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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = The Downward Spiral
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Nine Inch Nails]]
| cover      = Official Album Cover of "The Downward Spiral" by Nine Inch Nails.png
| alt        = An artwork incorporating plaster, acrylics, oils, rusted metals, insects, moths, blood, wax, varnishes and surgical bandaging on a worn-looking wooden panel.
| released   = {{start date|1994|3|8}}
| recorded   = 1992–1993
| studio     =
* [[10050 Cielo Drive|Le Pig]], [[Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles|Benedict Canyon]]
* [[Record Plant]], Los Angeles
*  [[A&M Studios|A&M]], [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Industrial rock]]|[[alternative rock]]|[[industrial metal]]}}
| length     = {{duration|m=65|s=02}}
| label      = {{hlist|[[Nothing Records|Nothing]]|[[Interscope Records|Interscope]]|[[Island Records|Island]] {{Small|(EU)}}}}
| producer   = {{hlist|[[Trent Reznor]]|[[Flood (producer)|Flood]]}}
| prev_title = [[Fixed (EP)|Fixed]]
| prev_year  = 1992
| next_title = [[Further Down the Spiral]]
| next_year  = 1995
| misc       = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[Nine Inch Nails]] studio album
 | type       = studio
 | prev_title = [[Pretty Hate Machine]]
 | prev_year  = 1989
 | title      = The Downward Spiral
 | year       = 1994
 | next_title = [[The Fragile]]
 | next_year  = 1999
}}
{{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[Nine Inch Nails discography#Chronology|Halo numbers]]
 | type       = studio
 | prev_title = [[March of the Pigs|Halo 7]]
 | prev_year  = 1994
 | title      = Halo 8
 | year       = 1994
 | next_title = [[Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)|Halo 9]]
 | next_year  = 1994
}}
{{Singles
 | name        = The Downward Spiral
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[March of the Pigs]]
 | single1date = February 25, 1994
 | single2     = [[Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)|Closer]]
 | single2date = May 1994
}}
}}

'''''The Downward Spiral''''' is the second studio album by the American [[industrial rock]] band [[Nine Inch Nails]], fronted by [[Trent Reznor]]. It was released on March 8, 1994, by [[Nothing Records]] and [[Interscope Records]] in the [[United States]] and [[Island Records]] in [[Europe]]. Considered one of the most influential and emblematic works of the 1990s, this [[concept album]] chronicles the self-destructive descent of a misanthropic protagonist into madness, dehumanization, and suicide. Through a metaphorical "downward spiral," the album explores profound and disturbing themes such as [[Social alienation|alienation]], addiction, [[religion]], [[violence]], [[sex]], power, [[Depression (mood)|depression]], and the complete loss of control over oneself and one's surroundings.

Recorded primarily under exceptional and symbolic circumstances, Reznor transformed the house located at [[10050 Cielo Drive]] (known as the "Tate House" for the [[Tate–LaBianca murders|murder of Sharon Tate]] and others by the Manson Family in 1969) into a home studio dubbed "Le Pig," a reference to the message written in blood on the door by the killers. This choice reflected Reznor's state of mind at the time, marked by his increasing isolation, struggles with depression and drug addiction, and a desire to move away from the abrasive, direct sound of his previous EP, ''[[Broken (Nine Inch Nails EP)|Broken]]'' (1992), toward something more textural, atmospheric, and cinematic. Influenced by albums such as [[David Bowie]]'s ''[[Low (David Bowie album)|Low]]'' and [[Pink Floyd]]'s ''[[The Wall (album)|The Wall]]'', the album prioritizes sonic space, subtlety amidst intensity, the use of samples, distortions, and digitally processed sound collages, combining elements of industrial rock, [[techno]], [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]], [[Ambient music|ambient]], and electronica.

The production involved British producer [[Flood (producer)|Flood]] (who had previously worked on ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]'' (1989) and ''Broken'') engineer [[Alan Moulder]] on the final mix, drummer [[Chris Vrenna]], and notable contributions from musicians such as [[Adrian Belew]] (formerly of [[King Crimson]]) on guitars and [[Stephen Perkins]] (of [[Jane's Addiction]]) on percussion. Reznor made extensive use of tools like [[Pro Tools]], TurboSynth, Zoom 9030, Akai and Kurzweil samplers, and processed guitars and vocals into abstract and expressive textures, achieving a "full-range" sound that eschews conventional verse-chorus structures and embraces dissonance, industrial noise, and unusual time signature changes.

Lyrically, the album is semi-autobiographical and allegorical: the protagonist rebels against humanity, kills God in his mind, delves into sexual and violent obsessions, and ultimately confronts his existential emptiness. Songs like "[[Mr. Self Destruct]]", "[[Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)|Closer]]", "[[Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song)|Hurt]]", "[[March of the Pigs]]", and "[[Piggy (song)|Piggy]]" encapsulate this progression, with recurring motifs (like the chromatic piano that links several tracks) and phrases that are repeated throughout the album ("nothing can stop me now"). The cover art, created by Russell Mills under the title "Wound", uses plaster, oils, rusted metals, insects, blood, and bandages to evoke layers of pain hidden beneath seemingly beautiful surfaces.

The album made a commercial impact despite its rawness. It debuted at number 2 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], sold millions of copies (achieving quadruple platinum in the US) and cemented Nine Inch Nails as a cultural phenomenon. However, it also attracted controversy: it was criticized by [[social conservatives]] for its graphic lyrics (as in "Big Man with a Gun") erroneously linked to events like the [[Columbine High School massacre|Columbine massacre]], and sparked debates about censorship and artistic responsibility.

==Writing and recording==
[[File:Adrian Belew (2006 - 02).jpg|thumb|left|[[Adrian Belew]] in 2006. His approach to guitar parts on the album improved Reznor's confidence in the instrument.|270x270px]]

Reznor conceived of ''The Downward Spiral'' after Nine Inch Nails' run in the lineup of the [[Lollapalooza]] festival tour, feeling increasingly alienated and disinterested. The band's [[Nine Inch Nails live performances|concerts]] were known for their radical onstage dynamic in which members acted aggressively, injured themselves, [[Instrument destruction|destroyed instruments]], and polluted stages. Reznor had begun to [[Trent Reznor–TVT Records feud|feud]] with [[TVT Records]], resulting in him co-founding [[Nothing Records]] with his then-manager [[John Malm Jr.]] as a subsidiary of [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]. Simultaneously, he began fleshing out the concept for ''The Downward Spiral'', focusing on the life and death of a [[Misanthropy|misanthropic]] man who rebels against humanity, and kills God before attempting suicide.{{sfn|Huxley|1997}}<ref name="NIN Spin 1996" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Estlund |first=Kristina |date=November 1994 |title=Trent Speaks |url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/rip1.shtml |magazine=[[Rip (magazine)|Rip]] |access-date=August 24, 2017 |archive-date=June 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617024723/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/rip1.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ransom">[http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=235&B=David%20John%20Seel,%20Jr.&TID=4 Nine Inch Nails: A Ransom Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012212711/http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=235&B=David%20John%20Seel,%20Jr.&TID=4 |date=October 12, 2011 }} Last accessed December 14, 2022.</ref> Reznor frequently struggled with drug addiction and depression, and the themes of the album gradually allegorized his living situation. His peers at some point recommended him the antidepressant [[Fluoxetine|Prozac]], but he declined to be medicated.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=96}}<ref name="BillboardTDS20">{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/5930270/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-at-20-classic-track-by-track |title=Nine Inch Nails' 'The Downward Spiral' at 20: Classic Track-By-Track |last=Kerri Mason |date=August 24, 2017 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=August 24, 2017 |archive-date=September 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923031720/http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/5930270/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-at-20-classic-track-by-track |url-status=live }}</ref>

Reznor wanted the album's sound to diverge from the abrasion of ''Broken'', emphasizing mood, texture, restraint and subtlety, although he was unsure about its musical direction.<ref name="Taylor" /> He decided to utilize "full range" sound, focusing on texture and space, and avoiding conventional usage of guitars or synthesizers with a recognizable sound palette.<ref name="hotmetalmag">{{Cite magazine |last=Carl Hammerschmidt |date=April 1994 |title=Down on the Spiral |url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart49.shtml |magazine=Hot Metal Magazine |access-date=August 24, 2017 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200257/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart49.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> Subsequently, he mainly worked with a [[Macintosh]] computer, using music editor programs on the computer to distort frequencies in guitar and bass parts as a form of [[sound design]], and creating collages of sounds with [[Pro Tools]].{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=109–110}}<ref name="Machine Head">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/machine.shtml|title=Machine Head|magazine=[[Guitar World]]|author=Alan Di Perna|date=April 1994|access-date=August 24, 2017|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701181335/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/machine.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Sharon Tate Valley of the Dolls 1967 - Restoration.jpg|thumb|upright|Reznor rented the house where actress [[Sharon Tate]] {{Small|(pictured in 1967)}} was murdered,{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=97}} and set up a recording studio that he named [[10050 Cielo Drive|Le Pig]],{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=97}} where ''The Downward Spiral'' was recorded.<ref name="Trent Reznor 1994 Select"/> The site was demolished shortly after the recording of the album.<ref name="Entertainment Weekly – The Downward Spiral" />]]

Reznor searched for a location for a studio in Los Angeles and moved to [[10050 Cielo Drive (Los Angeles)|10050 Cielo Drive]] in 1992 for recording ''[[Broken (Nine Inch Nails EP)|Broken]]'' and ''The Downward Spiral'',<ref name="Trent Reznor 1994 Select">{{Cite magazine |last=Gina Morris |date=April 1994 |title=Who Really Is Trent Reznor? |url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart5a.shtml |magazine=Select |access-date=August 24, 2017 |archive-date=November 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118182839/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart5a.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> a decision made against his initial choice to record the album in [[New Orleans]].<ref name="Entertainment Weekly – The Downward Spiral">{{Cite magazine |last=Ali |first=Lorraine |author-link=Lorraine Ali |date=March 18, 1994 |title=Helter Shelter: Making records where Manson murdered |url=https://ew.com/article/1994/03/18/making-records-where-manson-killed/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |publisher=Time Warner |issue=214 |page=100 |access-date=August 24, 2017 |archive-date=October 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015202915/http://ew.com/article/1994/03/18/making-records-where-manson-killed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 10050 Cielo Drive is referred to as the "Tate House" since Sharon Tate was murdered by members of the Manson Family in 1969; Reznor named the studio "Le Pig" after the message that was scrawled on the front door with Tate's blood by her murderers, and stayed there with Malm for 18 months. He called his first night in 10050 Cielo Drive "terrifying" because he already knew it and read books related to the incident. Reznor chose the Tate house to calibrate his engineering skills and the band bought a large [[mixing console]] and two [[Studer]] [[Multitrack tape recorder|multitrack tape machines]] as resources, a move that he believed was cheaper than renting a recording studio.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=97–99}}

