10 Perfect Rock Concept Albums

10. The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails

In the aftermath of Pretty Hate Machine, Trent Reznor's view of stardom wasn't exactly what he thought it would be. After making it big with tracks like Head Like a Hole, Trent found himself even more isolated than before, trying to let out his demons onstage and coming back with the exact same problems once the show ended. He needed some sort of outlet for those primal tendencies, and The Downward Spiral was the equivalent of throwing your fans' brains into a woodchipper.

Documenting the tale of someone named Mr. Self Destruct, this entire project consists of Trent trying to actively nullify his life, moving further down the spiral on every single track. Though he already sounds like he's on the brink of insanity on the first track, every song is another layer into the darkest corners of the human psyche, from talking about wanting to fulfill your sexual desires in the most unflattering way possible on Closer to the title track, which practically simulates a man contemplating suicide and eventually pulling the trigger at the end of the song.

This isn't just music to peel skin from bone to either, with thrashers like March of the Pigs getting balanced by A Warm Place, which reflects on the simpler times in the man's life, as well as ending with Hurt, where he takes into account all that he's done and tries to think of what he could have done better. This isn't necessarily a happy ending, but it's a good case of what could happen when you give into pure nihilism.