Nine Inch Nails – Not the Actual Events

By Topher Parks

It’s been over 3 years since the last Nine Inch Nails record, Hesitation Marks, and though industrial rock mogul Trent Reznor has been busy otherwise, there’s still been a NIN-shaped hole in many of the band’s fans, eagerly anticipating Reznor’s next project under the moniker. In the meantime, Reznor has dedicated much of his time to composing film scores along with Atticus Ross, the most notable of such collaborations coming on Gone Girl. The process and product felt so natural, the former ultimately decided that Ross belonged in Nine Inch Nails; now, the band is back with its newest official member (and only other member apart from Reznor).

With a fresh new release and reportedly two more “major releases” slated for the new year, the now-duo’s return has brought with it perhaps a renewed sense of focus, and it has certainly brought a renewed level of intensity. What some argue was missing on Hesitation Marks has been thrown back into the mix with the band’s second EP, Not the Actual Events. The EP opens with “Branches/Bones,” the brief intro which sets the tone; right away the listener can tell how heavy things are going to get. “Dear World” encompasses this heaviness rather well with an unrelenting pace, syncopated beat, and percussive synths.

“She’s Gone Away” lets up only ever-so slightly, making way for a drum- and bass-driven stomp and a guest appearance from Reznor’s wife and How to Destroy Angels bandmate Mariqueen Maandig. Maandig isn’t the only guest featured on Not the Actual Events though; on “The Idea of You,” rock peer and Foo Fighter Dave Grohl steps behind the drum kit, providing a ridiculously heavy (and almost doomy) groove underneath the EP’s most rocking tune. Not the Actual Events finishes out with the visceral single “Burning Bright (Field on Fire),” which takes on a different level of aggression. The result is a brooding kind of chaos which comes to a head on the massive chorus, before ultimately culminating at the end with a nasty guitarline sprinkled over top, courtesy of Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro.

All three guest spots seem to have been chosen very intentionally, as each one of them bolsters its respective song. Not only that, but each track has its proper context on the EP, making the presence of a “weak link” nonexistent, even if a few of the tracks pack more of a punch than the others. The newest release from Nine Inch Nails does not disappoint in the slightest, and though it doesn’t last long (clocking in at just 21 minutes in length), it gives fans both old and new a tasty morsel of what’s to come from Reznor and Ross in 2017.