Reznor collaborated with the [[Jane's Addiction]] and [[Porno for Pyros]] drummer [[Stephen Perkins]], the progressive rock guitarist [[Adrian Belew]], and the Nine Inch Nails drummer [[Chris Vrenna]].<ref name="Taylor">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPOsu8JOHO8C|title=The A to X of Alternative Music|author=Steve Taylor|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|year=2004|page=165|isbn=0-8264-8217-1|access-date=August 24, 2017|archive-date=April 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405183445/https://books.google.com/books?id=KPOsu8JOHO8C|url-status=live}}</ref> Belew's first visit to the studio involved playing the guitar parts in "[[Mr. Self Destruct]]", and he was told to play freely, think on reacting to melodies, concentrate on rhythm, and use noise. This approach improved Reznor's confidence in the instrument: he found it to be more expressive than the keyboard due to the interface.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=106–108}} Belew praised Reznor for his "command of technology," and commented that the music of Nine Inch Nails made innovations "that are in [his] realm."<ref name="Guitar Player. April 1994, Nine Inch Nails.">{{Cite magazine|date=April 1994|title=Rusty Nails|url=https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=554|magazine=[[Guitar Player]]|access-date=August 24, 2017|archive-date=February 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221150425/https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=554|url-status=live}}</ref> Vrenna and Perkins played drum parts recorded live in the studio; the tracks were rendered into looped samples. Reznor took a similar approach to recording guitar parts: he would tape 20- to 25-minute-long sessions of himself playing guitars on a hard disc recorder with the Studio Vision sequencer.<ref name="Machine Head" />

Reznor frequently sampled excerpts from his guitar session tracks and processed them to sporadic and expressive points to convey the album's themes, also doing the same with drum parts.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=109}} [[Digidesign]]'s TurboSynth and [[Zoom Corporation|Zoom]] 9030 [[effects unit]] were used extensively to process guitar tracks, often in conjunction with a [[Marshall Amplification|Marshall]] JMP-1 [[Guitar amplifier|preamp]];<ref name="Guitar Player. April 1994, Nine Inch Nails." /><ref name="Machine Head"/><ref name="Reznor Keyboard"/> Zoom 9030 was also used to [[Distortion (music)|distort]] vocals.<ref name="Machine Head"/> Acoustic drums in various settings, as well as [[Roland Corporation|Roland]]'s [[Roland TR-808|TR-808]] and R-70 [[drum machine]]s, which were sampled through multiple [[Akai S1000]]s and a [[Kurzweil K2000]]. Additionally, Vrenna had compiled various movie samples on [[Digital Audio Tape]]s for Reznor to sample, which were gradually identified by fans in the decades following the album's release.<ref name="Reznor Keyboard"/> Other equipment and software Reznor used for recording the album included the [[Oberheim Electronics|Oberheim OB-Mx]], Moog [[Minimoog]], [[Prophet VS|Sequential Circuits Prophet VS]] keyboard, [[Eventide, Inc|Eventide]] H3000 Harmonizer, Pro Tools and various [[Jackson Guitars|Jackson]] and [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]] guitars.<ref name="Guitar Player. April 1994, Nine Inch Nails." /><ref name="Machine Head"/><ref name="Reznor Keyboard"/>

In December 1993, Reznor was confronted by Patti Tate, Sharon Tate's youngest sister, who asked if he was exploiting her sister's death in the house. Reznor responded that he was interested in the house as her death happened there. He later made a statement about this encounter during a 1997 interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'':

{{blockquote|While I was working on ''The Downward Spiral'', I was living in the house where Sharon Tate was killed. Then one day I met her sister [Patti Tate]. It was a random thing, just a brief encounter. And she said: 'Are you exploiting my sister's death by living in her house?' For the first time, the whole thing kind of slapped me in the face. I said, 'No, it's just sort of my own interest in American folklore. I'm in this place where a weird part of history occurred.' I guess it never really struck me before, but it did then. She lost her sister from a senseless, ignorant situation that I don't want to support. When she was talking to me, I realized for the first time, 'What if it was my sister?' I thought, 'Fuck [[Charles Manson|Charlie Manson]].' I went home and cried that night. It made me see there's another side to things, you know?<ref name=RS1997>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-lynch-and-trent-reznor-the-lost-boys-19970306|issue=755|date=March 6, 1997|page=36|first=Mikal|last=Gilmore|author-link=Mikal Gilmore|title=The Lost Boys|access-date=2017-08-24|df=mdy-all|archive-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911190228/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-lynch-and-trent-reznor-the-lost-boys-19970306|url-status=live}} Trent Reznor's part of the interview article posted at {{cite web|url=http://www.lynchnet.com/lh/lhrs3.html|title=Trent Reznor Lost Highway Interview|access-date=December 25, 2007|work=lynchnet.com|archive-date=January 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102094103/http://www.lynchnet.com/lh/lhrs3.html|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

The British producer and engineer [[Flood (producer)|Flood]], who previously engineered and co-produced Nine Inch Nails' debut album ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]'' and ''Broken'', was brought back to co-produce ''The Downward Spiral''; although it would be his last collaboration with Nine Inch Nails due to creative differences.<ref name="Taylor" /> For instance, a "very dangerously self-destructive" yet humorous short song written for the album, "Just Do It", was not included in the final version, criticized by Flood who said that Reznor had "gone too far."<ref name="Details" /><ref name="Spin 90 greatest">{{cite magazine |magazine=Spin |volume=15 |issue=9 |date=September 1999 |page=124 |first=Eric |last=Weisbard |title=The 90 Greatest Albums of the '90s: 11 Nine Inch Nails ''The Downward Spiral'' |url=https://www.spinmagazine.com/2021/12/greatest-90s-albums/ |access-date=2026-04-04 |archive-date=2026-04-04 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260404003524/https://www.spinmagazine.com/2021/12/greatest-90s-albums/ |url-status=live}}</ref> After the album's recording, Reznor moved out and the house was demolished shortly thereafter.<ref name="Entertainment Weekly – The Downward Spiral"/> "[[Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song)|Hurt]]" was the last song written for the album,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Price |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Price |date=10 June 2005 |title=Reznor Resurrected |magazine=[[Metal Hammer]] |url=https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/articles/display/170 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250524201200/https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/articles/display/170 |archive-date=24 May 2025 |access-date=25 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="Vrenna 1994">{{cite news |last=Dean |first=Bill |date=18 November 1994 |title=Mud Blood Blitz Spit Spiral Homicidal |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/1289502D8CE963B0 |work=[[The Ledger]] |location=Lakeland, FL |page=17TO |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 July 2025 |quote=We did that after the record was finished. That was the very last song we did. |via=[[NewsBank]]}}</ref> with both "Hurt" and "Big Man With A Gun" recorded as "an afterthought" at [[A&M Studios]].<ref name="Spiral at 30">{{cite web |last=Steiner |first=Adam |date=8 March 2024 |title=NIN's The Downward Spiral at 30  |url=https://www.spin.com/2024/03/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-turns-30/ |website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250323004502/https://www.spin.com/2024/03/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-turns-30/ |archive-date=23 March 2025 |access-date=25 May 2025}}</ref> ''The Downward Spiral'' entered its mixing and mastering processes, done at the [[Record Plant]] and A&M Studios with [[Alan Moulder]], who subsequently took on more extensive production duties for future album releases.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=119}}<ref name="TDSbooklet" />

==Music and lyrics==
<div style="float: right;">
{{listen
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| filename = Nine Inch Nails - Mr. Self Destruct, 1994.ogg
| title = "Mr. Self Destruct"
| description = Album version from ''The Downward Spiral''
| format = [[Ogg]]
| filename2 = Nine Inch Nails - The Becoming, 1994.ogg
| title2 = "The Becoming"
| description2 = Album version from ''The Downward Spiral''
| format2 = [[Ogg]]
| filename3 = Nine Inch Nails - Ruiner, 1994.ogg
| title3 = "Ruiner"
| description3 = Album version from ''The Downward Spiral''
| format3 = [[Ogg]]
}}
</div>
Numerous layers of metaphors are present throughout ''The Downward Spiral'', leaving it open to wide interpretation. The album relays [[nihilism]] and is defined by a prominent theme of [[self-destructive behaviour|self-abuse]] and [[self-control]]. It is a semi-autobiographical concept album, in which the overarching plot follows the protagonist's descent into madness in his own inner [[solipsism|solipsistic]] world through a metaphorical "downward spiral", dealing with religion, dehumanization, violence, disease, society, drugs, sex, and finally, suicide.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=120}}<ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-downward-spiral-mw0000110711|title=The Downward Spiral – Nine Inch Nails|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=April 27, 2004|last=Huey|first=Steve|archive-date=June 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603195532/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-downward-spiral-mw0000110711|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="The Quietus" /> Reznor described the concept as consisting of "someone who sheds everything around them to a potential nothingness, but through career, religion, relationship, belief and so on."<ref name="Trent Reznor 1994 Select" /> Media journalists like ''[[The New York Times]]'' writer [[Jon Pareles]] noted the album's theme of angst had already been used by [[grunge]] bands like [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], and that Nine Inch Nails' depiction was more generalized.<ref name="NY Times" />

Using elements of genres such as [[techno]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Nine Inch Nails |last=Huxley |first=Martin |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2015 |isbn=9781250096548 |page=131}}</ref> dance,<ref name=Seattle /><ref name=Mitchum /> [[electronic music|electronic]],<ref name=Seattle>{{cite web |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19940415/1905542/nine-inch-nails----industrial-rock-of-trent-reznor-show-fascination-with-dark-side |title=Nine Inch Nails -- Industrial Rock Of Trent Reznor Show Fascination With Dark Side |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |last=MacDonald |first=Patrick |date=April 15, 1994 |access-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222220142/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940415&slug=1905542 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]],<ref name="NY Times"/> and [[hard rock]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/17/arts/review-rock-despondent-sentiment-with-aggression-added.html |title=Review/Rock; Despondent Sentiment With Aggression Added |work=[[The New York Times]] |last=Pareles |first=Jon |date=May 17, 1994 |access-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222163104/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/17/arts/review-rock-despondent-sentiment-with-aggression-added.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Downward Spiral'' is considered an [[industrial rock]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Marooned: The Next Generation of Desert Island Discs |last=Freeman |first=Phil |year=2007 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306814853 |page=[https://archive.org/details/maroonednextgene00free/page/306 306] |url=https://archive.org/details/maroonednextgene00free/page/306 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List |url=https://archive.org/details/1000recordingsto00moon_0 |url-access=registration |publisher=Workman Publishing |last=Moon |first=Tom |year=2008 |isbn=9780761149415 |page=[https://archive.org/details/1000recordingsto00moon_0/page/552 552]}}</ref><ref name="altpress-industrial">{{cite web |url=https://www.altpress.com/features/industrial-rock-classics-from-the-90s/ |title=10 Industrial-Rock Classics That Completely Defined the '90s |last=Pettigrew |first=Jason |date=July 28, 2020 |publisher=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |access-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728214104/https://www.altpress.com/features/industrial-rock-classics-from-the-90s/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[alternative rock]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/joshua-ostroff/nine-inch-nails-best-band-90s_b_5600355.html |title=Nine Inch Nails Is The Best Band Of The 90s (And The 2000s, Too) |website=[[HuffPost]] |last=Ostroff |first=Joshua |date=August 1, 2014 |access-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222162818/http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/joshua-ostroff/nine-inch-nails-best-band-90s_b_5600355.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Mitchum /> [[industrial metal]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/nine-inch-nails-mr-self-destruct-live-downward-spiral-804249/|title=Flashback: Nine Inch Nails Play a Roaring 'Mr. Self Destruct' in 1994|last=Shteamer|first=Hank|date=March 8, 2019|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=February 2, 2020|archive-date=February 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202204336/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/nine-inch-nails-mr-self-destruct-live-downward-spiral-804249/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/1994-the-albums-that-changed-the-world|title=1994: The albums that changed the world|date=August 24, 2019|website=[[Metal Hammer]]|access-date=February 2, 2020|archive-date=December 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203020608/https://www.loudersound.com/features/1994-the-albums-that-changed-the-world|url-status=live}}</ref> [[industrial music|industrial]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-deluxe-edition-to-include-b-sides-rarities-demos/ |title=Nine Inch Nails' 'The Downward Spiral – Deluxe Edition' To Include B-Sides, Rarities, Demos |website=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=November 18, 2004 |access-date=January 11, 2018 |archive-date=January 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112042739/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-deluxe-edition-to-include-b-sides-rarities-demos/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[art rock]] album.<ref name= "Pitchfork Staff 2022">{{cite web|last= Pitchfork Staff |title= The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s |website= [[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date= September 28, 2022 |url= https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-best-albums-of-the-1990s/|quote= But musically, NIN’s greatest work bypasses grunge in favor of subtle textures and mangled nods to the art-rock of Reznor’s youth.|accessdate= April 26, 2023}}</ref> Reznor regularly uses noise and distortion in his song arrangements that do not follow [[verse–chorus form]], and incorporates dissonance with chromatic melody or harmony (or both). The treatment of metal guitars in ''Broken'' is carried over to ''The Downward Spiral'', which includes innovative techniques such as expanded song structures and unconventional time signatures.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=109–121}}<ref name="Allmusic" /> The album features a wide range of textures and moods to illustrate the mental progress of the central protagonist.<ref name="Details">{{cite magazine|title=The Art of Darkness|last=Heath|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Heath|magazine=[[Details (magazine)|Details]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast Publications]]|date=April 1995}}</ref> Reznor's singing follows a similar pattern from beginning to end, frequently moving from whispers to screams.<ref name="NIN-WT-IGN">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=84|work=IGN|title=Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth|author=Spence D.|date=May 3, 2005|access-date=January 29, 2014|publisher=Ziff Davis|archive-date=February 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202115047/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=84|url-status=live}}</ref> These techniques are all used in the song "Hurt", which features a highly dissonant [[tritone]] played on guitar during the verses, a B5#11, emphasized when Reznor sings the eleventh note on the word "I" every time the B/E# [[dyad (music)|dyad]] is played.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Reynolds, Tom|title=I Hate Myself and I Want to Die|page=227|isbn=978-1-86074-628-4|date=June 13, 2005|publisher=Sanctuary Publishing}}</ref>

