Trent Reznor on the heavy impact of Rush: “Pure, sincere, and honest”

Posted On June 17, 2024June 17, 2024

Beyond Nine Inch Nails‘ indisputably monumental contributions to the metal space, Trent Reznor has left his mark on many fields, providing otherwise vapid music and movie landscapes with a more haunting and gothic edge. Unlike his more aggressive rock contemporaries, Reznor’s sound resonates for its depth and emotional realism, with lyrics that explore pain, despair, and self-destruction.

Nine Inch Nails’ rise to prominence was considerably unique compared to some of the band’s more traditional metal contemporaries. They appeared with a subset of more gentle works, ones that re-established the boundaries of the genre and shattered its pre-existing confines, proving that metal could be as emotional and thought-provoking while still being loyal to the genre.

Over the years, Reznor has also revealed some of his biggest influences of all time, the ones that inspired him to create such a well-rounded and dynamic sound, and perhaps surprisingly, many of which lean more towards pop sensibilities. For instance, his interests largely centre around upbeat 1980s tracks and dark wave electronic synth sounds.

One obvious example is Reznor’s appreciation for The Cure, mostly because hearing them for the first time made his inner darkness feel validated and heard, which “blew his mind”. Interestingly, Reznor shares more than just musical interests with The Cure frontman Robert Smith, as both have also stood up for what they believe to be right in the music industry, like the unjust nature of ticketing services and the price of CDs.

Reznor is also a huge fan of Rush, which makes complete sense given that, like Nine Inch Nails, Rush seems to fall entirely into a world of its own. Not only does the band’s enduring complexity seem to be timelessly resonant among music lovers, but Neil Peart’s sincere lyricism continues to inspire many rock virtuosos, including Reznor, who learned from Peart in more ways than one.

For instance, when discussing the band in Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Reznor thanked Rush for giving more exposure to the keyboards on albums like Signals, explaining, “I came from a keyboard background. You always felt kind of left out because keyboards weren’t that cool”.

He added: “With Rush, the way that they were integrating synths was wildly exciting to me. It was filling the role for what a guitar player would have done”.

He also claimed that they were “on a righteous path” due to their “pure, sincere, and honest” edge. He said: “There’s a magic and a coolness to them that continues to this day”.

While some of their music may seem too challenging to digest through a modern lens, Rush’s music continues to ignite the path, showing others the power of raw ingenuity.

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