Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails made industrial music personal. Trent Reznor writes and records much of it himself, pairing harsh, grinding electronics and distorted guitars with whispered confessions, raw screams and unexpectedly delicate melodies.

Pretty Hate Machine gave industrial synth-pop hooks, the Broken EP got brutally heavy, and The Downward Spiral, with 'Closer' and 'Hurt', later covered by Johnny Cash, made him a star. The Fragile was sprawling and atmospheric, and with Atticus Ross, now a full member, Reznor has also become an Oscar-winning film composer, scoring The Social Network and Soul.