Year Zero 10 year anniversary thread!

[patj825]

And... Go!

Feel free to share cool YZ stuff.

I listened to this interview for the first time yesterday. Pretty cool.
https://www.wired.com/2007/12/ff-arg-reznor/

[Kulerage]

Despite being a few days late, I wish this album a happy 10th

[Fadeout54321]

Going here and watching the video is all I need.

http://www.42entertainment.com/work/yearzero

[Microwave Jellyfish]

My only regret is never stealing it. Is it too late?

[sick among the pure]

I can't believe it's been 10 years, and yet it feels more relevant of an album than ever.

[pinata89]

I remember being completely blown away with this album upon release. A truly ambitious effort with a very focused theme/concept. My love for it has since dwindled over time...maybe it's time to pop it back in and give it its' first proper listen since I was in college.

[Rossva]

Still my favourite NIN album. And like already said, the ARG was truly exciting and best album promo I've ever known. Will still listen to this album at least once a week. Only disappointment was that the tv program never surfaced.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ManBurning]

I hated this record when it came out. I even boycotted purchasing a copy when it was released because it left that bad of a taste in my mouth. After a few years the album finally "clicked" with me and I can say this is one of his better records. Kind of under-rated. I later found a used copy of the record for like $2.99 in the discount bin many years later that I was able to purchase and add to my collection of halo's.

"Me, I'm not" was always my favorite song, but after hearing it live for the first time at Lollapalooza 2013, it became even more awesome after that.

I also can't believe it's been 10 years since this record came out. It honestly feels like yesterday...

and the scary thing? "Ghosts I-IV" and "The Slip" Are about to turn 10 NEXT year...... now THAT makes me feel old! Those records still seem very newly released.
Damn, where is time going...

[Ryan]

Zero-Sum has never been played live properly. My Violent Heart hasn't been played live at all. WHY?!

[acrid avid jam shred]

Vessel is fucking brilliant. There's not a weak spot on the record.

[nooneimportant]

It's the album that got me into NIN.

When I first heard Year Zero I knew NIN was some special shit. After I heard YZ I went and checked out the rest of the catalog and I honestly wondered what my problem was for not listening to NIN a long time ago.

[wizfan]

I remember the first time the album was streaming on nin.com and being blown away by "Survivalism". It's still in my top-10 NIN songs, and YZ is my absolute favorite NIN record, along with The Fragile.

[Swykk]

My second favorite NIN album. These songs sound so good live! In related news, I'm hoping that it's played live in honor of its 10 year anniversary at Riot Fest.

[fillow]

I love this album as much as the next person, but if I read one more goddamn time that it's suddenly became more relevant now than anytime before because of Trump, I swear. How about eMotive? Ministry Bush trilogy? Any RATM album? Any politically-charged album ever? But nooooo, here at ETS it's Year Zero or nothing.

It's 10 years since my first NIN concert in 2.5 months, now that's an anniversary worth celebrating.

[Swykk]

This surprises you? It's a Nine Inch Nails board in a Nine Inch Nails thread.

To be honest, as much as I love APC, eMotive is pretty disappointing overall and I've never liked RATM. Ministry's Houses of the Mole and especially Rio Grande Blood are very good but the less we say about anything after RGB, the better.

[SM Rollinger]

love this record

[patj825]

But nooooo, here at ETS it's Year Zero or nothing.

Correct.

[minarets77]

It's 10 years since my first NIN concert in 2.5 months, now that's an anniversary worth celebrating.

10 whole years!?

This November will be 23 years for me since my first NIN concert.

Also, eMotive is a blight on the APC discography and Ministry and RATM haven't been relevant since like 1995...

[Prettybrokenspiral]

I love this album as much as the next person, but if I read one more goddamn time that it's suddenly became more relevant now than anytime before because of Trump, I swear. How about eMotive? Ministry Bush trilogy? Any RATM album? Any politically-charged album ever? But nooooo, here at ETS it's Year Zero or nothing.



I think the reason it's considered so relevant and ahead of its time is because it didn't so much savage the status quo at the time, as it foresaw where the world was headed at the rate we were going then. Emotive and the Ministry thrash-metal trilogy were in direct opposition to the Bush administration, and the RATM stuff just railed against any form of government in general.

The narrative arc behind Year Zero is much broader than that, I think. It deals with a variety of characters and organizations collapsing mentally, morally, capitally, etc. And you see so much of that now in the current state, perhaps more than ever. Can anyone really say things are getting better in the world? Year Zero kind of predicted that mentality, I think. It was dealing with a world losing its way entirely, and imploding in on itself, realizing too late that key factors like unity, understanding and acceptance were indeed forms of salvation at one time or another.

It's also the first record he made -- and possibly the only one -- that looked outward from his own personal struggles and realized the world was in pretty sorry shape, as well. I found that especially refreshing, compared to the narratives of his other albums before and since..

[richardp]

Well I'll say this, When I bought Year Zero ten years ago I never really imagined that ten years from then, we'd all be living in the shit. If that ARG ran in this current day and age, it'd blend right in with everything else.

