here but they certainly add greatly to the song. The drums have all been used differently throughout all of the songs and this is no exception. The lyrics could have used better work but a solid song altogether. 3.5/5
12. Beside You In Time
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This sounds very ambient with its echoing (also distorted) guitars and a drum beat which (may not even be a drum beat) sounds like a chopped-up-distorted-toned-down thunder clap. It also has a sad nostalgic feel to it as well. 4/5
13. Right Where It Belongs
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This sounds like its coming to you from an old movie. That helps add to the sad, depressing (again nostalgic) lyrics. The lyrics haven’t been this gripping since Hurt. Saying that Right Where You Belong may even surpass it in excellency. Make no mistake; this is the new classic. 5/5
There you have it, With Teeth. A basic, distorted view of Trent’s life over the past few years. And what I said at the start about no industrial sounds here, I was wrong. The guitars, and more so with the bass, is very industrial sounding adding a toned-down harshness to the album. All in all this may not be for all. The Downward Spiral and The Fragile featured a cornucopia of sound whilst this is basic and essentially a NIN redux. Still, with that said it loses none of it’s focus and still takes a few listens to understand it fully, a feat many fans will love, this is another instalment in the ever changing face of Trent Reznor’s beloved NIN.
Best Songs
All The Love In The World
Only
Everyday Is Exactly The Same
Right Where It Belongs
Worst Songs
The Collector
With Teeth
OVERALL RATING: 4 / 5
