How To Destroy Angels
An Omen
Sony
Trent Reznor returns with wife Mariqueen Maandig on vocals with a taster for next yearโs How To Destroy Angels album. This six-track EP mainly delivers taut, lithe, percussive Funk. Opening track โKeep It Togetherโ is probably the strongest cut, all insistent beats, breathy, creep-Funk. โIce Ageโ gets the tone totally wrong, its perkiness really grates over what feels like a very long seven minutes.
The music on this EP is almost machine like, buffed and polished within an inch of its life. The grime and fuzz of old are absent here. โOn The Wingโ snaps and clicks with moody piano, while โSleep of Reasonโ and โSpeaking In Tonguesโ are more in line with Reznorโs soundtrack work โ very ambient, drifting with wordless vocals. โThe Loop Closesโ spends nearly five minutes building with Reznor repeating the refrain โThe beginning is the endโ towards a big pay-off which never arrives.
An Omen EP is an interesting curiosity, but judged against Trent Reznorโs extensive back catalogue (Nine Inch Nails, soundtrack work, etc.) itโs slightly underwhelming overall. Perhaps the aforementioned machine could be less pretty and could do with more hate.
Killian Laher (Twitter @klaher)
Album Review: How To Destroy Angels – An Omen
Killian Laher