Three years since the last major Nine Inch Nails release for the live album/DVD release of And All That Could Have Been along with the Internet-only EP Still, Trent Reznor and company went through some changes. Following the departures of key members Danny Lohner and Charlie Clouser and the dissolution of the Tapeworm project with Maynard James Keenan. Reznor went into seclusion to rehab to battle alcoholism and later getting into a suit with former manager John A. Malm Jr. Following the suit which included the dissolution of Nothing Records, Reznor moved on with drummer Jerome Dillon and 12 Rounds programmer Atticus Ross to create the 2005 hit album With Teeth that featured contributions from The Fragile producer Alan Moulder and Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl playing drums on several tracks for the album. Then in spring 2005, NIN released their first new single in more than five years with the anti-Bush song The Hands That Feeds.

The single for The Hand That Feeds like most leading singles is just a taste of what is to come from NIN. The single features a new song plus two remixes and a CD-rom music video of the song. A 10-inch vinyl version includes a B-side that appears as an extra track in the With Teeth album. The song has all the elements expected in a NIN song with its hard-charging industrial bite and angst-ridden lyrics while the remixes both come from Photek. While in comparison to many singles in the past, The Hand That Feeds may not live up to their prestige but still, it contains enough bite that Trent Reznor is back.

The first track is the industrial-charge, anti-Bush attack of The Hand That Feeds with its pulsating, distorted bass-beats and droning guitar attacks as it's later accompanied by Reznor's vocals and fast-hitting drums. Once Reznor goes into the chorus, the song hits a hypnotic feel of guitars and synthesizers as it continues to take charge of its course. The lyrics is filled with many of Reznor's bite against the political ideas of G.W. Bush. For a single, it's one of the band's catchiest and most powerful. The video directed by NIN webmaster Rob Sheridan is essentially the live band performing inside a rehearsal through a blueish photography style with elements of scratches to convey the rhythm of the song. While it's not one of NIN's top videos, its simple approach in what the video wants to do makes it clear that in an age of big-budget, flashy videos. NIN just wants to show a band playing their instruments and just wanting to rock.

The two remixes of The Hand That Feeds are provided are provided by the electronic outfit Photek. First is a seven-minute, forty-six second remix entitled the Straight Mix. Taking Atticus Ross' synthesizer and sequencer programming to higher levels of production with a nice dance-driven beat. The remix extends the song a bit while distorting the beats and guitars along with Reznor's vocals. Despite its top-notch production and extension of instrumental breaks, the remix doesn't bring much when it comes to add anything new. It ends up being repetitive. The Dub Mix which stands at seven-minutes, fifty-two seconds is more bass-driven with wailing synthesizer sirens and harder, pulsating beats. While the track has great production and levels of intensity, particularly making Reznor's vocals whisper the song's last part of the chorus. Unfortunately, the mix as its intended in its title isn't exactly a true dub mix since it ends up being repetitive with its looping guitars and array of vocal mixes.

From the 10-inch vinyl and as a bonus track in the vinyl version of With Teeth is a B-side called Home. With its siren-droning guitar and pounding bass drum beats from Jerome Dillon, the song is clearly an ominous track accompanied by dark, bass-heavy melodies and Reznor's sullen, hypnotic vocals. The song's lyrics definitely plays up to Reznor's often, despairing vocals as in the chorus, he sings "To break from what we're tied to/God knows how much I've tried to/And I'm still inside you". The song starts to drone with its synthesizers and Reznor's accompanying piano as Dillon brings in some great drumming and cymbal crashes as it stands as one of the band's most ominous cuts.

While not up to par with previous singles of the past, The Hand That Feeds is still a worthy purchase for any NIN fan thanks to its title song, a fantastic video, and for those with vinyl, a great B-side. Due to its anti-Bush controversy where the band was schedule to play the MTV Movie Awards with that song featuring a picture of George W. Bush behind the band. NIN got into some heat from MTV and several affiliates as the band got dropped from the show yet the controversy and the song went to #1 in the Modern Rock charts. If it wasn't for the controversy, NIN would end up becoming more obscure as now, With Teeth has gone platinum and spawning two more #1 Modern Rock singles. So in the end, for anyone wanting a good anti-Bush rant for a mix along with Pearl Jam's recent anti-war song Worldwide Suicide, The Hand That Feeds is the single to get.

NIN Reviews:

Pretty Hate Machine/Broken Era (1989-1992): halo 1 - halo 2 - halo 3 - halo 4 - halo 5 - halo 6

The Downward Spiral Era (1994-1997): halo 7 - halo 8 - halo 8 DE - halo 9 - halo 10 - halo 11 - halo 12

The Fragile Era (1999-2002): halo 13 - halo 14 - halo 15.1 - halo 15.2 - halo 15.3 - halo 16 - halo 17 DE - halo 17 DVD

With Teeth/Year Zero Era (2005-2007): halo 19 - halo 20 - halo 21 - halo 22 - halo 23 - halo 24 - halo 25

Ghosts I-IV/The Slip Era (2008): halo 26 - halo 27

Miscellaneous/Soundtracks: (The Crow) - (Natural Born Killers) - (Lost Highway) - (Tomb Raider) - (The Limitless Potential) - (Strobe Light)

Promos: (seed 1) - (seed 2) - (seed 3) - (seed 4) - (seed 5) - (seed 6)

Live Shows: (NIN/Bauhaus/TV on the Radio-6/7/06 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater) - (NIN/Deerhunter-8/13/08 Duluth, GA Gwinnett Arena) - (NIN/Jane's Addiction/Street Sweeper Social Club-5/10/09 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater)

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age