"Mr. Self Destruct", a song about a powerful person, follows a build-up sampled from the 1971 film ''[[THX 1138]]'' with an "industrial roar" and is accompanied by an audio loop of a [[pinion]] rotating. "The Becoming" expresses the state of being dead and the protagonist's transformation into a non-human organism.<ref name="BillboardTDS20" /><ref name="The Quietus" /> "Closer" concludes with a chromatic piano [[motif (music)|motif]]: The melody is introduced during the second verse of "Piggy" on organ, then reappears in power chords at [[drop D tuning]] throughout the chorus of "Heresy", and recurs for the final time on "The Downward Spiral".<ref name="Limmer">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/review/nineinchnails-downwarddeluxe/|title=Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral [Deluxe Edition]|website=[[PopMatters]]|date=January 19, 2005|access-date=August 29, 2009|last=Limmer|first=Seth|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418104310/http://www.popmatters.com/review/nineinchnails-downwarddeluxe/|archive-date=April 18, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Packaging==
''Committere'', an installation featuring artwork and sketches for ''The Downward Spiral'', "Closer" and "March of the Pigs" by [[Russell Mills (artist)|Russell Mills]] was displayed at the [[Glasgow School of Art]]. Mills explained the ideas and materials that made up the artwork (titled "Wound") that was used for the album's [[cover art]]:

{{blockquote|I had been thinking about making works that dealt with layers, physically, materially and conceptually. I wanted to produce works that were about both exposure and revealing and at the same dealt with closure and covering. Given the nature of the lyrics and the power of the music I was working with, I felt justified in attempting to make works that alluded to the apparently contradictory imagery of pain and healing. I wanted to make beautiful surfaces that partially revealed the visceral rawness of open wounds beneath. The mixed media work 'Wound' was the first piece I tackled in this vein (no pun intended) and it became the cover of the album. It is made of plaster, acrylics, oils, rusted metals, insects, moths, blood (mine), wax, varnishes, and surgical bandaging on a wooden panel.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.shedmatter.co.uk/russellmills/mills/installations/committere.html |title=Committere |last=Russell Mills |year=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503082254/http://www.shedmatter.co.uk/russellmills/mills/installations/committere.html |archive-date=May 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=2017-08-24 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}

==Promotion==

===Singles===
"March of the Pigs" and "Closer" were released as singles; two other songs, "Hurt" and "Piggy", were issued to radio without a commercial single release.<ref name="Alternative Songs">{{cite magazine|title=Nine Inch Nails Album & Song Chart History: Alternative Songs|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=nine-inch nails|chart=Alternative Songs}}
 | access-date = January 25, 2011}}</ref> "March of the Pigs" has an unusual [[meter (music)|meter]], alternating three [[bar (music)|bars]] of 7/8 time with one of 8/8.<ref name="BillboardTDS20" /> The song's music video was directed by [[Peter Christopherson]] and was shot twice; the first version scrapped due to Reznor's involvement, and the released second version being a live performance.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=133}}

"Closer" features a heavily modified bass drum sample from the [[Iggy Pop]] song "[[Nightclubbing (song)|Nightclubbing]]" from his album ''[[The Idiot (album)|The Idiot]]''.<ref name="Reznor Keyboard">{{cite magazine|title=Trent Reznor|last=Rule|first=Greg|magazine=[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]]|date=April 1994|url=https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=548|access-date=February 26, 2020|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809105931/https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=548|url-status=live}}</ref> Lyrically, it is a meditation on self-hatred and obsession, but to Reznor's dismay, the song was widely misinterpreted as a lust anthem due to its chorus, which included the line "I wanna fuck you like an animal".{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=179}} Reznor later stated: "It’s supernegative and superhateful. It’s 'I am a piece of shit and I am declaring that and if you think you want me, here I am.' I didn't think it would become a frat-party anthem or a titty-dancer anthem".{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=179}}

The music video for "Closer" was directed by [[Mark Romanek]] and received frequent rotation on MTV, though the network heavily censored the original version, which they perceived to be too graphic.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=133–134, 179}} The video shows events in a laboratory dealing with religion, sexuality, animal cruelty, politics, and terror; controversial imagery included a nude bald woman with a crucifix mask, a monkey tied to a cross, a pig's head spinning on a machine, a diagram of a vulva, Reznor wearing an S&M mask while swinging in shackles, and of him wearing a ball gag.<ref name="Closer video">{{cite web|title=Nine Inch Nails: Closure (VHS)|publisher=DeepFocus.com|url=http://www.deep-focus.com/flicker/closure.html|access-date=August 26, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070727035157/http://www.deep-focus.com/flicker/closure.html|archive-date=July 27, 2007}}</ref> A radio edit that partially censored the song's explicit lyrics also received extensive airtime.<ref name="CloserSOS">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep12/articles/classic-tracks-0912.htm|author=Richard Buskin|magazine=[[Sound on Sound]]|publisher=SOS Publications Group|title=Nine Inch Nails 'Closer' (Classic Tracks)|date=September 2012|access-date=April 17, 2014|archive-date=April 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419030149/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep12/articles/classic-tracks-0912.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The video has since been made part of the permanent collection of the [[Museum of Modern Art]] in New York City.<ref name="MOMA">{{cite web|last=McCahill|first=Will|url=http://www.newser.com/story/69218/most-controversial-music-videos.html|title=Most Controversial Music Videos|work=[[Newser]]|publisher=Newser|date=September 12, 2009|access-date=March 29, 2014|archive-date=January 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117211136/http://www.newser.com/story/69218/most-controversial-music-videos.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

"Piggy" uses "nothing can stop me now", a line that recurs in "Ruiner" and "Big Man with a Gun".<ref name="BillboardTDS20" /> The frantic drumming on the song's outro is Reznor's only attempt at performing drums on the record, and one of the few "live" drum performances on the album. He had stated that the recording was from him testing the microphone setup in studio, but he liked the sound too much not to include it.<ref name="Reznor Keyboard" /> It was released as a promotional single in December 1994 and reached the Top 20 on the [[Billboard Modern Rock Tracks|''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks]] chart.<ref name="Alternative Songs" />

Released in 1995, "Hurt", final track of ''The Downward Spiral'' song, includes references to [[self-harm]] and [[Drug abuse|heroin addiction]];<ref name="DS4">{{cite web|last=Corner|first=Lewis|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/a355601/leona-lewis-hurt-ep-review.html|title=Leona Lewis: 'Hurt EP' review|work=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi Médias]]|date=December 11, 2011|access-date=March 24, 2012|archive-date=March 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314094514/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/a355601/leona-lewis-hurt-ep-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while other people claims that it describes the difficult process of finding a reason to live in spite of depression and pain and does not have much to do with the storyline of ''The Downward Spiral''.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=104}} In 2002, American country singer [[Johnny Cash]] covered the song for his final album during his lifetime, ''[[American IV: The Man Comes Around]]''.<ref name=NME>{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/nme/57784 |title=NME names Johnny Cash's 'Hurt' the greatest music video of all time |newspaper=[[NME]] |date=July 5, 2011 |access-date=December 27, 2011}}</ref> When Reznor was asked if Cash could cover his song, Reznor said he was "flattered" but worried that "the idea sounded a bit gimmicky." He became a fan of Cash's version, however, once he saw the music video.
{{blockquote|A few weeks later, a CD shows up with the track. Again, I'm in the middle of something and put it on and give it a cursory listen. It sounded... weird to me. That song in particular was straight from my soul, and it felt very strange hearing the highly identifiable voice of Johnny Cash singing it. It was a good version, and I certainly wasn't cringing or anything, but it felt like I was watching my girlfriend fuck somebody else. Or something like that. Anyway, a few weeks later, a videotape shows up with [[Mark Romanek]]'s video on it. It's morning; I'm in the studio in New Orleans working on [[Zack de la Rocha|Zack De La Rocha]]'s [[We Want It All|record]] with him; I pop the video in, and... wow. Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine any more. Then it all made sense to me. It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. Some-fucking-how that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning{{snd}}different, but every bit as pure. Things felt even stranger when he passed away.  The song's purpose shifted again. It's incredibly flattering as a writer to have your song chosen by someone who's a great writer and a great artist.|title=Geoff Rickly interviews Trent Reznor|source=''Alternative Press''<ref>''[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]'' No. 194. September 2004.</ref>}}

===Self Destruct Tour===
{{See also|Self Destruct Tour}}
[[File:Trent Reznor Self-Destruct.jpg|thumb|Reznor performing during the Self Destruct tour, {{circa}} 1994–1995]]
The Nine Inch Nails live band embarked on the Self Destruct tour in support of ''The Downward Spiral''. Chris Vrenna and [[James Woolley]] performed drums and keyboards respectively, [[Robin Finck]] replaced [[Richard Patrick]] on guitar and the bassist [[Danny Lohner]] was added to the line-up. The stage set-up consisted of dirty curtains which would be pulled down and up for visuals shown during songs such as "Hurt". The back of the stage was littered with darker and standing lights, along with very few actual ones. The tour debuted the band's grungy and messy image in which they would come out in ragged clothes slathered in corn starch. The concerts were violent and chaotic, with band members often injuring themselves. They would frequently [[instrument destruction|destroy their instruments]] at the end of concerts, attack each other, and stage-dive into the crowd.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=145–148}}

