10 Perfect Albums Where Metal Went Alternative

Before alternative had even become a mainstream force, Trent Reznor already was planting the seeds of heavy rock back in the late '80s. Around the same time that bands like Depeche Mode were still lighting up the charts, Nine Inch Nails were bringing the wicked sounds of industrial to the masses, with fellow bands like Filter and Ministry getting picked up just a few years later. It looked like he was on top of the world, but when you picked up the Downward Spiral, Trent was lower than he had ever imagined.

Channeling all of his pain into Mr. Self Destruct, this entire project is a concept album following one man's path to absolute insanity, being at his wit's end at the beginning and fully losing his sanity throughout the project, from turning to the most animalistic sides of himself on songs like Piggy and Closer to becoming truly disturbed by the ending, with songs like Reptile and Eraser being the moment where he passes the point of no return.

For all of the darkness that is on this record though, there's also subtle beauty in the mix as well, like the music box style piano riff running throughout different pieces of the record to A Warm Place giving you a subtle breather from the mayhem, almost like you found some quiet moment of peace amid all the chaos. Trent may have been able to make it to the other side in one piece, but this is the sound of what happens when you give the rest of the world a look at the darkest corners of your broken mind.