Nine Inch Nails - 'Survivalism' (Island) Released 16/04/07

Trent Reznor and his inimitable industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails return to the fray after an unusually brief two year hiatus with ‘Survivalism’ – the lead track from their brilliant new concept album ‘Year Zero.’ Deep bass, throbbing guitar lines, a sprinkling of electronica, gruff apocalyptic growls, ominous lyrics and packed with plenty of general musical muscle - it’s very much business as usual for NIN. However, like most of their back catalogue, the single doesn’t quite work in its own right. Nestled amidst the clamour and paranoia of the rest of the album, ‘Survivalism’ takes on an added depth that’s somehow missing in its four minutes here. Nice remix on the flipside too.