The tour included a set at [[Woodstock '94]] broadcast on [[pay-per-view]] and seen in as many as 24&nbsp;million homes. Contrary to the widely held belief that it was an attention-grabbing ploy, the band said that being covered in mud was a result of pre-concert backstage play. However, in 2024, backstage home video emerged on YouTube showing Reznor asking the stage manager to give them "5 minutes for mud" when discussing show timings for getting to the stage and debating whether to find a mud pit or bring some into the dressing room in a bucket.<ref>{{cite web |title=Give us 5 minutes for mud. NIN at Woodstock 94 right before their performance. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJMowK3OkWc |website=youtube.com |publisher=Kate Van Buren |language=en |format=video |date=March 7, 2024}}</ref>  The mud made it difficult for Reznor to navigate the stage and saw mud from his hair entering his eyes while performing. Nine Inch Nails were widely proclaimed to have "stolen the show" from their popular contemporaries, mostly classic rock bands, and their fan base expanded.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=151–153}}<ref name="PPV">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16319994.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811221008/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16319994.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 11, 2011|title=Feedback muddy from Woodstock PPV|last=Umstead|first=Thomas R.|newspaper=[[Multichannel News]]|date=August 22, 1994|volume=15|issue=32|pages=3–4|access-date=August 23, 2017}}</ref><ref name="DFP Woodstock">{{cite news|title=Band's Hot Image Rooted In Woodstock '94 Mud|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/detroit.shtml|last=Graff|first=Gary|newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]]|date=August 28, 1994|access-date=August 23, 2017|archive-date=June 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617021120/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/detroit.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> The band received considerable mainstream success thereafter, performing with significantly higher production values and the addition of various theatrical visual elements.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Pit: Nine Inch Nails|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xreview1.shtml|magazine=Guitar School|date=May 1995|access-date=October 15, 2017|archive-date=May 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511161204/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xreview1.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Its performance of "[[Happiness in Slavery]]" from the Woodstock concert earned the group a [[Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance|Best Metal Performance]] in 1995.{{sfn|Huxley|1997}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/38th-annual-grammy-awards|title=38th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1995)|work=grammy.com|access-date=August 23, 2017|publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences|archive-date=March 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321041230/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/38th-annual-grammy-awards|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' commented about the band's Woodstock '94 performance: "Reznor unstrings rock to its horrifying, melodramatic core—an experience as draining as it is exhilarating".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=August 23, 2017|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart199.shtml|title=Trent Reznor : The Entertainers|publisher=[[Time Warner]]|date=December 30, 1994|last=Hajari|first=Nisid|archive-date=June 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617031740/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart199.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite this acclaim, Reznor attributed his dislike of the concert to its technical difficulties.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=152–153}}

The main leg of the tour featured Marilyn Manson as the supporting act, who featured the bassist [[Jeordie White]] (then playing under the pseudonym "Twiggy Ramirez"); White later played bass with Nine Inch Nails from 2005 to 2007.<ref name="break-up">{{cite news|url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/09/14/features/story05.html|title=Reznor's edge cuts NIN's bleak outlook|last=Chun|first=Gary|newspaper=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]|volume=12|issue=257|date=September 14, 2007|access-date=August 23, 2017|archive-date=August 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822215342/http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/09/14/features/story05.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After another tour leg supporting the remix album ''Further Down the Spiral'', Nine Inch Nails contributed to the [[Alternative Nation Festival]] in Australia and subsequently embarked on the [[Self Destruct Tour#Dissonance leg|Dissonance Tour]], which included 26 separate performances with co-headliner David Bowie on his [[Outside Tour]]. Nine Inch Nails was the opening act for the tour, and its set transitioned into Bowie's set with joint performances of both bands' songs.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=215–220}} However, the crowds reportedly did not respond positively to the pairing due to their creative differences.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D605D5D44A2F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Outside looking in|author=Christensen, Thor|newspaper=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|date=October 13, 1995|access-date=August 23, 2017|format=fee required|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215319/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D605D5D44A2F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite this, in a 2012 ''Rolling Stone'' readers' poll, the tour (pairing Nine Inch Nails with Bowie) was named one of the top 10 opening acts in rock history.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/readers-poll-the-ten-best-opening-acts-in-rock-history-20120711/10-david-bowie-nine-inch-nails-1995-0977761 | title=Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Opening Acts in Rock History | date=11 July 2012 | access-date=4 November 2013 | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | archive-date=26 October 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026003639/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/readers-poll-the-ten-best-opening-acts-in-rock-history-20120711/10-david-bowie-nine-inch-nails-1995-0977761 | url-status=live }}</ref>

The tour concluded with "Nights of Nothing", a three-night showcase of performances from Nothing Records bands Marilyn Manson, [[Prick (band)|Prick]], [[Meat Beat Manifesto]], and [[Pop Will Eat Itself]], which ended with an 80-minute set from Nine Inch Nails. ''[[Kerrang!]]'' described the Nine Inch Nails set during the Nights of Nothing showcase as "tight, brash and dramatic", but was disappointed at the lack of new material. On the second of the three nights, Richard Patrick was briefly reunited with the band and contributed guitar to a performance of "[[Head Like a Hole]]".<ref name="Nights of Nothing">{{cite magazine|title=Nailed! Trent's Posse Pound New York|first=Don|last=Kaye|magazine=Kerrang!|issue=615|publisher=Bauer Media Group|date=September 21, 1996|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xreview6.shtml|access-date=August 23, 2017|archive-date=September 27, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927202725/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xreview6.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> After the Self Destruct tour, Chris Vrenna, who had been a member of the live band since 1988 and frequent contributor to Nine Inch Nails studio recordings, left the act permanently to pursue a career in producing and to form [[Tweaker (band)|Tweaker]].<ref name="Vrenna Tweaker">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1448942/20010918/tweaker.jhtml|title=Vrenna Leaves NIN Behind To Explore What's Uncertain|access-date=August 23, 2017|work=[[MTV News]]|date=September 18, 2001|last=Moss|first=Coret|archive-date=April 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403174917/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1448942/20010918/tweaker.jhtml|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Blue Divide">{{cite magazine|last=Ramirez|first=Mike|title=Nothing is Temporary|magazine=Blue Divide Magazine|date=February 2001|volume=2|issue=1}}</ref>

==Release and reception==
{{Music ratings
| title = Contemporary professional reviews
| rev1 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev1score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref name="Kot">{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/03/06/three-discs-worth-waiting-for/|title=Three Discs Worth Waiting For|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=March 6, 1994|access-date=February 24, 2016|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|archive-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709205501/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-03-06/entertainment/9403060310_1_brutal-youth-pony-street-nine-inch-nails|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev2score = B+<ref name="Sinclair">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/article/1994/03/18/downward-spiral|title=The Downward Spiral|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|issue=214|date=March 18, 1994|access-date=August 29, 2009|last=Sinclair|first=Tom|archive-date=July 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715195029/http://www.ew.com/article/1994/03/18/downward-spiral|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Kerrang!]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Arnopp |first=Jason |author-link=Jason Arnopp |date=March 5, 1994 |title=Rekordz |magazine=[[Kerrang!]] |issue=484 |publisher=[[EMAP]] |page=45}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref name="Hilburn">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-06-ca-30539-story.html|title=Nine Inch Nails, 'The Downward Spiral'; Nothing/TVT/Interscope|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=March 6, 1994|access-date=August 29, 2009|last=Hilburn|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Hilburn|archive-date=September 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906184827/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-03-06/entertainment/ca-30539_1_downward-spiral|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev5score = 4/10<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/25-seminal-albums-from-1994-and-what-nme-said-at-the-time-1422155|title=25 Seminal Albums From 1994 – And What NME Said At The Time|magazine=[[NME]]|date=January 29, 2014|access-date=July 8, 2015|last=Barker|first=Emily|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709215720/http://www.nme.com/photos/25-seminal-albums-from-1994-and-what-nme-said-at-the-time/330128|archive-date=July 9, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=RS1994>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-downward-spiral-19970801|title=The Downward Spiral|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|issue=678|date=March 24, 1994|access-date=March 26, 2012|last=Gold|first=Jonathan|author-link=Jonathan Gold|page=92|archive-date=September 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913035342/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-downward-spiral-19970801|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[USA Today]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref name="Gundersen">{{cite news|title=Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=April 20, 1994|last=Gundersen|first=Edna|author-link=Edna Gundersen}}</ref>
}}
''The Downward Spiral''{{'}}s release date was delayed at various times to slow down Reznor's intended pace of the album's recording. The first delay caused the process of setting up Le Pig to take longer than he expected, and its release was postponed again as he was educating himself different ways to write songs that did not resemble those on ''Broken'' and ''Pretty Hate Machine''. He considered delivering the album to Interscope in early 1993, only to experience a [[writer's block]] as he was unable to produce any satisfactory material. Interscope grew impatient and concerned with this progress, but Reznor was not forced by their demands of expediency despite crediting the label for giving him creative freedom. He told the producer [[Rick Rubin]] that his motivation for creating the album was to get it finished, thus Rubin responded that Reznor might not do so until he makes music that is allowed to be heard. Reznor realized that he was in the most fortunate situation he imagined when the album was recorded with a normal budget, "cool" equipment, and a studio to work at.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=100-101}}

Released on March 8, 1994, to instant success,{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=129}} ''The Downward Spiral'' debuted at number two on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], selling nearly 119,000 copies in its first week.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Mayfield|first=Geoff|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NQgEAAAAMBAJ&q=Nine+Inch+Nails&pg=RA1-PA135|title=Between the Bullets: Warming Up|magazine=Billboard|volume=106|issue=13|page=135|date=March 26, 1994|issn=0006-2510|access-date=January 20, 2017|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204011353/https://books.google.com/books?id=NQgEAAAAMBAJ&q=Nine+Inch+Nails&pg=RA1-PA135|url-status=live}}</ref> On October 28, 1998, the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) certified the album quadruple platinum,<ref name="RIAA" /> and by December 2011, it had sold 3.7&nbsp;million copies in the United States.<ref name="US sales" /> The album peaked at number nine on the [[UK Albums Chart]],<ref name="UK" /> and on July 22, 2013, it was certified gold by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] (BPI), denoting shipments in excess of 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.<ref name="BPI" /> It reached number 13 on the Canadian ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' albums chart<ref name="CAN" /> and received a triple platinum certification from the [[Canadian Recording Industry Association]] (CRIA) for shipping 200,000 copies in Canada.<ref name="CRIA" /> A group of early listeners of the album viewed it as "commercial suicide", but Reznor did not make it for profit as his goal was to slightly broaden Nine Inch Nails' scope. Reznor felt that the finished product he delivered to Interscope was complete and faithful to his vision and thought its commercial potential was limited, but after its release he was surprised by the success and received questions about a follow-up single with a music video to be shown on MTV.{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=129–130}} The album has since sold over four million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/kidsnewsday/content.ssf?/homegrown/index.ssf?/homegrown/more/reznor/timeline.html |title=Trent Reznor: Timeline |publisher=Cleveland.com |access-date=December 18, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011112200/http://www.cleveland.com/kidsnewsday/content.ssf?%2Fhomegrown%2Findex.ssf%3F%2Fhomegrown%2Fmore%2Freznor%2Ftimeline.html |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref>

