My usual lack of self-control reared its head again today, and I succumbed to the temptation to listen to all of Year Zero instead of waiting till its released on the 17th. It was leaked on file-sharing sites and can now also be streamed straight from the official site.
After a couple listens, I can positively say that it surpasses With Teeth in quality. The album seems very much like a mixture of Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral. Unlike WT, this album actually feels like it's a progression of previous albums. I like WT, and I can appreciate why it was a necessary step for Trent personally to make, but it felt like a detour musically. Now things are back on track and proceeding forward with YZ. Definitely has the most noise in a NIN album since TDS, and I can see why Trent gave a few nods to hip-hop albums or groups like Public Enemy in interviews about the album. Clearly this isn't a rap album, but there is a big emphasis on the rhythm and percussion. The drum machines are out in full-force, and while I really liked the live drumming on WT, it seems like that would be out of place on YZ. I can also see why Trent has mentioned that the usual rock band lineup might not be the best way to present this material, but I think it can be done. The only real downside is that once again there seems to be no influence from The Fragile on this record. The orchestrated soundscapes are still missing although the instrumentals have returned with a couple tracks.
Plus, the pictures for the slipcase have been posted on line. Much cooler than the standard cover of "The Presence". Plus, the packaging sounds like it will be everything With Teeth should have been: slipcase over a "thermochrome" cover with a 24 page booklet, and who knows what other goodies.
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