Nine Inch Nails

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For more on the history of Nine Inch Nails, see Trent Reznor.

For the Wikipedia entry on Nine Inch Nails, click here.

Nine Inch Nails (photography credit: Baldur Bragason)

Nine Inch Nails is the studio name for Trent Reznor, as well as the name of the band hired by him to perform songs while on tour. It is an industrial rock band, and the most recognized one since the genre was introduced.

Nine Inch Nails (commonly abbreviated as NIN) was formed in Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1988, and has so far released eight full-length studio albums, nineteen singles and EPs, a number of remix albums, and some live compilations. Reznor is the only official member and has always been solely responsible for the musical direction of the band. His lyrics are largely concerned with the exploration of the self, but with albums such as Year Zero and The Slip, the lyrical focus shifted somewhat to extrospection. Earlier NIN material was created almost entirely by Reznor, but starting with The Fragile, he began to allow for a more collaborative writing process involving other players.

After recording a new album, the assembly of a new band usually follows, along with extensive touring; the live component of Nine Inch Nails is largely considered a separate entity from NIN in the recording studio. NIN's live shows often involve visually spectacular elements such as screens and lighting rigs, which have been used on the Self Destruct, Fragility, With Teeth Arena Tours (Fall & Spring), Performance 2007, Lights In The Sky and NIN 2013-2014 tours, and would sometimes culminate with the destruction of musical instruments.

Body Of Work

Full-Length Albums

Pretty Hate Machine (1989)
The Downward Spiral (1994)
The Fragile (1999)
With Teeth (2005)
Year Zero (2007)
Ghosts I–IV (2008)
The Slip (2008)
Hesitation Marks (2013)

EPs & Remix Albums

Broken (1992)
Fixed (1992)
Further Down The Spiral (1994)
Things Falling Apart (2000)
Still (2002)
Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D (2007)

Live Releases

Closure (1997) Music video & Live documentary double VHS set
And All That Could Have Been (2002) DVD, VHS, CD
Beside You In Time (2007) DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray

Singles

Commercial

Down In It (1989)
Head Like A Hole (1990)
Sin (1990)
March Of The Pigs (1994)
Closer/Closer To God (1994)
The Perfect Drug (1997)
The Day The World Went Away (1999)
We're In This Together (1999)
Into The Void (1999)
The Hand That Feeds (2005)
Only (2005)
Every Day Is Exactly The Same (2006)
Survivalism (2007)
Capital G (2007)
Came Back Haunted (2013) digital only
Copy Of A (2013) digital only
Everything (2013) digital only

Radio/Promotional

Wish (1992)
Happiness In Slavery (1992)
Burn (1994)
Hurt (1994)
Piggy (1994)
Starfuckers, Inc. (2000)
Deep (2001)
Discipline (2008)

Members

Trent Reznor

Live Band Members

Alessandro Cortini: Keyboards (2004-2008, 2013- ) (Also occasionally handles guitar, bass, backing vocals, programming)
Robin Finck: Guitar (1994-1996, 1999-2000, 2008- ) (Also occasionally handles backing vocals, keyboards)
Ilan Rubin: Drums (2009- ) (Also occasionally handles keyboards, cello, guitar, bass, backing vocals)

Former Members

Guitar

Adrian Belew (2013) (Never made it to the road, replaced by Finck)
Ralf Dietel (2005) (Never made it to the road, replaced by North)
Josh Eustis (2013) (Tension Tour only; also occasionally handled keyboards, backing vocals, saxophone)
Kevin McMahon (1996) (Nights Of Nothing Tour only)
Aaron North (2005-2007) (Also occasionally handled backing vocals)
Richard Patrick (1989-1993) (Also occasionally handled backing vocals)

Bass

Eric Avery (2013) (Never made it to the road, replaced by Eustis and Palladino)
Josh Eustis (2013) (Festivals 2013 Tour only; also occasionally handled keyboards, backing vocals)
Rich Fownes (2008) (Never made it to the road, replaced by Meldal-Johnsen)
Danny Lohner (1994-2003) (Also occasionally handled guitar, keyboards, backing vocals)
Justin Meldal-Johnsen (2008-2009) (Also occasionally handled guitar, keyboards, backing vocals)
Pino Palladino (2013) (Tension Tour only)
Jeordie White (2005-2007) (Also occasionally handled guitar, backing vocals)

Keyboards

Charlie Clouser (1994-2001) (Also played theremin on the Fragility Tour, some drums on the Dissonance Tour)
David Haymes (1990) (Deep Tour only, replaced by Mars)
Brian Liesegang (Replacement for Mars for a few nights; helped in the studio on Broken; featured in one of the music videos for "Gave Up")
Lee Mars (1990-1991)
Nick Rushe (1990) (Automatic Tour only, replaced by Haymes)
Gary Talpas (1989) (Pretty Hate Machine Promotional Tour only, replaced by Rushe; also the original NIN art director)
Chris Vrenna (1988) (VIVIsectVI Tour only, replaced by Talpas)
James Woolley (1991-1994)

Drums

Alex Carapetis (2005) (With Teeth Fall Arena Tour only, replaced by Freese)
Jerome Dillon (1999-2005)
Josh Freese (2005-2008)
Ron Musarra (1988) (VIVIsectVI Tour only, replaced by Vrenna)
Chris Vrenna (1989-1990, 1992-1997)
Jeff Ward (1990-1991)

Backing Vocals

Lisa Fischer (2013) (Tension Tour only)
Sharlotte Gibson (2013) (Tension Tour only)

Other

Martin Atkins (1991-1992) (Studio-only drummer; featured in music video for "Head Like A Hole")
Sean Beavan (Backup vocals from mixing console for the Self Destruct and Pretty Hate Machine tours)
Wes Borland (Auditioned for guitar player in 2004, eventually replaced by North)
Keith Hillebrandt (1996-2002) (Sound designer; was listed as full band member on the "I'm Afraid Of Americans" remix along with Reznor, Lohner, Clouser and Dave "Rave" Ogilvie)
Dave “Rave” Ogilvie (1997-1999) (Was listed as full band member on the "I'm Afraid Of Americans" remix along with Reznor, Lohner, Clouser and Keith Hillebrandt)
Atticus Ross (Creative partner, mixer and programmer for NIN since With Teeth era; was guest keyboardist for the last show of the Wave Goodbye Tour)