{{Quote box
 |quote ="His pop sense is more than a little skewed. What else can be said of a man who hands over the album's catchiest chorus – in the sinuous, engagingly rhythmic "[[Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)|Closer]]" – to a resolutely unprintable sex lyric? Clearly, Nine Inch Nails is neither [[MTV]]-bound nor radio friendly this time out."|source=—[[J.D. Considine]], ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''.<ref name="sun">{{cite news |last=Considine |first=J.D. |date=8 March 1994 |title=Nails: Journey of sound and fury ends in beauty |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/03/08/nails-journey-of-sound-and-fury-ends-in-beauty/ |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |location=Baltimore, MD |page=1D |url-status=live |access-date=4 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250603205538/https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/03/08/nails-journey-of-sound-and-fury-ends-in-beauty/ |archive-date=3 June 2025}}</ref> |align = left |width = 32% |border = 1px |fontsize = 93% |quoted = true |salign = center}}

Many music critics and audiences praised ''The Downward Spiral'' for its abrasive, eclectic nature and dark themes and commented on the concept of a destruction of a man.{{sfn|Huxley|1997}} ''[[The New York Times]]'' writer Jon Pareles' review of the album found the music to be highly abrasive. Pareles asserted that unlike other electro-industrial groups like [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]] and [[Nitzer Ebb]], "Reznor writes full-fledged tunes" with stronger use of melodies than riffs. He noticed criticisms of Nine Inch Nails from industrial purists for popularizing the genre and the album's transgression.<ref name="NY Times">{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 8, 1994|first=Jon|last=Pareles|author-link=Jon Pareles|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9904EFDC1130F93BA35756C0A962958260|title=RECORDINGS VIEW: A Noise Sculptor Reveals An Ear for the Commercial|access-date=November 26, 2007|archive-date=April 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414165139/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9904EFDC1130F93BA35756C0A962958260|url-status=live}}</ref> Writing in ''The Baltimore Sun'', J.D. Considine said, "And yet, beneath its carefully constructed clangor lies something akin to what [[W. B. Yeats|Yeats]] described as "a terrible beauty" – music that elevates and inspires even as it delves into the darkest corners of anguish, self-loathing and despair."<ref name="sun"/> ''[[Village Voice]]'' critic [[Robert Christgau]] gave it an "honorable mention" in his [[capsule review]] column and summed the record up as, "musically, [[Hieronymus Bosch]] as postindustrial atheist; lyrically, [[Transformers]] as kiddie porn."<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=February 21, 1995|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv395-95.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=March 30, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=March 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330192706/https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv395-95.php|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jonathan Gold]], writing for ''Rolling Stone'', likened the album to cyberpunk fiction.<ref name=RS1994 /> ''Entertainment Weekly'' reviewer Tom Sinclair commented: "Reznor's pet topics (sex, power, S&M, hatred, transcendence) are all here, wrapped in hooks that hit your psyche with the force of a blowtorch."<ref name="Sinclair"/>

{{Quote box
 |quote ="It's all about rage, frustration, fucked-up sexuality, guilt, control, lack of control, things everyone has experienced at one point or another, things Reznor takes to the nth power, things that make you want to stuff your fingers in your ears so you don't have to hear. But instead you keep going back because of that sick human thing that makes carnage fascinating." |source=—Karen Woods, ''[[The Rocket (music magazine)|The Rocket]]''.<ref name="rocket">{{cite magazine |last=Woods |first=Karen |date=27 April 1994 |title=NINE INCH NAILS ''The Downward Spiral'' (CD) |url=https://washingtondigitalnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RCT19940427.1.47 |magazine=[[The Rocket (music magazine)|The Rocket]] |location=Baltimore, MD |pages=47, 48}}</ref> |align = right |width = 41% |border = 1px |fontsize = 93% |quoted = true |salign = center
}}
Some reviewers criticised what they saw as "shock value" and "graphic, gratuitous references to rape and suicide".<ref name="plain"/> ''Stereo Review'' magazine described it as, "Tuneless noise, sex and violence, existential angst..."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Simels |first=Steve |date=May 1994 |title=Popular Music: Quick Fixes |magazine=Stereo Review magazine |location=New York |publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.|Hachette Filipacchi Magazines, Inc.]] |volume=59 |issue=5 |page=91 |url=https://archive.org/details/stereo-review-1994-05-may/page/n98/mode/1up}}</ref> Cleveland's ''[[The Plain Dealer]]'' said "Reznor comes across like a demented poster child for Psychotics Anonymous" and the album relied on "the same tired lyrical images and stereotypes that bands such as [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Judas Priest]] have used in heavy metal for years".<ref name="plain">{{cite news |last=Norman |first=Michael |date=4 March 1994 |title=Nine Inch Nails Dark, Moody the Downward Spiral |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/0F807C82AB7E82E6 |work=[[The Plain Dealer]] |location=Cleveland, OH |page=34 |url-access=subscription |access-date=28 May 2025 |via=[[NewsBank]] |quote=Listening to it, I couldn't help but wonder what Reznor might have accomplished on "The Downward Spiral" had he not been so preoccupied with his morbid lyrical fantasies.}}</ref> In a ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' cover story six months later, Reznor reflected on the unfair reception he felt the band had received in their old home town: "When ''Downward Spiral'' came out, it got almost universally good reviews...except for the scathing, scathing reviews in Cleveland."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gold |first=Jonathan |date=8 September 1994 |title=Nine Inch Nails: Love It To Death |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nine-inch-nails-love-it-to-death-2-96265/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York |access-date=28 May 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250302084431/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nine-inch-nails-love-it-to-death-2-96265/ |archive-date=2 March 2025}}</ref> Nevertheless, when Nine Inch Nails came under fire for [[The Downward Spiral#"Big Man with a Gun" lyrics|the explicit lyrics to "Big Man With A Gun"]] a year later, the same paper published two articles in defence of the album, saying, "There's a truth in Reznor's profanity – and in the lyrics of many of the rappers that Dole and Bennett would silence – that's purer than anything that's come out of Washington in 25 years."<ref name="plain2">{{cite news |last=Norman |first=Michael |date=11 June 1995 |title=Dole and Bennett Pop-Culture Slams Are Just a Cop-Out |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/0F80849DD08A642A |work=[[The Plain Dealer]] |location=Cleveland, OH |page=19A |url-access=subscription |access-date=4 June 2025 |via=NewsBank |quote=Nine Inch Nail's "Big Man With a Gun" is actually a parody of hard-core rap – an antiviolence song. This is painfully obvious in the lyrics, with Reznor adopting the persona of a pathetic villain who thinks he's a big deal because he has a gun. Your average ninth grade English class could figure this out. But the satire apparently escaped Dole and Bennett.}}</ref><ref name="plain3">{{cite news |last=Eaton |first=Sabrina|date=11 June 1995 |title=Family Values Debate Hits Nine Inch Nails on Head |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/0F80849D6222772D |work=[[The Plain Dealer]] |location=Cleveland, OH |page=1J |url-access=subscription |access-date=4 June 2025 |via=NewsBank |quote=Even though the group's latest CD comes with [[Parental Advisory|a sticker warning of explicit lyrics]], Bennett uses words from the song "Big Man With a Gun" in a letter urging Time Warner's directors to stop the company from bankrolling vulgarity.}}</ref>

===Accolades===
''The Downward Spiral'' has been listed on several publications' best album lists. In 2003, the album was ranked number 200 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-downward-spiral-nine-inch-nails-19691231|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902012718/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-downward-spiral-nine-inch-nails-19691231|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-09-02|title=Downward Spiral ranked no. 200|publisher=Rolling Stone|access-date=2 August 2021}}</ref> then was re-ranked 201 in a 2012 revised list.<ref name="201great500"/> The ''Rolling Stone'' staff wrote: "Holing up in the one-time home of Manson-family victim Sharon Tate, Trent Reznor made an overpowering meditation on NIN's central theme: control."<ref name="201great500">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-20120524|title=''500 Greatest Albums of All Time''|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 5, 2012|access-date=March 5, 2014|archive-date=March 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308224218/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-20120524|url-status=live}}</ref> It moved up to 122 on the magazine's revised list in 2020.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=2020-09-22|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=2021-03-30|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> The album was placed 10th on ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''{{'}}s ''125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years'' list; the ''Spin'' staff quoted Ann Powers' review that appreciated its bleak, aggressive style.<ref name="125Best25">{{cite journal|url=http://www.spin.com/spin25/125-best-albums-past-25-years#page=12|title=125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years: Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral|journal=Spin|year=2010|access-date=April 24, 2010|archive-date=June 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608074102/http://www.spin.com/spin25/125-best-albums-past-25-years#page=12|url-status=live}}</ref> It was ranked number 488 in the book ''The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time'' by heavy metal music critic [[Martin Popoff]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Martin Popoff|title=The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time|publisher=[[ECW Press]]|year=2004|isbn=1-55022-600-2}}</ref> In 2001, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' named ''The Downward Spiral'' as one of the ''50 Heaviest Albums of All Time'';<ref name="Q50Heav">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage2.html#50%20Heaviest|title=Q 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time|magazine=Q Magazine|year=2001|access-date=April 15, 2007|archive-date=August 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806025750/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage2.html#50%20Heaviest|url-status=usurped}}</ref> in 2010, the album was ranked number 102 on their ''250 Best Albums of Q's Lifetime (1986–2011)'' list.<ref name="Q250">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/q1001_songs.htm#q250|title=Q Magazine 250 Best Albums of Q's Lifetime|magazine=Q Magazine|year=2011|access-date=April 1, 2012|archive-date=June 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628075503/http://rocklistmusic.co.uk/q1001_songs.htm#q250|url-status=usurped}}</ref> ''The Downward Spiral'' was featured in Robert Dimery's book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref name="1001albums">{{cite book|title=[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]|year=2005|editor-first=Robert|editor-last=Dimery|first=Joel|last=McIver|author-link=Joel McIver|edition=1st|publisher=[[Universe Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-7893-1371-3}}</ref><!-- HIDDEN BECAUSE OF NOT ENOUGH DETAILS: On August 23, 2009, at [[Webster Hall]], Nine Inch Nails played the album in its entirety for the first time ever.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aolradio.slacker.com/|title=AOL Radio Stations|first=Slacker|last=Inc|website=AOL Radio|access-date=June 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/news/index.php#1251087586|title=News about Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor at The NIN Hotline. Featuring The Downward Spiral Live, a must-have fan compiled DVD|website=www.theninhotline.net|access-date=June 29, 2017}}</ref> --> In May 2014, ''[[Loudwire]]'' placed ''The Downward Spiral'' at number two on its "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994" list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://loudwire.com/best-hard-rock-albums-1994/|title=10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994|date=May 20, 2014|work=[[Loudwire]]|access-date=May 21, 2014|archive-date=June 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625085913/http://loudwire.com/best-hard-rock-albums-1994/|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 2014, ''[[Guitar World]]'' placed ''The Downward Spiral'' at number 43 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/superunknown-50-iconic-albums-defined-1994 |title=Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994 |date=July 14, 2014 |work=[[Guitar World|GuitarWorld.com]] |access-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715053900/http://www.guitarworld.com/superunknown-50-iconic-albums-defined-1994 |archive-date=July 15, 2014 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
{{Music ratings
| title = Retrospective professional reviews
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name=Allmusic />
| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=3162|title=Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|access-date=May 31, 2019|last=Vienet|first=Rene|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060619180634/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=3162|archive-date=June 19, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s|Christgau's Consumer Guide]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating-Christgau|hm2}}<ref>{{cite book|chapter=CG Book '90s: N|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=N&bk=90|access-date=March 30, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s|title-link=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|publisher=[[St. Martin's Griffin]]|year=2000|isbn=0-312-24560-2|archive-date=June 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611074601/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=N&bk=90|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Nine Inch Nails|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th concise|year=2011|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Kerrang!]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Bryant |first=Tom |date=November 2011 |title=Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral |journal=Kerrang!: 666 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die! |publisher=[[Bauer Media Group]] |page=80}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Filigree & Shadows|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|issue=188|date=July 2009|last=Prior|first=Clive|page=49}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev7score = 8.3/10<ref name="Mitchum">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5802-the-downward-spiral-deluxe-edition/|title=Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral [Deluxe Edition]|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=November 28, 2004|access-date=August 29, 2009|last=Mitchum|first=Rob|archive-date=August 23, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823115121/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5802-the-downward-spiral-deluxe-edition/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[PopMatters]]''
| rev8score = 9/10<ref name="Limmer"/>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name=RSguide />
| rev10 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev10score = 9/10<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Nine Inch Nails|last=Weisbard|first=Eric|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|year=1995|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=270–271}}</ref>
}}
The immediate success of ''The Downward Spiral'' established Nine Inch Nails as a reputable force in the 1990s. Reznor felt uncomfortable with the media hype and success the band earned, received false reports of his death, depression, and was falsely reported to have had a relationship with serial killer [[Jeffrey Dahmer]], and was depicted as a [[sex icon]].{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=165–180}} Nine Inch Nails received several honors, including Grammy Award nominations for [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Performance]] for ''The Downward Spiral'' and [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|Best Rock Song]] for "Hurt".{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=207}} After the release of ''The Downward Spiral'', many bands such as [[Gravity Kills]], [[Stabbing Westward]], [[Filter (band)|Filter]], and [[Mötley Crüe]] made albums that imitated the sound of Nine Inch Nails.<ref name=RS763>{{cite magazine|magazine=Rolling Stone|issue=763|date=June 26, 1997|first=Jon|last=Wiederhorn|title=Generation Swine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/generation-swine-19970626|access-date=March 8, 2014|archive-date=April 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417003546/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/generation-swine-19970626|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="StereogumTDS20">{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1668716/the-downward-spiral-turns-20/franchises/the-anniversary|title=The Downward Spiral turns 20|author=Tom Breihan|work=Stereogum|date=March 7, 2014|access-date=March 27, 2014|archive-date=March 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311055054/http://www.stereogum.com/1668716/the-downward-spiral-turns-20/franchises/the-anniversary|url-status=live}}</ref>

