Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (the only other official member of Nine Inch Nails) finish off the promised set of three EPs with Bad Witch. The third and final installment of the EP trilogy follows Not The Actual Events (#1) and Add Violence (#2). Bad Witch seems to bring a three EP evolutionary journey of, likely Reznor exploring what NIN is now, to a close or at least the end of this chapter.

Nine Inch Nails' "Bad Witch" (2018)

It's become common to note the seemingly new criticism of Nine Inch Nails (NIN) and Trent Reznor since his return to NIN with 2018's Hesitation Marks. However, it's become distant NIN knowledge for many that for sole member (until recently) Trent Reznor has consistently advanced against the "norm" with powerful abrasiveness of wood against a sander. Have many artists/bands released a multi-disc collection of unused musical ideas and partials? How many artists/bands have vowed (and delievered) three EPs within a year? At one time, Reznor even had full samples, isolated pieces of Nine Inch Nails songs for fans to mutate and make quality remixes and new arrangements themselves. Should we mention how 2008's The Slip was originally distributed completely free for registered members of the official site?

One part about the third installment in the EP trilogy is the delay from the original structure of releasing one every six to eight months. Reznor explained to NME:

“We started out with a rigid concept, having not written them all, as we finished Add Violence we found ourselves… it felt too predictable."

It's completely understandable, and actually predictible, that putting such a strained time structure over multiple releases could birth one type of problem or another. What stood out to me even before opening up the CD was the cover artwork. Yes, both Not The Actual Events and Add Violence had interesting artwork as well. There is something about this cover that reminds me of OLD gritty rock (as Reznor himself cringes at being associated as an industrial artist)...but ultimately old industrial albums to other gritty covers such as Godflesh's Us and Them (1999), Front 242's Tyranny>For You< (1991), and Fudge Tunnel's Hate Songs in E Minor (1991).

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross at the Contenders Emmys

Song 1: "Shit Mirror", in my opinion, lines up very appropriate with the 2007's Year Zero with a lil more groove (especially in his vocals). The distorted percussion, modulation changes in guitar sounds, and unexpected song structure are quite interesting. However, the unexpected is also fairly a constant within Nine Inch Nails.

Song 2: "Shit Mirror" cuts into "Ahead of Ourselves" without any delay. Dare I say that it has nearly a punk feel to it? This especially comes to the forefront during the distorted (guitars and vocals) that act as a fragmented chorus. Much of each verse also includes additional manipulation effects on Reznor's voice. Heavy vocal effects are more common amongst industrial music, however, this implementation is done in a very different way. More common implementation of adding effects that manipulate the voice to sound more rough, raw, and gritty. This take almost sounds robotic or non-human. Another feature I love is the spastic percussion that screams hyperactivity and disorientation.

Song 3: "Play The Goddamn Part" is another very interesting title, a theme that seems to go against the grain more than in more recent releases but very common in the first half of NIN. A tad of backstory: Trent Reznor played in his high school marching band, giving him an intricate background in brass instruments. Reportedly, the saxophone featured in the song was a random experiment. I think it works great and brings a very new element to NIN.....a bit of jazz. This is not to say, of course, that Reznor hasn't consistently melted and merged many genres and styles together. Interestingly enough, the song sounds like it would have fit in with bizarre mastermind David Lynch's Lost Highway many years ago, to which Reznor assembled the soundtrack as well as contributed two original pieces not under his Nine Inch Nails moniker.

Song 4: "God Break Down The Door" was not originally intended to be nearly a vocal tribute to the late-David Bowie, whom shared a very long standing and close friendship with Reznor. Randomly singing the song in the studio, he stumbled upon singing it in a very vibrato/Bowie-style. To which, noted in a Rolling Stone article: "Atticus [Ross] spoke up and said, 'You gotta keep that.' " The song also features some bluesy/jazzy saxophone as well ontop spastic rhythm and percussion that enhance each song.

Song 5: "I'm Not From This World" begins with a slightly creepy ambient background hum which leads into distorted instrumentation. However, rather than the beginning of a more conventional song, you're treated to a trademark Nine Inch Nails uneasy and unsettling instrumental that never reaches any typical convention. For example, it reminds me of "At The Heart Of It All" (from Further Down The Spiral) which contrasts other structured instrumentals such as "The Mark Has Been Made" (from The Fragile).

Song 6: "Over and Out" begins with a, dare I say, danceable yet very strange percussion and sample sequence. Layers remain very balanced and the intro/lead in is quite long at three minutes and twenty seconds. Reznor's backing vocal style also seem to drift into the David Bowie style of vibrato and sustain. Layered over this are the "lead"(?) vocals that aren't completely at the forefront either. "Time is running out, I don't know what I'm waiting for" is repeated, which raises another curiosity of Trent Reznor's current attitude toward Nine Inch Nails. This is open to interpretation, of course.

All in all, Bad Witch is a very solid and appropriate closing to the "trilogy" of EP's. Granted, Reznor has recently argued that Bad Witch isn't really an EP at all. Regardless, for a series of musical releases, Bad Witch as a nicely suited follow up that hints at more trademark and familiar NIN ingredients from The Fragile to Year Zero eras may be included more as new music comes.

Trent Reznor in NIN's "We're In This Together" video (1999)

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Sources:

Rolling Stone: Trent Reznor Announces Trilogy of Nine Inch Nails EPs (Rolling Stone)

NME: Nine Inch Nails' new EP is Coming Before the End of June (NME)

discogs.com: Fudge Tunnel's discography from discogs.com

Rolling Stone: Trent Reznor Discusses Anthony Bourdain and David Bowie in New Interview

Spin: Trent Reznor Tells Fan During Nine Inch Nails LP/EP Debate

Wikipedia: Trent Reznor