A drug-addicted country musician having a near-death experience - A review of Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts IV

This fourth part of Nine Inch Nails' dark ambient series was the final part released twelve years ago. Once again, it consists of nine separate tracks with running times between two minutes and six minutes. The songs are overall more coherent, detailed and vivid than tracks from the three predecessors. This fourth part is easily the most diversified, dynamic and entertaining. It's still experimental at all costs but more accessible than its predecessors.

''28 Ghosts IV'' is probably the most imaginative and memorable song of the bunch. The song features acoustic guitars evoking American country music, gloomy electric guitar riffs and only few electronic background samples. This song would fit perfectly on the soundtrack of an experimental western.

Another great tune follows immediately after with ''29 Ghosts IV'' that focuses on vivid electronic music with eerie sound effects that combines the band's accessible and experimental sides in one single tune.

''31 Ghosts IV'' is heavy and noisy with domineering electric guitar sounds and uneasy electronic effects that make for a nightmarish alternative rock vibe. You shouldn't listen to this song when being in an anxious, negative or nervous mood.

''32 Ghosts IV'' blends in fluidly and includes samples that remind of a patient on a respirator in a hospital that sound quite creepy.

After a much diversified fourth part of the series, the final ''36 Ghosts IV'' completes the tetralogy on piano sounds that are fittingly both appeasing and uneasy. This approach goes back to the very first song of the first part of the series and appropriately comes full circle. It shows that despite numerous changes, the concept combining these two extremes is the guiding line of these four initial releases.

As mentioned earlier, this fourth part of the series is dynamic, entertaining and imaginative. It ultimately qualifies as the most accessible, coherent and recommendable part of the unusual series. If you don't have time to listen to all four parts with a total running of one hundred and ten minutes, you can simply check out this fourth and final part to verify whether this uncompromising project could be of any interest for you at all.

On a closing side note, there are two bonus tracks that are particularly hard to find. ''37 Ghosts'' has an epic, mysterious and spiritual vibe that clashes with chaotic, fast and noisy electronic samples. ''38 Ghosts'' combines numerous interesting electronic samples but lacks coherence, flow and structure.

Please note that this unusual series would only continue twelve years later with the calm and soothing ''Ghosts V: Together'' and the dark and unsettling ''Ghosts VI: Locusts''. 

Final rating: 80%