Reznor interpreted ''The Downward Spiral'' as an extension of himself that "became the truth fulfilling itself," as he experienced personal and social issues presented in the album after its release. He had already struggled with [[social anxiety disorder]] and depression and started his abuse of [[narcotic]]s including cocaine while he went on an alcohol binge.<ref name="Hell" /> Around this time, his studio perfectionism,<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Trent Reznor|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/ap_97d_a.shtml|magazine=[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]|date=January 1998|issue=114|access-date=December 5, 2017|archive-date=December 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207092125/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/ap_97d_a.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> struggles with addiction, and bouts of writer's block prolonged the production of ''[[The Fragile]]'', and Reznor completed rehabilitation from drugs in 2001.<ref name="Hell">{{Cite magazine|title=To Hell and back|url=http://theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=21|issue=1050|author=Chick, Steve|magazine=[[Kerrang!]]|date=March 30, 2005|access-date=December 5, 2017|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215182238/http://theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=21|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Metal Edge July 2005 Nine Inch Nails">{{cite magazine|title=Trent Reznor Bites Back|url=http://theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=138|last=Gargano|first=Paul|magazine=Metal Edge|date=July 2005|access-date=December 5, 2017|archive-date=March 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313030843/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=138|url-status=live}}</ref>

One year after ''The Downward Spiral''’s release, the band released an accompanying remix album titled ''[[Further Down the Spiral]]''. It features contributions from [[Coil (band)|Coil]] with [[Danny Hyde]], [[J. G. Thirlwell]], electronic musician [[Aphex Twin]], producer Rick Rubin, and Jane's Addiction guitarist [[Dave Navarro]].{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=207–208}} The album peaked at number 23 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and received mixed reviews.<ref name="billboard200" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/further-down-the-spiral-mw0000177651 |title=Further Down the Spiral – Nine Inch Nails |work=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=April 26, 2018 |archive-date=June 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623112918/https://www.allmusic.com/album/further-down-the-spiral-mw0000177651 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Recoiled]]'', a remix EP of "[[Gave Up (song)|Gave Up]]", "Closer", "The Downward Spiral", and "Eraser" by Coil, was released on February 24, 2014, via British record label [[Cold Spring (label)|Cold Spring]].<ref name="exclaim">{{cite magazine|url=http://exclaim.ca/News/rare_nine_inch_nails_remixes_appear_unearthed_on_coil_ep|title=Rare Nine Inch Nails Remixes Unearthed on Coil EP|magazine=[[Exclaim!]]|date=December 6, 2013|access-date=January 17, 2014|author=Hughes, Josiah|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204011411/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/rare_nine_inch_nails_remixes_appear_unearthed_on_coil_ep|url-status=live}}</ref>

Retrospective reviews regard ''The Downward Spiral'' as one of the most important albums of the 1990s and Reznor's greatest work. The 2004 edition of ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' gave the album five out of five stars and called it "a powerful statement, and one of the landmark albums of the Nineties."<ref name=RSguide>{{cite book|chapter=Nine Inch Nails|last=Randall|first=Mac|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|publisher=[[Fireside Books]]|location=London|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/587 587–588]}}</ref> Writing for ''Entertainment Weekly'', Kyle Anderson remembered watching the music video of "Closer" on MTV as an adolescent and expressed that the album changed his perception of popular music from that of songs heard on the radio to albums with cover art.<ref name="EWTDS20">{{cite magazine|url=http://music-mix.ew.com/2014/03/07/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-20th-anniversary/|author=Kyle Anderson|title=Nine Inch Nails' 'The Downward Spiral': 20 years of filth and fury|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Time Warner|date=March 7, 2014|access-date=March 9, 2014|archive-date=March 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308201040/http://music-mix.ew.com/2014/03/07/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-20th-anniversary/|url-status=live}}</ref> The album was also included in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Robert Dimery|author2=Michael Lydon|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition|date=March 23, 2010|publisher=Universe|isbn=978-0-7893-2074-2}}</ref> Adrien Begrand of ''[[Stylus Magazine]]'' considers ''The Downward Spiral'' to be an "over-the-top masterpiece" that ranks alongside [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]]'s ''[[Loveless (album)|Loveless]]'' (1991) as the best-produced album of the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stylus Magazine |title=I Love 1994 |url=http://stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/i-love-1994.htm |website=Stylus Magazine |access-date=September 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205062411/http://stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/i-love-1994.htm#nin |archive-date=February 5, 2010 |date=July 21, 2004}}</ref>

== Controversies ==
Due to the album's aggressive and transgressive lyrics, as well as its political and social coverage, ''The Downward Spiral'' gained cultural impact that was surrounded by controversy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/doublej-classic-albums/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-trent-reznor-mel-bampton/103658300|title=Nine Inch Nails – ''The Downward Spiral''|website=ABC Listen|date=April 8, 2024|access-date=August 10, 2025|first=Mel|last=Bampton}}</ref>

;Richard Patrick controversy surrounding "Piggy"
[[Richard Patrick]], who was Nine Inch Nails' guitarist until partway through ''The Downward Spiral'' sessions, has stated in interviews that "[[Piggy (song)|Piggy]]" was his nickname and that he believed the song was aimed at him.<ref name="Q&A with Richard Patrick">{{cite web |title=Q&A with Richard Patrick |url=https://sacramentopress.com/2010/11/19/qa-with-filters-richard-patrick/ |website=Sacramento Press |date=November 20, 2010 |access-date=1 March 2019}}</ref> Reflecting on their fallout, Patrick remarked: "When a guy writes a song called 'Piggy' about you, there’s obviously tension or some leftover shit… you know, I wish it hadn’t been so complicated and so weird."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/nine-inch-nails-downward-spiral-8-things-you-didnt-know/|title=Nine Inch Nails' 'The Downward Spiral': 8 Things You Didn't Know|website=Revolver|date=March 8, 2019|access-date=August 10, 2025|first=Dan|last=Epstein}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfbayareaconcerts.com/2011/11/interview-with-richard-patrick-of.html|title=An Interview with Richard Patrick of Filter|website=San Francisco Bay Area Concerts|date=November 10, 2011|access-date=August 10, 2025|first=Kevin|last=Keating}}</ref> On the other side, Reznor pushed back on the interpretation linking “Piggy” to the Sharon Tate–Manson murders (though he did name the studio "Le Pig" as a provocative joke about being in that house). He clarified that the songs "Piggy" and "March of the Pigs" were written before his involvement with that location and were not about that tragedy: "I had the song 'Piggy' written long before it was ever known that I would be in that house... 'March of the Pigs' has nothing to do with the Tate murders…".{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=121}}<ref>{{cite interview|work=Much Music|date=April 1, 1994|title=Trent Reznor}}</ref> Before the release of ''The Downward Spiral'', Patrick left the band in 1993 after experiencing discrepancies with Reznor, and at the same time he formed the band [[Filter (band)|Filter]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://loudwire.com/filter-richard-patrick-why-quit-nine-inch-nails/ | title=Richard Patrick: Why I Quit Nine Inch Nails Before They Exploded | website=[[Loudwire]] | date=September 23, 2020 }}</ref> Some critics and fans see the song's themes —betrayal, isolation, defiance ("nothing can stop me now")— as rooted in personal relationships, not broader cultural references. One commentary suggests the lyrics could be about a breakup before Reznor moved to LA, or reflect personal discord rather than the dramatic backdrop of the studio's history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://albumism.com/features/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-album-anniversary|title=Nine Inch Nails' 'The Downward Spiral' Turns 30 - Album Anniversary|website=Albumism|date=March 3, 2024|access-date=August 10, 2025|first=Erika|last=Wolf}}</ref>

