Customer Reviews

Broken

5 star:		(156)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are several things about this EP you should know if you're thinking of purchasing it. If you love the sound of the Fragile, you might not like this. The Broken EP is the loudest, angriest and hardest of the Halos. Now that that is said, it is also one of the best Halos and should be in every NIN fans cd collection. The songs are as follows:

Pinion: From the first listen it sounds simple, just a minute long build up to the next song. This, however, is one of the most well made songs on the cd. The music video for it(found on Halo 12) is kind of sick, but worth a watch.

Wish: The most popular song on this cd (won a few awards as i recall) but, not the best. Very fun to listen to and you'll find yourself with the lyrics stuck in your head. (nothing too special about the video but, still worth a watch)

Last: The only song on the Broken EP that doesn't have a music video. Used to be my favorite on this cd with the lyrics. Doesn't get old, but, other songs get better. The ending is the best.

Help Me I am in Hell: The most boring track but is needed to get the entire effect. The video is that of just a man eating in a room of flies.

Happiness in Slavery: The best song on the cd. It catches you from with the intense screams in the beginning, to the creative lyrics thru the middle ("don't open your eyes you won't like what you see, the blind have been blessed with security" is one of my favorites) into the mechanical sounding hell at the end. There aren't words to describe how great this song is, so listen. Also, the video to this song is really really good, but will gross out some people. Very well made and just art.

Gave Up: Nothing too special about this track except for the great lyrics. Is unlike any other song on this cd and is a great way to finish the Broken EP.

The next two tracks are not actual songs on the Broken EP but hidden tracks that originally came on a seperate cd.

Physical: an Adam Ant cover. Fun to listen to every now and then but nothing really special. Great cover, though

Suck: Great lyrics, but, that's about it. I like the part with the lines "I'll heal your wounds i'll set you free, I'm Jesus Christ on ecstasy".

As a whole, this cd runs for a total of about 32 minutes and is a great buy if it's the type of music you like. However, as I sayed earlier, it is the hardest Halo and some of the language may offend you. Should be in every NIN fans collection though.

first off, the music is great and if you like the rock upbeet of the band this is great because all the songs are fast, no slow songs. so for that I give it a five star. Now, as the page of amazon mention, after the songs you have over 90 track of silence and at the end you get two more songs. It is not a good thing, if like me, you have a cd changer, and you like to lay down while listening to your music, well, all those silent track makes it very hard, I have never broken the laws of copy right to make copy of cd, for me or friends and yes I am proud of it, the artists works hard to write and make a final product, it is only fair they get pay for it, but in this case, I broke my own rule and made a copy for myself so that I could use the cd and listen to all the songs that I have paied for in a row with out this non sens of all those silence and so on, I don't know why the band thought it was funny to do that, but it is not, and I think it is worth mentioning it since not everyone has access and the know how to make a copy with all the songs in proprer order. I know a friend that bought the cd and is real upset with this not being able to do what I have done, and even though I think that it is not right for the band to do, I will not make copy for anyone,, I wrote an e mail to the band through webb site to let them know what I thought, so, I just thought to express by beef with the story so that people realise the issue before purchasing it. other wise the music is just fantastic

oh the rage...oh the rage....when your record company upsets you..

what do you do..
put the swerve on em

standouts: wish, happiness in slavery

Broken is incredibly angry for NIN, considering that they tend to prefer angst to anger. However, the CD falls victim to the fact that it frequently lacks flow and in many cases it gets overly abbrasive.

First song (an instrumental) leads into the secon, "Wish." This is the best song on the CD, and it is actually very good. Incredibly catchy and it avoids Trent's overuse of the loud-soft-loud-soft dynamic. It flows well, avoids being jerky and manages to actually be entertaining. Try getting that guitar hook out of your head!

The second track of note on this CD is "Happiness In Slavery." The track is very complex, and has wonderfully morbid lyrics. However, the track falls down owing to two factors. The first is that it lacks continuity. It seems like it lurches between a Frontline Assembly track and a PHM era NIN track. This in turn causes the song to lack catchiness and continuity. The second problem is that it again follows the awful loud-soft-loud-soft gimmick.

