I guess not many of us really believed Trent Reznor when he said he was going to step back and focus on production. Well, it turns out he did and he didn’t. He, uh…

…he started a family band… of sorts.

No, really. Stick with me. Don’t panic. I’ll ease you through it.

Now, you may have known that Reznor is married. I didn’t. I’m not that kind of fan. I tend to stick to the music and let people worry about their own personal lives, but hey – whatever floats your boat… as long as you leave well enough alone and refrain from sending them bits of yourself, I’ll leave you to it.

What you may not have known is that the wife in question – one Mariqueen Maandig – is actually a talented musician in her own right, having sung with laid-back alt-pop band West Indian Girl for a heap of years. Anyway, she’s got a gorgeous voice and seems to have some seriously sinister streaks buried deep beneath the soft, angelic sentiments she voiced in WIG, because in How to Destroy Angels, she is fucking menacing. Softly, angelically menacing, yes – but that only makes it darker!

The third member of the group comes from Trento’s other family – that select group of musicians and producers who have loosely gathered around Reznor and producer Flood since the nineties. His name is Atticus Ross, and he was involved in most of the latest NIN offerings as well as Saul Williams’ epic The Rise and Fall of Niggy Tardust. He’s also worked with KoRn, Bad Religion, Zach de la Rocha, Jane’s Addiction and… well, the list goes on. He’s one of those semi-covert big names of the scene and comes with a vigorous stamp of approval from those in the know.

So what kind of beastie is this? Well, the name should give you a hint. If it doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve missed possibly the greatest ambient industrial act in existence. How to Destroy Angels is the name of the 1982 debut EP by esoteric, British nightmare peddlers Coil. Yes, you read correctly: ambient industrial, and even though this project is infinitely more groovy, vocal and accessible than the murky rumblings of its titular origins, this is a gloomy piece of witchery. Making the obvious connections would place it next to the slower tracks on NIN’s Year Zero and Ghosts – both of which Ross were involved in.

Well then, is it any good?

Hell, yes.

It is, in fact, very good.

The one thing that might work against it is that it isn’t immediately apparent that this needs to be played loud. On lower volumes, it tends to meld with your subconscious and become entirely atmospheric, but to leave it there would be a shame, because this puppy here has some pointy, fucking teeth. Crank it up and it will emerge as a seductive demon with an an almost uncanny sense for when to stroke, when to shake and when to cut deep into the muscle.

Affix a good pair of headphones to your skull, pull the curtains, turn down the lights, crank the volume and lean back into the current. Just let the sound envelop you.
This may destroy angels, but we’re not angels, are we?

I don’t know if the trio intends to release more stuff, but I gladly welcome the prospect.

How to Destroy Angels is available for free download via the official website. You can also spend $2 and get it in entirely lossless formats, something I emphatically urge you to consider.

I’ll just listen to it one more time, now. Just one more.