10 Hard Rock Albums Everyone Takes For Granted

Most people looking to get into Nine Inch Nails would be pointed to the Downward Spiral first, and for good reason. Even though it's not the sunniest of albums by any stretch, the massive tour de force of musicianship that Trent Reznor paints across that record is one of the most awe inspiring moments of the entire '90s. If you want to see what really makes Reznor tick though, the magic was really all there on Pretty Hate Machine.

Then again, it almost feels weird considering this as a Nine Inch Nails record, given that the one thing it has in common with the rest of their discography is Trent. Compared to some of the darker material he would be making later, it feels like Trent has his influences more on his sleeve here, albeit with some pitch black eyeshadow caked on for good measure on songs like Terrible Lie and the proto industrial rager Head Like a Hole.

As the track list goes along, you also get to see traces of the electronic and new wave groups in Reznor's head, with Something I Can Never Have having the same cold and calculated melodic structure you'd find with a Depeche Mode record or Cure record. For as rough around the edges as it seems, rarely will you find a debut rock album that sticks the landing this well.