Changes

The initial concept of the album was an exploration of “loss "loss and possible discovery of self, along with alternate layers of reality and perception set inside a nightmare you can't seem to wake up from; with lots of feedback”feedback. " Around this time mysterious quotes and binary codes appeared on the NIN website, including a passage from the book ''[[wp:The Lathe of Heaven|The Lathe of Heaven]]'' by Ursula K. Le Guin, containing the phrase "bleed-through". The working title for ''With Teeth'' was ''Bleedthrough'', referencing the phenomenon of audio bleed-through.

In a [[Access#2004_10_18|question posted]] in the [[Access]] section of [[nin.com]] Reznor announced that the working title ''Bleedthrough'' had been dropped. Reznor stated that the name was changed because "it was supposed to be about different layers of reality seeping into the next, but I think some people were thinking about blood or a tampon commercial.". "'Bleedthrough' is no more," Reznor wrote in a message posted on nin.com, "as the songs and concepts matured, the focus and theme of the album shifted somewhat--leaving me feeling that title was inappropriate. Or you could just say I changed my mind. Yes, the new album has a title and track list, and no I'm not telling you what it is yet.".

Reznor commented on the change of direction for the album, stating that "About five or six songs into writing it, the songs started to sound good on their own and they didn't need this framework to work together,” " and that ''With Teeth'' consists of "a collection of songs that are friends with each other, but don't have to rely on each other to make sense", however, the album's narrative arc describes "a difficult journey that begins with a nightmare and ends with acceptance of a new reality.”"[http://theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=21]

In an [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937146/nine_inch_nails_let_it_bleed/ interview] in February 2004 Reznor stated that the new material was “more "more song-oriented (than ''[[The Fragile (halo)|The Fragile]]''). It's much more lean. It's going to be twelve good punches in the face -- no fillers, no instrumentals, just straight to the point…It's a complicated concept record, but reduced to just simple songs. It's not epic in its scope. It's minimal and a bit brutal." The album's final title may be a reference to a song of the same name by [[Related bands and artists#The Melvins|The Melvins]], as Reznor is a fan.