The title of a tribute album to Nine Inch Nails. Cleopatra is well-known for releasing these tributes with a mix of artists both popular and unknown (e.g., Dark Treasures, A Saucerful of Pink), mostly from their stable of gothic, industrial, punk, and related bands. This is the second volume of this series, after Covered In Nails.

  1. Günter Schulz & En Esch (formerly of KMFDM): Terrible Lie [Pretty Hate Machine]
  2. Razed in Black: Sin [Pretty Hate Machine]
  3. The Electric Hellfire Club: Heresy [The Downward Spiral]
  4. Synical: Burn [Natural Born Killers]
  5. Inertia: Sanctified [Pretty Hate Machine]
  6. The Filmstrip: We're In This Together [The Fragile]
  7. The Lucifer Scale: Last [Broken]
  8. Necromantik Sunshine with Oko Jumu: Hurt [The Downward Spiral]
  9. Nova Mortuba: Ringfinger [Pretty Hate Machine]
  10. Stun Gun: Gave Up [Broken]
  11. GodBox: The Only Time [Pretty Hate Machine]
  12. Porcupine Defense: Reptile [The Downward Sprial]
  13. Goteki: Suck [Broken]

It's interesting to note that the majority of the covers are of NIN's earlier work (Pretty Hate Machine and Broken). I was glad to hear at least a few of the more obscure tracks being covered, too.

I found the whole album enjoyable. Trent Reznor has always made extremely catchy songs, which probably shocks people who haven't listened to much of his work. These covers all stay true to their origins; the best add enough of the player's flavor to make them new and intriguing. I couldn't pick out just a few tracks for descriptions, so I thought I'd comment on all of them:

The KMFDMized version of Terrible Lie is a great start to the album, then Razed in Black puts a late-1990s eurodance spin on Sin. The Electric Hellfire Club makes Heresy even more violent than it was originally. Synical's take on Burn strikes me as being very Marilyn Mansonesque (and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing). Inertia doesn't stray far from the original Sanctified, which is a bit disappointing. The version of We're In This Together concocted by The Filmstrip has a much more tribal or aggressive trance than NIN's, and develops an entirely different atmosphere.

The Lucifer Scale's Last is almost subversive in how close it stays to the original, with just enough change to make sure you know you're not in Kansas anymore. Hurt is shifted up a few gears by Nekromantik Sunshine, making the build of the original somewhat frantic as well as terrifying. Nova Mortura takes Ringfinger for a spin by taking this relatively obscure track, deconstructing it a bit, and reassembling with some entertaining club beats and breaks. A grittier Gave Up from Stun Gun keeps the tension of the original while scratching us with a garage band chorus. Godbox gives us a techno-lounge rendition of The Only Time, with the added bonus of a breathy female vocal version of while the devil wants to fuck me in the back of his car. Spiky guitars and sharp synths help Porcupine Defense live up to its name on Reptile, with the song's contrasts played up for all they're worth. The album closes with Goteki's big, dramatic, yet still strangely minimalist club version of Suck.

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