Trent Reznor is not a happy man. From naming his band after the length of the nails, which crucified Christ, and spouting platitudes such “Hey God, I think you owe me a great big apology” this much is obvious. The man, however, is undoubtedly talented, and along with the likes of Ministry, virtually invented the whole sub genre we now term industrial.

This means lots of spooky sounding synth noises with some slightly tinny drum machines and few if any over powering buzzsaw guitar riffs. The album came out in 1989 and (whisper this) definitely sounds like it. The fingertips of 80s production lurk in every corner of the album. It’s a sad but true fact the records made in the 80s seem to have dated far worse then those made in almost any other era. Perhaps now we are used to our babbling Moogs and bleeps that seamlessly fly in and out of the mix, that the kitchen sink approach jars slightly. However, in the case of ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ when the whole album is constructed from this approach, this creates a slightly kitsch appeal, although compared to the ambient soundscapes of ‘The Fragile’ the record does seem woefully primitive

‘Terrible Lie’ is equally wonderful. With a rhythm section which sound rather like an army of spoons battering a skull and an excellent blast of fuzzed up guitar which drifts in and out of the mix, the song showcases Reznor at his most angry and frustrated. The slightly bleepy synths which swirl in the chorus give the track a slightly nervous edge, whilst the surreal coda gives some clue to what computers would sound like if they could make music unaided. The final whispered cry of “I need someone to hold onto,” however, demonstrates Reznor’s human fragility within the alarming metal machine.

‘Sanctified’ is also sparse and haunted, another musical attempt to exorcise demons. A church organ lurks around the mix, whilst the song itself is constructed around a circular bass line, with Reznor’s vocal at first relaxed but gradually cracking with emotion. A guitar finally enters in the chorus, but only in short spells, backed with a crashing drum as the bile seems to rise in Reznor’s throat. The atmospheric middle eight, which features Gregorian style chanting along with distorted radio noise is claustrophobic and disturbing, not the ideal song to try and get to sleep after.

Lyrically Reznor presents an intriguing puzzle. At a first listen the lyrics seem to be standard teenage-esque angst complete with overwrought self pity and self hatred. Certainly plenty here to appeal to the black trench coat Mafia. Look a little deeper and recurring themes of eyes both being covered and injured appear. Also noticeable is the preoccupation with religious imagery. Whilst NIN’s later work has occasionally touched on this, most noticeably in the somewhat blasphemous ‘Heresy’ (“He dreamed a God up / And called it Christianity / Your God is dead / And no-one cares.”). On ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ the religious references are more frequent but yet less explicit. Whilst ‘Head Like a Hole’ is undoubtedly dedicated to Mamon (“God, money I’ll do anything for you”), songs such as ‘Sanctified’ add religious metaphor to a destructive relationship, “Heaven’s just a rumour she’ll dispel / As she walks me through the niceset parts of hell.” ‘Ringfinger’ and ‘The Only Time’ meanwhile suggest a Christ complex, “I’ll be dying for your sins and aiding the cause” is a memorable example. Whether Reznor uses these images to deliberately shock as his protégée Marilyn Manson would later take to extremes or to highlight a genuine struggle with faith is naturally debatable, although the self laceration demonstrated in ‘Sin’ perhaps suggests the latter.