[Halo Infinity]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRCR6onaASU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQWGobFEZ-0


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSsRt_1l740

[sick among the pure]

I love this album as much as the next person, but if I read one more goddamn time that it's suddenly became more relevant now than anytime before because of Trump, I swear. How about eMotive? Ministry Bush trilogy? Any RATM album? Any politically-charged album ever? But nooooo, here at ETS it's Year Zero or nothing.

It's 10 years since my first NIN concert in 2.5 months, now that's an anniversary worth celebrating.

Aside from the points NYRexall made, I think a big reason ETS members keep making that connection between YZ and current day America is the specifics that are parallelled at an alarming rate and wide in the open. Nobody here believes everything was amazing and has suddenly gone to shit, but when you can make direct connections between the world/story of Year Zero and things going on today, it's an obvious connection to make. If you have a problem with people making a connection between Year Zero and current day America, go tell Trent, he's the one who re-named the "USED TO STAND FOR SOMETHING" shirt on their merch page right after the election.

[Halo Infinity]

Year Zero was and still is easily one of my favorite album titles from Nine Inch Nails so far. I suppose it's because I like the way the word zero looks and sounds. As somebody that also didn't give up on CDs, I also sometimes enjoyed seeing the CD art change color whenever warmed up or cooled down.

As for the actual music, my favorite tracks seemed to have never changed since I listened to Year Zero for the very first time. They seem to be remain as follows. (I'm also aware it's a rather big chunk of it, but I also guess that's why it's yet another one of my favorites.)

I also remembering being extremely psyched, due to the fact that I was already mentally and emotionally preparing myself to wait and expect no new album after With Teeth until 2009 or 2010 only to be very pleasantly surprised, excited and thrilled. (I never really followed the actual ARG though, but I still was able to appreciate the overall concept and thought-process behind it.)

Hyperpower!
The Beginning Of The End
The Good Soldier
Vessel
Capital G
My Violent Heart
The Warning
God Given
The Greater Good
In This Twilight (I don't know what it is, but I actually stopped listening to it. However, I got back into again, recently.)
Zero-Sum

[astfgyl]

I could never get into YZ. I can't even put my finger on exactly why. Maybe a bit too laptoppy in its sounds, or too pop in its sensibilities maybe (00s pop I mean, not the good sort from the 80s). I'm not sure myself. Guess I just don't really like the songs that much. Concept or not, it must be backed up by great songs to be a great album IMO. All of them are good in isolation, but for a whole album, I can barely sit through it until the end. I think the concept is very cool and the ARG, although I didn't follow it, is truly brilliant stuff. I'm sure I will be giving it plenty more chances though, especially as I've been in full NIN obsession mode the last few months. It took me at least 5 years to get into The Slip. This is 10 years though, and as cool as it is how prophetic it now seems, I still can't get into it yet. Fuck it, I'll throw it on now and see how it feels. Might report back with an edit or 2 later.

[GulDukat]

Classic album. As much as I love WT, Trent really pushed the envolope with YZ and delivered one of the best albums of his career. Can't believe it's been ten years.

[r_z]

My first impression on the thing was how massive it sounded. Glitchy as hell. It took some time for me to get into it, but then I loved it.

The lyrics are its weakness tho. And it could have done without some songs (12-14 songs would have been the perfect length).

Me, I'm Not is still in my Top 5 NIN songs.

[Kulerage]

Year Zero was admittedly the last record I listened to in it's entirety (until NTAE), but I think that I was just saving one of the best for last. It was a bit hard to get by all that glitchiness, but overtime it became a true favorite of mine. Not to mention it has literally the most downer ending to ever down.

[thevoid99]

Still one of my favorite albums as I was so excited by its release and I was amazed for how abrasive it was that it was also very accessible. Plus, I think Trent took a major step forward as a lyricist. He really brought something different and it felt fresh. It's my favorite album of that year followed closely by Radiohead's In Rainbows.

[seasonsinthesky]

Overall great but extremely repetitive. A hell of a lot of the songs have nearly exactly the same arrangements and it really hurts the album adventure for me, so I rarely listen to it as a single entity anymore. I'm more likely to cherry pick my favourites. I also find it way too long, and there are a few songs that really could have been exorcised without losing anything thematically (particularly Capital G).

[elevenism]

My only regret is never stealing it. Is it too late?
it's not to late.
go steal it.

[neorev]

Me, I'm Not, A Violent Heart, The Great Destroyer, In This Twilight, and I'm done. I agree with a lot of what seasonsinthesky said above. This album just never really connected with me. The start of that cold, sterile, glitchy, artificial NIN sound that I'm not into as much.

[elevenism]

i was fucking floored by the ARG, which was what brought me here, and i was blown away by NIN going HAM 15 years into the game (since broken.)

It was fucking utterly sick. LITS was unbelievable.

In This Twilight/Zero Sum is in the running for the G.O.A.T.

And btw, i DID physically steal it :P

[theimage13]

Don't know if this still exists in an archive somewhere....

