Talk:The Great Destroyer
Ok, a lot of people have been wondering in #iamtryingtobelieve and #yearzero exactly what/who "The Great Destroyer" is. Popular theories include John of Boston being the songs narrator and somehow summoning the presence. It's most likely a person being interviewed (interrogated ;p) that somehow has the potential to cause massive worldwide destruction (or maybe just the States)or at least trigger it.
Furthermore I doubt it would be an atomic bomb or the likes, a person being interrogated wouldn't have an atom bomb on them (they confiscate those sorts of things). Anyways due to the new website "Red Horse Vector" perhaps the catalyst for the end of the world is the person being interviewed being a "Vector" for the Red Horse disease.
If somehow this Red Horse disease were unleashed, unguarded into the US by this Vector then I think that would be a pretty good indication everything was going to hell. And perhaps as a result the US retaliated and unleashed all hell on the world (nuclear style) bringing about the presence(s) to destroy everything.
At least that's my 2 cents- Velvolver 08:31, 8 April 2007 (PDT)
Are we going to add on this page that we found Red Horse Vector through the destorted voice found through this song, or not?
I love the techno breakdown. Interestingly enough, I was using an old computer with internal speakers in the tower when I first listened to the song. I caught RED HORSE VECTOR the first listen through, but the site had already been discovered by those who never leave their computers. -Crazyninfan 22:15, 10 April 2007 (PDT)
Love this song. Reznor's WORLD ENDING FLATULANCE!!! o___o! *up way too early* --GrayscaleRain 04:29, 12 April 2007 (PDT)
Could I hear the voice say redhorse vector on headphones? At what time does it occur?? -Velvolver 05:37, 12 April 2007 (PDT)
Death Note?
I'm going ahead and removing this sentence:
"There is also speculation that this is about the Manga "Death Note", as the lyrics are very similar to the core concept."
from the speculations section...because it's just completely ridiculous. The whole album has a concept which it is based around, it's meaning is either symbolic or about one of the characters in the album's universe. I highly doubt TR would write a song about some anime that is popular to angsty middle schoolers and then stick it in a concept album. Most likely whoever put this in is a fan of the anime and this is something they thought of, I've never heard anyone else speak of this. If someone wants to put the sentence back in, please put your reason why under this heading. Helgado 14:30, 16 November 2009 (PST)
- gooooood call. - Seasonsinthesky 21:14, 16 November 2009 (PST)
speech
the speech can be heard around 2 min 24 sec. when the surround sound effect happens... you would have to have your headphones on medium-high volume and really strain or push your headphones into your ear to hear it... but you can!!! lol... The best way to hear it however is discussed on the echoing the sound forum... In a surround sound stereo system while turning down the right and left channel and pumping the center channel... or something like that... Jgrizzy89 09:53, 12 April 2007 (PDT)
Suicide bomber
I have a theory that this song is about a suicide bomber, possibly taking down an important target (building or person). Think of it sung from the perspective of a man with explosives strapped to his chest, about to carry out his mission. He goes over his last thoughts: "I hope they cannot see", "to murder everything", "hold your breath, wait until you know the time is right". Then he ends it in a big flourish (the louder second chorus of "I am the great destroyer"), and then he presses the button and explodes. The breakdown at the end of the song is the explosion and the resulting fallout and panic. Gutsdozer 17:07, 7 December 2008 (PST)
- Clearly you haven't played the ARG much. Longkayurislong 07:13, 20 October 2009 (PDT)
Similarity
The very beginning of The Great Destroyer is similar to Underneath The Skin at around 1:19. Kornwolf 20:29, 19 October 2009 (PDT)
- you can pretty much get any bass drum to sound like that if you throw distortion on it, but i think it's worth noting, since it also has a randomized delay effects chain, like the end of TGD. maybe it was a production influence. go for it! - Seasonsinthesky 18:23, 31 October 2009 (PDT)
The Great Destroyer, turning point?
in the narrative YZ0 puts up i have the feeling that this precise song is the "turning point". "the warning" talks about The Presence as THE warning, the big hand on the Capitol. the two songs that follows before TGD shows things on earth going to a point of no return. maybe a war erupt in between the goverment and the resistance, that i cannot be sure. TGD is a great song. but you see, before the voice of TN fades and everything goes berserk. sounds like a major disaster occurs. maybe a nuke? the following songs have a certain post apocalyptic taste, in particular "Another version of the truth" and "In this twilight". in the latter, a unknown narrator see lights where there is supposdly black. i assume he is some kinda survivor after the war standing where everything is destroyed or in ashes.
he sees... The Presence?
also, i have a gut feeling The Slip is loosely related to YZ0.
- two things: please sign your posts by ending them with four tildes (~); and it's very confusing if you refer to Year Zero as "YZ0" — perhaps just use the conventional YZ or, if you're intent on including the number, Y0. as for what you're saying about TGD, well, yes, the latter half of the song is obviously intended to depict some kind of destruction in the storyline, brought on by the titular character, whoever that is. everything you said about the song is pretty much the basic interpretation as laid out by the lyrics and music. for more discussion on this song, check out the topic at the official NIN forums. - seasonsinthesky 09:16, 1 February 2011 (PST)