;"Big Man with a Gun" lyrics
{{Quote box
 |quote ="I realize that once it is in the store it is other people’s domain to interpret. That is what is interesting about this as a medium of communications. Unless it is something I feel really strongly about that is being misinterpreted. For instance, I have been accused of misogyny and shit like that. I think, "You’re not getting the point." Like "Big Man With a Gun", "Oh, you’re advocating..." Should I even have to comment on that?"|source=—Trent Reznor, ''[[Plazm (magazine)|Plazm]]''.<ref name="Plazm">{{cite magazine |title=Nine Inch Nails: an interview with Trent Reznor |last1=Berger |first1=Joshua |last2=Lengvenis |first2=Eric |date=28 July 1994 |issue=7 |magazine=[[Plazm (magazine)|Plazm]] |url=https://magazine.plazm.com/an-interview-with-trent-reznor-244a949bfde3 |url-access=registration |access-date=2026-04-04 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20200112202442/https://magazine.plazm.com/an-interview-with-trent-reznor-244a949bfde3?gi=578479c5f20c |archive-date=2020-01-12}}</ref>
 |align = right |width = 30% |border = 1px |fontsize = 93% |quoted = true |salign = center}}
''The Downward Spiral''{{'}}s emphasis on transgressive themes drew criticism from [[Conservatism in the United States|American social conservatives]]. Senator [[Bob Dole]], then the head of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], sharply denounced [[Time Warner]], the former owner of Interscope's former parent company [[Warner Music Group]], after a meeting between [[Michael J. Fuchs]] (head of WMG), [[William Bennett]], and [[C. Delores Tucker]]. During the meeting, Tucker and Bennett demanded that Fuchs recite lyrics from "Big Man with a Gun".<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Larry Leibstein with Thomas Rosenstiel|title=The Right Takes a Media Giant to Political Task|url=http://www.newsweek.com/right-takes-media-giant-political-task-183552|magazine=Newsweek|date=June 12, 1995|page=30|access-date=September 1, 2018|archive-date=September 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902011939/https://www.newsweek.com/right-takes-media-giant-political-task-183552|url-status=live}}</ref> Interscope had previously been blamed for releasing [[gangsta rap]] albums by rappers such as [[Dr. Dre]], [[2Pac]] and [[Snoop Dogg]] that were deemed objectionable. Reznor called Tucker (who erroneously referred to Nine Inch Nails as a gangsta rap act) "such a fucking idiot", and claimed that the song was actually a satire of the gangsta rap genre as a whole and was originally about madness. Reznor conceded ''The Downward Spiral'' could be "harmful, through implying and subliminally suggesting things", whereas [[hardcore hip hop]] could be "cartoonish".<ref name="NIN Spin 1996">{{cite magazine|magazine=Spin|volume=11|issue=11|date=February 1996|page=34|first=Eric|last=Weisbard|title=Sympathy for the Devil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=td2yO_T3DPEC&pg=PA34|access-date=November 4, 2011|archive-date=December 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222153547/https://books.google.com/books?id=td2yO_T3DPEC&pg=PA34|url-status=live}} Also posted at {{cite journal|title=Sympathy for the Devil|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xint8a.shtml|website=theninhotline.net|access-date=August 20, 2011|archive-date=September 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928015236/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xint8a.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=208–210}} [[Robert Bork]] also repeatedly referenced "Big Man with a Gun" in his book ''[[Slouching Toward Gomorrah]]'' as evidence of a supposed cultural decline.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Leapin Lizards|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/12/16/leapin-lizards|magazine=The New Yorker|date=1996-12-08|access-date=2025-06-24|issn=0028-792X|first=John|last=Heilemann}}</ref>

;Alleged contribution to the Columbine shooting
{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=center|quote=Another form of '''the Downward Spiral'''&nbsp;... deeper & deeper it goes. to cuddle w. her, to be one w. her, to love; just laying there. I need a gun. This is a weird entry&nbsp;... I should feel happy, but shit brought me down.|source=[[Dylan Klebold]] from one of his journals two years before the shooting.<ref name="klebold">{{cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/nine-inch-nails-connection-to-columbine-massacre/|title=The Downward Spiral: Nine Inch Nails' problematic connection to the Columbine High School massacre|website=Far Out|date=January 11, 2023|access-date=August 9, 2025|first=Tom|last=Leatham}}</ref>|align=right|width=33%}}

Before the [[Columbine High School massacre]], perpetrator [[Dylan Klebold]] referenced lyrics from Nine Inch Nails songs multiple times in his journal.<ref name="klebold" /> Klebold heavily identified with the protagonist of ''The Downward Spiral'' as a symbol of his own depression.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/columbine-myths-and-truth/article785290/ |title=Columbine: myths and truth |date=May 8, 2009 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |access-date=January 11, 2018 |last=Moore |first=Oliver |archive-date=August 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829055707/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/columbine-myths-and-truth/article785290/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 4, 1999, a hearing on the marketing and distribution practices of violent content to minors by the television, music, film, and video game industries was conducted before the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation]].<ref name="VH1 Senators Criticize">{{cite web|last=O'Connor|first=Christopher|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/513971/senators-criticize-marilyn-manson-nine-inch-nails-at-hearing/|title=Senators Criticize Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails At Hearing|work=MTV News|date=June 4, 1999|access-date=May 3, 2011|archive-date=June 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601143816/http://www.mtv.com/news/513971/senators-criticize-marilyn-manson-nine-inch-nails-at-hearing/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The committee heard testimony from cultural observers, professors, and mental health professionals, that included conservative William Bennett and the Archbishop of [[Denver]], Reverend [[Charles J. Chaput]].<ref name="VH1 Senators Criticize" /> Participants criticized the album, Nine Inch Nails' label-mate [[Marilyn Manson]], and the 1999 film ''[[The Matrix]]'' for their alleged contribution to the environment that made incidents like Columbine possible.<ref name="VH1 Senators Criticize" /> The committee requested that the [[Federal Trade Commission]] and the [[United States Department of Justice]] investigate the entertainment industry's marketing practices to minors.<ref name="VH1 Senators Criticize" /><ref name="Salon Hollywood on Trial">{{cite web|last=Tapper |first=Jake |url=http://www.salon.com/news/politics/feature/2000/08/29/hollywood/index.html |title=Hollywood on trial |work=Salon |publisher=Salon Media Group |date=August 29, 2000 |access-date=May 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622113003/http://www.salon.com/news/politics/feature/2000/08/29/hollywood/index.html |archive-date=June 22, 2011 }}</ref>

;iPhone application refusal
In 2009, [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] rejected a proposal for a Nine Inch Nails [[iPhone]] software application, citing objectionable content in the title track.<ref name="iphone">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/35275-nine-inch-nails-iphone-app-update-approved-by-apple-unchanged/|title=Nine Inch Nails iPhone App Update Approved by Apple, Unchanged|date=7 May 2009|access-date=24 January 2025|website=Pitchfork}}</ref> Days later, Apple reversed the decision, but refused to explain its reasoning;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8039779.stm|title=Reznor takes a byte out of Apple|work=[[BBC News]]|date=May 8, 2009|access-date=May 13, 2009|archive-date=May 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511121246/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8039779.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> however, they noted that the app has "objectionable content".<ref name="iphone" /> In response to this action, Reznor tweeted "The NIN iPhone app is unchanged, the 'issues' seem to have been resolved".<ref name="iphone" /><ref>{{cite tweet|user=trent_reznor|author=Trent Reznor|author-link=Trent Reznor|date=7 May 2009|access-date=24 January 2025|title=The NIN iPhone app is unchanged, the "issues" seem to have been resolved.|number=1729055398|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516071100/http://twitter.com/trent_reznor/status/1729055398|archive-date=16 May 2009}}</ref> The developer posted a message on the Nine Inch Nails discussion boards explaining the situation further:
<blockquote>v1.0 is live. v1.0.3 got rejected due to content yet the app has no content in it. This was mainly a stability release to fix the bug that crashes the app for international users. The bug was fixed 24 hours after 1.0 went live and we have been waiting for Apple to approve it ever since. Meanwhile the app continues to get a growing number of 1 star ratings from international users understandably frustrated by the bug, but looks like our hands are tied.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?9,651569,651866#msg-651866|title=NIN iPhone app rejection|publisher=Forum.nin.com|access-date=December 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507182214/http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?9%2C651569%2C651866#msg-651866|archive-date=May 7, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref></blockquote>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_writing = [[Trent Reznor]]
| title1 = [[Mr. Self Destruct]]
| length1 = 4:31
| title2 = [[Piggy (song)|Piggy]]
| length2 = 4:24
| title3 = Heresy
| length3 = 3:54
| title4 = [[March of the Pigs]]
| length4 = 2:59
| title5 = [[Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)|Closer]]
| length5 = 6:14
| title6 = Ruiner
| length6 = 4:58
| title7 = The Becoming
| length7 = 5:31
| title8 = I Do Not Want This
| length8 = 5:41
| title9 = Big Man with a Gun
| length9 = 1:36
| title10 = A Warm Place
| length10 = 3:22
| title11 = Eraser
| length11 = 4:53
| title12 = Reptile
| length12 = 6:52
| title13 = The Downward Spiral
| length13 = 3:58
| title14 = [[Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song)|Hurt]]
| length14 = 6:16
| total_length = 65:02
}}

'''Notes'''
* The opening sounds of "Mr. Self Destruct" are a sample from the film ''[[THX 1138]]'' in which a man is being beaten by a prison guard.<ref name="The Quietus">{{cite journal|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/14684-nin-nine-inch-nails-downward-spiral-review|author=Val Siebert|title=Two Way Alchemy: Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral Revisited|journal=The Quietus|date=March 10, 2014|access-date=March 29, 2014}}</ref>
* The drum-beat on "Closer" was sampled from [[Iggy Pop]]'s song "[[Nightclubbing (song)|Nightclubbing]]".<ref name="Reznor Keyboard"/> The song also contains a sample from [[Roxy Music]]'s song "Take a Chance with Me", although it is sped-up and reversed.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.loudersound.com/music/tracks-singles/the-story-behind-nine-inch-nails-closer |title="It’s strange when you’re playing in front of 30 people, lip-syncing. Especially when you’re hanging upside down with a piece of meat behind you." How Nine Inch Nails' anthem of self-loathing and sleaze got twisted into the ultimate horny metal track |website=Louder |date=December 3, 2025 |access-date=January 15, 2026}}</ref>
* The sample of screams that plays throughout "The Becoming" is from the film ''[[Robot Jox]]'', when a giant robot falls on a crowd of spectators.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kushner|first=Nick|title=Films, Samples and Influences|url=http://www.nachtkabarett.com/NIN/Samples|work=The Nachtkabarett|access-date=March 29, 2014|archive-date=March 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312044125/http://www.nachtkabarett.com/NIN/Samples|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=February 2026}}
* The sample at the beginning of "Big Man with a Gun" comes from a studio-altered recording of a porn star having an orgasm. According to the album booklet, this "sample" is titled "Steakhouse" and is credited to [[Tommy Lee]].<ref name="TDSbooklet">{{cite AV media notes|title=The Downward Spiral|type=CD liner notes|others=Nine Inch Nails|publisher=[[Interscope Records]]|year=1994|page=28|id=92346-2}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2026}}
* Japanese pressings of the album contain a cover of [[Joy Division]]'s song "Dead Souls", originally included on the [[The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack|soundtrack]] to the film ''[[The Crow (1994 film)|The Crow]]''. The track is placed in between "Big Man with a Gun" and "A Warm Place".{{sfn|Huxley|1997|p=191}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_Nine-Inch-Nails_000000000032326/item_The-Downward_956818|title=The Downward : Nine Inch Nails|publisher=[[HMV Japan]]|access-date=January 20, 2016|archive-date=January 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131201136/http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_Nine-Inch-Nails_000000000032326/item_The-Downward_956818|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The break in "Reptile" contains an audio sample (starting at 5:06) of a woman falling down a hill from the 1974 film ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fuse.tv/2014/03/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-facts|author=Samantha Vincenty|title=13 things you didn't know about Nine Inch Nails' 'The Downward Spiral'|work=[[Fuse (TV channel)|Fuse]]|date=March 7, 2014|access-date=April 17, 2014|archive-date=April 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419012552/http://www.fuse.tv/2014/03/nine-inch-nails-the-downward-spiral-facts|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, the mechanical sounds of the opening (starting at 0:58) are from the cargo loader exosuit from the 1986 film ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]''.
* The first Australian pressing has track length errors. Affected tracks do not play at their beginnings when selected individually ("Big Man with a Gun" has the beginning of "A Warm Place" tacked on, likewise all the songs up to "Hurt" start 41 seconds earlier than they should. "Hurt" itself has 44 seconds of silence on the end as a result); however, the disc plays and flows correctly as a whole.<ref>{{cite web|title=Halo Eight – Australian First Pressing CD5|url=http://www.nincollector.com/archive/releases/halo_08/08_aus_cd_firstpressing.htm|publisher=NIN Collector|access-date=October 17, 2011|archive-date=May 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516133259/http://www.nincollector.com/archive/releases/halo_08/08_aus_cd_firstpressing.htm|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

