Has anybody seen Trent Reznor lately? The man is BUFF! I saw some photos of him from the recent Coachella Festival, and initially thought I was looking at Lou Ferrigno's first guitar lesson. The man now has the ability to literally rip people apart, instead of just fantasizing about it in song.

Back in the early 1990's, Trent was not quite so muscle-bound. He was way too into pushing the musical envelope and snorting tons of coke with his buddies to worry about pumping iron. If Marilyn Manson's autobiography can be believed (and I have no reason to not trust a shameless shock-rocker who's been known to blow his guitarist on stage), Trent and his crew went through quite the decadent phase after the release of "Pretty Hate Machine". Of course, it would only get more out of hand as time went on, but my job here is not to make you jealous; it's to examine the "Broken" EP.

"Broken" is the first NIN thing I ever possessed, and I'm happy to say that it was money well spent. I got it through one of those 12 for 1 record club deals, and really had no clue what to expect. I'd heard the hits from "PHM", but nothing prepared me for this fuzzy, pulsing, let's-torture-the-gimp experience.

Please refer to the other reviewers for details, but allow me to say that Trent was not in a great position when "Broken" was recorded. He and the record company were already tangling, though I'm not the one to tell you why. My hypothesis is that they wanted him to record another "Pretty Hate Machine", but he wanted to do something more aesthetically-challenging and noisy. If my theory is true, then history has shown that Trent's decision to follow his muse was a commercially successful one.

Equally unknown to me is who was on the NIN payroll at the time. Some guy named Chris Vrenna seemed to pop up in a lot of early NIN credits, and he even contributed some drums to a couple of "Broken"'s tracks (along with Martin Atkins, who used to play in PiL, Killing Joke, and Ministry). Marilyn Manson popped up in the video for "Gave Up", but I think that was an accident or something. Maybe those dudes who left to start Filter were still NINers at this point, but I cannot verify that. Basically, I don't know jack about the history of Trent Reznor's day job in the early 1990's.

What I do know is that "Broken" exudes little of the brooding sexuality that made "Pretty Hate Machine" such a dance-club classic. Oh sure, some of the songs on "Broken" have a slight boogie appeal, but this is the point at which Reznor really let the dog out. Violence was referenced in passing on "Machine" (except for in "Ringfinger", which pretty much has digit-amputation as its predominant theme), but "Broken" is absolutely eaten up with violence. Some of it, of course, is metaphorical, but for such a short album, there sure is a lot of smashing, tearing, and fist-f*cking.

It is apparent even from the brief intro track (known as "Pinion") that we have moved away from the Realm of Shake Yo Booty. Fuzzy guitar chords fading in over a swirl of nightmare creaks and wahs are a strong indication that the NIN of the previous album transformed into something heavier.

I've always felt that "Wish", the first NIN track I really dug, bore more than a West Virginia resemblance to The Birthday Party's "Sonny's Burning". Given Trent's fascination with post-punk and New Wave, it's possible he was inspired by that other song's racing rhythm (best defined as shuffle-thrash), huge chorus, and distortion mania. It's also the first time I ever heard the word "fist-f*ck", a term that I now use liberally around people of all ages. Trent's love of profanity surfaces again when he tells us that he "put my faith in God and my trust in you/now there's nothing more f*cked up I could do". I wonder how many Republicans in the coming years will look at the televised image of W and share that sentiment.

The slower, more measured heavy metal stomp of "Last" finds pigs getting what they deserve (without having to bow down before the one they serve), dressing up rotten carcasses to make them look alive (with, presumably, a strong enough perfume to mask the smell of decay), and lips that promise while the heart plays the role of wh*re. Excellent, catchy, and heavier than many of the metal bands that were gasping their last in the year of '92.

Another little instrumental thing offers us a breather here. It's called "Help Me I Am In Hell", but the ominous, low-key chugging offered by several guitars (with other noises poofing in) suggests a desolate kind of damnation instead of the usual soul BBQ.

An abrupt rhythmic assault of an intro carries us into "Happiness In Slavery", which is probably the closest thing stylistically to "PHM". Heavy yet disco-inflected, it boasts a theme that's not too deep- just slaves wallowing in shame and exploitation with smiles on their faces. More of a social statement (or more likely a slap at the record company) than the disgruntled lover stuff of the previous album.

Before the eternal countdown to the hidden tracks, we are blessed with one of my favorite NIN songs. It's called "Gave Up", and it's a furious double-bass extravaganza with the coolest of chord progressions. The lyrics find Trent in a murderous temper tantrum, smashing up everything while "covered in hope and vaseline". Kinda like a theme song for a nihilist.

The bonus tracks consist of a neat Adam Ant cover called "You're Too Physical (For Me)" and an original that I believe is titled "Suck". The former is considerably more menacing than Adam's version, and the latter is a "PHM"-style industrial funk number with a grooving bass line and a molten chorus. "How does it feel?", Trent wants to know, as he inserts his clenched fist into your rectum. Minus the hope or vaseline.

This was the real beginning of Trent's musical legacy; "PHM", in retrospect, almost looks like some kind of anomaly. Of course, his artistic peak was really established with "The Perfect Drug" single, though the relatively unheard-of album "The Downward Spiral" isn't too bad. Unless, of course, being mounted like an animal ain't your thing.

"Broken", from what I hear, was cleaned up and re-released under the clever title of "Fixed", which may or may not be a reference to animal castration. I've never heard that version, but I bet it's probably neat and already been reviewed by a least three dozen other Epinionators. It could, however, just be a boring series of unnecessary remixes.

The fuzz-heavy, industrial/metal style that made Trent (or his agent) millions began with "Broken", so I strongly encourage you to pick it up. It's still relevant, since the man continues to play this kind of stuff, and recently topped the charts with a new album. Listening to Trent scream about using his fists for smashing and other more malodorous purposes might inspire you to do the same, but some of the things he describes are still illegal in many states and will definitely get you jail time.

Recommended: Yes