first off, let's clarify a point: if these are supposed to represent nine inch nails' sound at an earlier period, that may be true to an extent, but it's important not to go too far back in time in your description. it perhaps sounds like something from the 2005-2007-ish period at points, but it certainly doesn't sound like old nine inch nails, and i don't want to confuse anybody by making that suggestion.
personally? there have been a few things over the last twenty years that i've been able to get into a little bit, mostly the soundtrack work, but, with the exception of parts of year zero, i really haven't liked much of anything reznor's done under the nin moniker since he became a jock, so this actually doesn't go far enough back in time to catch my interest. rather than talk about it being a return to form, i'm more likely to bring up the same criticisms that i had for records like with teeth, which i consider to be beyond subpar. in fact, i actually hold them with a large amount of contempt. this guy just flat out gave himself a lobotomy. did you know that testosterone actually kills brain cells? that's science. but, i'm not creating this rant right now.
that said, the collection, as a whole, perhaps dispenses with some of the worst moments in the later part of his career, and substitutes something a little bit more thoughtful in their place. it may not be enough of a throwback to recapture his oldest fans, but there is an argument that some of those older fans may interpret it as a sort of replacement for some of his later material. yes - this is jockish and muscular and macho in substance (which are bad things.), but it isn't the kind of insipid arena rock he fell into in his worst period. it is, perhaps, with teeth (improved) or with teeth (done right).
or - with teeth (now, with less teeth).
i'm going to keep listening for a few more hours until i check out the new ghosts releases, which i suspect i'll like a lot more, but i don't expect it to really grow on me. this is just a style that i never did like much, and that i'm never really going to like much..,..
it's more representative of the nin i abandoned than of the nin i became infatuated with.