===Deluxe edition (Halo 8 DE)===
To mark the album's tenth anniversary, ''The Downward Spiral'' was re-released on November 23, 2004, in high-resolution SACD and DualDisc formats. Disc one of the album's deluxe edition re-release is nearly identical to the original version; track anomalies such as sounds from previous tracks creeping up on start of tracks are fixed, and it includes a stereo and multi-channel [[Super Audio CD|SACD]] layer. The second bonus disc is a collection of remixes and B-sides and also includes a stereo SACD layer in addition to the Redbook CD layer. The last three tracks on the bonus disc are previously unreleased demo recordings from the original album.<ref name="TDS10">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/66210/nin-revisits-the-downward-spiral|title=NIN Revisits ''The Downward Spiral''|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|date=November 2004|access-date=November 14, 2013|archive-date=October 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003150214/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/66210/nin-revisits-the-downward-spiral|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Allmusic TDSDE">{{AllMusic|author=Steve Huey|class=album|id=r717657|label=The Downward Spiral (Deluxe Edition)|access-date=March 29, 2014}}</ref>
{{Track listing
| all_writing = [[Trent Reznor]], except "Dead Souls" by [[Joy Division]] and "Memorabilia" by [[Soft Cell]]
| headline        = Bonus disc
| title1          = [[Burn (Nine Inch Nails song)|Burn]]
| note1           = from ''[[Natural Born Killers (soundtrack)|Natural Born Killers]]''
| length1         = 4:58
| title2          = Closer (Precursor)
| note2           = from "[[Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)|Closer to God]]"
| length2         = 7:17
| title3          = Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)
| note3           = from ''[[Further Down the Spiral]]''
| length3         = 4:02
| title4          = A Violet Fluid
| note4           = from "[[March of the Pigs]]"
| length4         = 1:04
| title5          = [[Dead Souls (song)|Dead Souls]]
| note5           = from ''[[The Crow (album)|The Crow]]'' or ''Japanese'' ''Edition''
| length5         = 4:54
| title6          = Hurt (Quiet)
| note6           = from ''Further Down the Spiral'', US version
| length6         = 5:09
| title7          = Closer to God
| note7           = from "Closer to God"
| length7         = 5:06
| title8          = All the Pigs, All Lined Up
| note8           = from "March of the Pigs"
| length8         = 7:26
| title9          = Memorabilia
| note9           = from "Closer to God"
| length9         = 7:21
| title10         = The Downward Spiral (The Bottom)
| note10          = from ''Further Down the Spiral''
| length10        = 7:33
| title11         = Ruiner
|note11=Demo
| length11        = 4:51
| title12         = Liar
|note12=Reptile Demo
| length12        = 6:56
| title13         = Heresy
|note13=Demo
| length13        = 4:01
| total_length    = 70:38
}}

'''''DualDisc'' (Halo 8 DVD-A)'''

The DualDisc edition of ''The Downward Spiral'' contains the same CD content on Side A as the Deluxe Edition, with a [[DVD-Audio]] layer on Side B. When played on DVD-Video players a Dolby Digital 5.1 multi-channel or Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mix of ''The Downward Spiral'' can be selected, along with videos of "March of the Pigs", "Hurt" and an uncensored video of "Closer". There is also an interactive discography and an image gallery. High resolution 24-bit/48&nbsp;kHz 5.1 Surround sound and stereo versions of ''The Downward Spiral'' can be played on a DVD-Audio player, allowing the user a similar high fidelity experience as the SACD layer of the Deluxe Edition. The DualDisc release does not contain the additional B-sides and demo tracks.<ref name="TDS10" /><ref name="Allmusic TDSDE" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Halo Eight – DualDisc Edition|url=http://www.nincollector.com/archive/releases/halo_08/08dvda_d_cd.htm|publisher=NIN Collector|access-date=February 3, 2011|archive-date=July 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720021147/http://www.nincollector.com/archive/releases/halo_08/08dvda_d_cd.htm|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

==Personnel==
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''The Downward Spiral''.<ref name="TDSbooklet" />
{{div col}}
* [[Trent Reznor]] – vocals, all performance except where noted, arranger, producer <small>(all tracks)</small>, drum treatments <small>(track 8)</small>, mixing <small>(track 14)</small>, programming, continuity
* [[Flood (producer)|Mark "Flood" Ellis]] – producer <small>(tracks 1, 2, 5–7, 10–12)</small>, hi-hat programming <small>(track 5)</small>, [[ARP 2600]] <small>(track 7)</small>, drum treatments <small>(track 8)</small>
* [[Chris Vrenna]] – drums <small>(track 14)</small>, programming, continuity, additional sampling and sound design, additional drums <small>(on "Burn")</small>, additional engineering
* [[Adrian Belew]] – texture generating guitar <small>(track 1)</small>, [[Ring modulation|ring mod]] guitar <small>(track 7)</small>
* [[Danny Lohner]] – additional guitar <small>(track 9)</small>
* [[Andy Kubiszewski]] – drums <small>(track 13)</small>
* [[Stephen Perkins]] – drum performance <small>(track 8)</small>
* [[Charlie Clouser]] – programming, continuity
* [[Alan Moulder]] – mixing engineer <small>(tracks 1–8, 10–13)</small>, additional engineering
* [[Sean Beavan]] – mixing engineer <small>(track 9)</small>, additional engineering
* Bill Kennedy – mixing engineer <small>(track 9)</small>, additional engineering
* John Aguto – additional engineering
* Brian Pollack – additional engineering
* Tom Baker – mastering
* [[Bob Ludwig]] – high-resolution mastering (reissue)
* James Brown – 5.1 mix (reissue)
* Neal Ferrazzani – assistance (reissue)
* [[Russell Mills (artist)|Russell Mills]] – paintings
* David Buckland – photography
* [[Gary Talpas]] – package
* [[Rob Sheridan]] – package, additional photography (reissue)
{{div col end}}

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1994)
! scope="col"| Peak<br/>position
|-
{{album chart|Australia|12|artist=Nine Inch Nails|album=The Downward Spiral|rowheader=true|access-date=January 20, 2017}}
|-
{{album chart|Canada|13|chartid=2434|rowheader=true|access-date=January 20, 2017|refname="CAN"}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[European Top 100 Albums|European Albums]] (''[[Music & Media]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-03-26.pdf |title=European Top 100 Albums |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |volume=11 |issue=13 |date=March 26, 1994 |page=21 |oclc=29800226 |access-date=February 5, 2019 |via=American Radio History |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204011329/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-03-26.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 38
|-
! scope="row"| Finnish Albums ([[The Official Finnish Charts|Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref>{{cite book |last=Pennanen |first=Timo |title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 |language=fi |edition=1st |location=Helsinki |publisher=[[Otava (publisher)|Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-951-1-21053-5}}</ref>
| 34
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|23|artist=Nine Inch Nails|album=The Downward Spiral|rowheader=true|access-date=January 20, 2017}}
|-
{{album chart|Scotland|8|date=19940313|rowheader=true|access-date=April 3, 2026|refname="Scotland"}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|33|artist=Nine Inch Nails|album=The Downward Spiral|rowheader=true|access-date=January 20, 2017}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|9|date=19940313|rowheader=true|access-date=February 5, 2019|refname="UK"}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|2|artist=Nine Inch Nails|rowheader=true|access-date=January 20, 2017|refname="billboard200"}}
|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col"| Chart (2026)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Greek Albums ([[IFPI Greece|IFPI]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html|title=Official IFPI Charts Top-100 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 20/2026|publisher=[[IFPI Greece]]|access-date=May 26, 2026|language=el|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20260527054914/https://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html|archive-date=May 26, 2026|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 57
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1994)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Canada Top Albums/CDs (''RPM'')<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2686&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2686.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2686 |title=RPM Top 100 Albums of 1994 |magazine=RPM |volume=60 |issue=21 |date=December 12, 1994 |issn=0315-5994 |access-date=February 5, 2019 |via=Library and Archives Canada |archive-date=February 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220162140/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2686&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2686.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.2686 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 92
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/top-billboard-200-albums |title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=February 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506060446/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/top-billboard-200-albums |archive-date=May 6, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| 59
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1995)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1995/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 23, 2021}}</ref>
| 69
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1997)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Canadian Hard Rock Albums (''Nielsen Soundscan'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/HARD_1997.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010320221532/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/HARD_1997.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2001-03-20|title=Hard Rock Albums: Top 25 of 1997}}</ref>
| 25
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=Nine Inch Nails|title=The Downward Spiral|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1994|certyear=1995|access-date=14 December 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Nine Inch Nails|title=The Downward Spiral|award=Platinum|number=3|type=album|relyear=1994|date=September 18, 1997|access-date=January 20, 2017|refname="CRIA"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Nine Inch Nails|title=The Downward Spiral|award=Gold|type=album|id=6896-2237-2|relyear=1994|certyear=2013|date=July 22, 2013|access-date=January 20, 2017|refname="BPI"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Nine Inch Nails|title=The Downward Spiral|award=Platinum|number=4|type=album|relyear=1994|date=October 28, 1998|access-date=January 20, 2017|salesamount=4,000,000|salesref=<ref name="US sales">{{cite web|last=Halperin|first=Shirley|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/trent-reznor-girl-dragon-tattoo-oscar-grammy-272957|title=Trent Reznor on Relating to 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Darkness; Why Grammys are 'Rigged and Cheap'|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=December 14, 2011|access-date=January 20, 2017|archive-date=January 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103171843/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/trent-reznor-girl-dragon-tattoo-oscar-grammy-272957|url-status=live}}</ref>|refname="RIAA"}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{Cite book |last=Huxley |first=Martin |url=https://archive.org/details/nineinchnailssel00huxl |title=Nine Inch Nails: Self Destruct |date=September 1997 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |isbn=0-312-15612-X |via=the [[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Steiner |first=Adam |title=Into The Never: Nine Inch Nails and The Creation of the Downward Spiral |date=March 1, 2020 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield|Backbeat]] |isbn=978-1617137310}}

==External links==
* [http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=806532 Album review] — By ''[[AbsolutePunk]]''
* [http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xrevw11.shtml Album review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192203/http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xrevw11.shtml |date=March 3, 2016 }} — By ''[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]''

{{Nine Inch Nails}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downward Spiral, The}}
[[Category:1990s concept albums]]
[[Category:1994 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Flood (producer)]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Trent Reznor]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at A&M Studios]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Henson Recording Studios]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Record Plant (Los Angeles)]]
[[Category:Albums recorded in a home studio]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by Russell Mills (artist)]]
[[Category:Interscope Records albums]]
[[Category:Nine Inch Nails albums]]
[[Category:Nothing Records albums]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in music]]
[[Category:Works about nihilism]]