The other songs are all somewhat unremarkable.

Overall, Broken showed Trent's skill increase, and NIN still sounds incredibly unique. However, the overall sound can get as bad as an in-sink garbage disposal with a guitar over the top. And even Frontline Assembly have somemelody in their tracks.

This is more of an EP than an LP. But what it lacks in length, it certainly more than makes up for in intensity. "Broken" packs a punch and I like it more than "The Downward Spiral" or "The Fragile" -- at least at times when I crave very angry music. (The other two are more very good and diverse collections but just aren't the 100% pure angry energy that "Broken" is.)

If you're not a NIN fan, you many not connect with this album. I'd recommend "Pretty Hate Machine" as the NIN primer for those new to the band, and I'd recommend this one for the NIN fan who just wants some primal anger and energy.

Ah, what fond memories. Quite a few years ago, of friend of mine payed me this CD. The first NIN song I ever heard was "Wish", and it stunned me. I quickly traded him a few undesirable discs for this one, and I immediately fell in love with it. I came from a heavy metal background, so the agressiveness instantly appealed to me, but the atmospheric touches and production nuances were well beyond my music in scope. "Wish" is still one of my favorite songs ever. The brtual "Last" satisfys my inner metalhead, while the dark instrumental "Help Me I Am In Hell" appreciates my ear for music. The coal-black techno-metal"Happiness In Slavery", the synth hard rock of "Gave Up", and the danceable headbanger "Suck" are some of the best music Trent's genius mind has unleashed. Although a lot of people don't conside Broken an album, it's one of the most phenomenal works in the NIN canon and possibly Trent Reznor's best achievement. An don't forget the mystery of the Broken movie...

This cd is like art.It expresses so much rage yet it is beautiful at the same time.If you are a NIN fan,or just like the whole idea of emotion,you should definitely check this cd out.

Sandwiched between Trent Reznor's's groundbreaking techno-rock debut Pretty Hate Machine and the critically acclaimed, conceptual masterwork The Downward Spiral, Broken offers little of the aforementioned albums' diversity but enough intensity to make up for the fact ten-fold.

Consisting of only eight songs, one of which is a cover of Adam Ant's "Physical" and still two more of which are instrumentals, including the cool opener "Pinion" (blessed with an even cooler video), this gem's strength lies in it's virulent catharsis. Moreso than most other "industrial" acts, many of whom grow stiff and cold behind their machanically accurate grooves, NIN tears at it's listeners with an intensely personal feel brought to life through a raging wave of sound that often feels more organic than electronic.

"Happiness in Slavery", the centerpiece of this EP, begins confidently with a violent "Slave Scream!" and rolls on as a loud decleration of self-loathing, a subject often visited by NIN and it's many imitators but perfected here. Elsewhere, the Grammy-winner "Wish" bristles with a creepy take on the unruly grind of punk while "Last" entrances through ridiculously catchy guitar riffs and bouncing melodies. All in all Broken manages to better capture it's target theme than Pretty Hate Machine. Of course, some of that is thanks to Reznor's new familiarity with the recording process and perhaps a bigger budget, but alot more can be attributed to a less constrained attitude towards music and, of course, Trent's dissagreements with TVT. We should all be grateful he's not one to let conflicts die without moaning alot in the process.

As neat as Broken is, it gets better. The Downward Spiral harnesses the guitar driven anger here and enhances it with a potent combination of subtlety and atmosphere. Further down the line, The Fragile emerges. Don't let some of the reviews here for NIN's earlier records fool you. The Fragile is Trent's masterpiece, an epic work of unrivaled grandeur and a musical vision so beautifully realized the results are surreal. Get Broken, enjoy it, and find comfort in the knowledge it's only one chapter in the history of one of music's most captivating stars.

beautiful work done by Trent Reznor and his wonderful band . Nine Nails dont have gothic fans they also have fans just like me .
my first nine inch nails would be Broken . a wicked album filled with amazement . the song represent something that we have within us and that we belive and not belive in .
cant wait till mr.reznor puts out another good nin album
i would be excepting his wonderful work of art

this is one of the best ever records ever
i was grateful of buying this record