"Nothing can stop me now," Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor whispers during the opening moments of his 1994 industrial-rock magnum opus The Downward Spiral . The words are spoken with a hint of menace, hinting at the album's infamous (and controversial) conceptual exploration of nihilism and self-destruction —but they might as well have referenced Reznor's juggernaut music career that he embarked upon following the release of his ground-breaking sophomore album (indeed, nothing could stop him).

The Downward Spiral arrived after a period of discontent for Reznor. His 1998 debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, launched him into something closer to synth-pop stardom (which he'd lacquered with a steely finish of crunchy industrial rock).

Yet Reznor yearned for a heavier sound

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