Riding through dark waves in the sanatorium's basement - A review of Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts III

Nine Inch Nails' third Ghosts record consisting yet again of nine tracks varying between one minute and a half and four minutes in length is different from the first two parts in this unusual series. The first part was unconventionally experimental while the second part was almost appeasing and calm. This third part can be situated somewhere in between these extremes. Uneasy distorted guitar sounds meet dynamic darkwave passages and atmospheric piano parts in the different songs.

If you take the songs one by one, they sound quite coherent. ''22 Ghosts III'' for instance would be the perfect song for the soundtrack of a gloomy horror movie as you can picture a figure clad in shadows wandering through the dark hallways of an abandoned asylum. ''24 Ghosts III'' focuses entirely on danceable electronic music with a few vocal samples and one would rather picture an ecstatic crowd celebrating an Electronic Body Music band on the stage of a gothic festival. ''27 Ghosts III'' seems to offer an uneasy ride through a tormented mind with heavily distorted guitar sounds and menacing rhythm patterns.

While the tracks sound interesting one by one, the only element that connects them is the fact that you have to expect the unexpected. This third part of the Ghosts series offers some gems but the song writing isn't as coherent as in the two preceding parts. It's all over the place and hard to digest even by Nine Inch Nails' experimental standards. 

My suggestion is to listen to this part of the series a couple of times, choose your favourite tunes for a diversified playlist and listen to the more coherent predecessors instead.

Final rating: 70%