Back on the old ETS, someone posted about I am Trying to Believe. I think I was the first person to reply, and it was a super smart-ass comment like "I am trying to believe that this has anything to do with NIN".

Meanwhile, a friend of mine who was working for the band at the time had posted the shirt / poster / art whatever it was (it's been a long ten years) with that text the day before on their myspace (remember that?) page...and I completely failed to make the connection. Went right over my head. That was my introduction to the ARG. Whoops.

[sick among the pure]

Don't know if this still exists in an archive somewhere....

Back on the old ETS, someone posted about I am Trying to Believe. I think I was the first person to reply, and it was a super smart-ass comment like "I am trying to believe that this has anything to do with NIN".

Meanwhile, a friend of mine who was working for the band at the time had posted the shirt / poster / art whatever it was (it's been a long ten years) with that text the day before on their myspace (remember that?) page...and I completely failed to make the connection. Went right over my head. That was my introduction to the ARG. Whoops.

It was the back of the performance 07 tour shirt.

Man, that ARG... I miss those times.

[wizfan]

It was fucking utterly sick. LITS was unbelievable.

LITS was on The Slip. Or are you referring to the tour?

[elevenism]

LITS was on The Slip. Or are you referring to the tour?
Well yes, i was referring to the show,
but The Slip kiks ass

[patj825]

Nice file collection here:
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/ln5rc5paaa8bw/Year_Zero_data#tk1yxmmydcs2y

[patj825]

http://operationswamp0000.net/ is up and running.

I saw it mentioned here:
http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/threads/3961-Remember-the-Year-Zero-ARG

[henryeatscereal]

Fuckin' awesome album, great concept, nice art and great songs!

I tend to skip a couple of songs ("God Given" and "Meet your Master") and my only complaint it's that it could get a bit repetitive.

Oh yeah, this live clip rules:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYgGVayymYs

[patj825]

I'm glad someone archived this...

EXHIBIT 24
https://web.archive.org/web/20080304012531/http://www.exhibit24.net/

[Shadaloo]

Participating in the ARG and earning my own decimalized Halo designation are some of my fondest ETS memories. And what an album. The CD changing color was awesome.

From my memory, I was one of only a few people who really, really liked Me, I'm Not at release and thought it was a standout track - the fact that it seems to have become a setlist staple makes me happy. :)

To this day I still argue with a friend whether Hyperpower! or Gunshots by Computer is the superior cut.

[Kulerage]

From my memory, I was one of only a few people who really, really liked Me, I'm Not at release and thought it was a standout track - the fact that it seems to have become a setlist staple makes me happy. :)

After "Survivalism", "Me, I'm Not" was the first song on Year Zero to truly catch my attention. So I, too, am a part of the club that likes it on first time listen (though I didn't listen to NIN until 2013).

[Twiggy]

If I'm not mistaken I remember dialing some number as part of the ARG as well, and listening to some pre-recorded message.

I basically just stopped working my job studying everything about the ARG when little things started to leak out....
TR a true geek and genius and something that i'll never forget getting involved in.

It came out about a yr after I just moved to Europe from Australia and remember going to all of the Brixton Academy concerts... After seeing them on TF and WT Tours back home ;)

Time to add it back to my current playlists :)

[implanted_microchip]

There was the phone number on the back of the album that reported you to the Bureau of Morality, and then I do believe there were a couple of numbers that played the Angry Sniper audio and another that had the thing about the drug trade and the raid where the kid gets shot (real specific, I know). The Angry Sniper audio was one of my favorite pieces of the ARG, and in general the immersive nature of the whole project is unparalleled.

[Dr Channard]

Great concept, great execution, great album. Love the general energy and flow of YZ. Its companion Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D didn’t do much for me though. Year Zero and Dead Again are tied for my favorite album from 2007.

[Halo Infinity]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtlw7uD2hyo

[raltenbach]

The days of the ARG were some of the most exciting times to be a part of this forum. Once Exhibit 24 was found to be the end of it, I put all the web pages together as a book with an accompanying CD of all the AV data. Thankfully I kept all the files, as it is still quite the read/experience even a decade later.

[patj825]

The days of the ARG were some of the most exciting times to be a part of this forum. Once Exhibit 24 was found to be the end of it, I put all the web pages together as a book with an accompanying CD of all the AV data. Thankfully I kept all the files, as it is still quite the read/experience even a decade later.

That book sounds amazing. I'd love to see it. Do you have it digitally and, if so could you please share it? If not, maybe scans?

[MAD]

I put all the we b pages together as a book with an accompanying CD of all the AV data. Thankfully I kept all the files, as it is still quite the read/experience even a decade later.
Yes, please! I'd love to read that.

[raltenbach]

Here's a pdf of the book and a zip of the data disc.

https://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/EEXi1OKsWO79%2FD8Kwvp3Cw

[patj825]

Here's a pdf of the book and a zip of the data disc.

https://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/EEXi1OKsWO79%2FD8Kwvp3Cw

Wow! This is an amazing documentation of the ARG. I had no idea this much content was created. Thank you. I missed the whole ARG and have only seen a small percentage of the content via archived sites. This might be good to have on NINwiki.