Halo 08
The Downward Spiral
The Downward Spiral is Nine Inch Nails’ second studio album, released on March 8, 1994. Its songs move from programmed percussion and distorted guitars to ambient passages, piano, and near-silence.
“March of the Pigs,” “Closer,” “The Becoming,” and “Hurt” show the album’s range. Russell Mills created the mixed-media artwork used across the album and related singles.
- Label
- Nothing / Interscope Records
- Formats
- CD, cassette, double vinyl, digital
Release Guide
Release Details
- Release type
- Studio album
- Artist
- Nine Inch Nails
- Primary catalog
- Halo 08 / 92346-2
- Contents
- 14 tracks
Track Listing 1994 original track listing
Credits & Production Principal release credits
- Written, arranged and performed by
- Trent Reznor
- Produced by
- Trent Reznor and Flood
- Mixed by
- Alan Moulder
- Artwork
- Russell Mills
- Photography
- Jonathan Rach
Selected Editions & Variants Materially different programs and presentations
1994 / Original release
Issued by Nothing / Interscope Records in CD, cassette and double-vinyl editions.
2004 / Deluxe Edition
A remastered two-disc edition adds B-sides, remixes, demos and related recordings.
2004 / DualDisc and surround editions
High-resolution stereo and surround programs are paired with videos, imagery and discography material.
2017 / Definitive Edition
The double-vinyl reissue returns the album to an expanded physical presentation under the Definitive Edition program.
About the Release Recording, artwork, and release history
Visual authorship
Russell Mills created the mixed-media works that define the album and its connected release cycle. Photography, layout and later reissues retain separate credits.
Edition logic
The original, deluxe, surround and Definitive editions are related versions of Halo 08, not interchangeable copies of one program.
Live representation
Every album composition has reached the stage, but arrangement, frequency and era remain song-level facts rather than one album-wide performance state.