User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Negative: 0 out of 13
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  1. Sep 23, 2010
    7
    The debut EP from HTDA is generally an enjoyable, though brief, listen for the duration of it's six tracks; from the almost sinister sounding opening track (The Space In Between) to the mournful piano at the conclusion of A Drowning. Available as a free download or vinyl from the official website or in CD form it marks an interesting if not entirely new direction for Trent Reznor, of NineThe debut EP from HTDA is generally an enjoyable, though brief, listen for the duration of it's six tracks; from the almost sinister sounding opening track (The Space In Between) to the mournful piano at the conclusion of A Drowning. Available as a free download or vinyl from the official website or in CD form it marks an interesting if not entirely new direction for Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails fame, as he collaborates with his wife Mariqueen Maandig and Atticus Ross. Musically it comes across sounding very similar to recent NIN releases like Year Zero and The Slip. If your not familiar with NIN then you'll find HTDA is laced with layers of heavily distorted exotic synth, guitar, and rhythmic percussion. Interestingly though the vocals and lyrics are all written and performed by Mariqueen which blankets the NIN sound with a smokey air. Basically if you've enjoyed recent NIN releases then you will likely enjoy this as it's more of the same but with female vocals. Collapse
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. HTDA's debut EP doesn't consist of dressed-up leftovers from The Slip: some of Reznor's obsessions remain recognizable, but having collaborators opens up the music and Maandig softens it, giving this EP a different feel despite some familiar sounds.
  2. It adds up to more of a transitional work than a reinvention, a placeholder until Reznor's next major move.
  3. With its tick-tocking death-disco beats and its precisely designed blasts of digital fuzz, How to Destroy Angels might be the best-sounding work Reznor has ever done....Yet as songs go, tracks such as "The Space in Between," "Fur-Lined" and the seven-minute "A Drowning" rank among Reznor's least compelling.