Add Violence [EP]
by Nine Inch Nails
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
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  1. AllMusic
    Nov 7, 2017
    80
    With Ross as a foil, Reznor's usual indulgences become focused and refined, making Add Violence a satisfying addition to NIN's less-essential, non-album output.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Aug 17, 2017
    80
    The five new songs that make up this extended play give it the heft of a full album. Like synth-rock pioneer New Order's early EP, "1981-1982," it contains as many engaging moments as lesser artists' full-lengths.
  3. The Line of Best Fit
    Jul 28, 2017
    80
    Add Violence is not an obviously human piece of work; it's electronic to the point of sensory detachment, and certainly never feels like a flesh-and-blood piece.
  5. Kerrang!
    Jul 26, 2017
    80
    You'll need to sit down when it's all over, but you'll soon be right back to the start, re-embracing that darkness. [28 Jul 2017, p.48]
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  6. Drowned In Sound
    Jul 21, 2017
    80
    There are no preconceptions about an album acting as a whole piece of work, and it’s certainly allowed him to be a little less bogged down in all that and freed him up to just try stuff out.
  7. Rolling Stone
    Jul 21, 2017
    80
    His latest, the five-song EP Add Violence, contains all the aggression, abjection and self-loathing that solidified his position as alt-rock's Original Angster but with the measured restraint of a man his age.
  8. Consequence
    Jul 24, 2017
    75
    Reznor and Ross held something of themselves back on this EP, and while it doesn’t completely upend the great work that’s here, it does open up speculation about how it could have been even better if it had their full attention.
  9. Pitchfork
    Jul 26, 2017
    73
    At first listen, it’s as perplexing as its immediate antecedent Not the Actual Events. ... The EP’s final track is both the strongest and strangest.
  10. PopMatters
    Nov 15, 2017
    70
    Add Violence is unique not because it's unlike anything we've heard before; it's everything we've heard before. It recalls every previous Nine Inch Nails album, and yet none in particular.
  11. Spin
    Jul 24, 2017
    70
    At its best moments, the EP is experimental and detail-oriented. At its worst, it sounds like an empty pastiche of ideas drawn from a time-tested deck of Reznor-patented Oblique Strategies. ... If consistent, headline-grabbing smaller releases are the way to keep music fans listening and interested in Nine Inch Nails, then keep them coming.
  12. The A.V. Club
    Jul 21, 2017
    67
    Nothing on last year’s Not The Actual Events approached the grabbiness of “Less Than,” but that EP distributed its charms more evenly than Add Violence, which never tops its leadoff track.
  13. Sputnikmusic
    Jul 25, 2017
    64
    Add Violence returns us to the bite-sized pop with-a-dark-side which has been Reznor's bread and butter since 2005, but without the energy of Dave Grohl pounding the drum kit like it said a bad word about Kurt Cobain.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 57
  3. Negative: 3 out of 57
  1. KryoYmir
    Mar 1, 2018
    8
    Add Violence is another solid release in an incredible discography. More electronic than it's predecessor Not The Actual Events, it exploresAdd Violence is another solid release in an incredible discography. More electronic than it's predecessor Not The Actual Events, it explores more ambient themes and is generally more enjoyable. It further builds upon the unique world created by these EPs, and the physical component is a must-have.… Full Review »
  2. davidpirtle
    Oct 18, 2017
    7
    The first song and single from Add Violence, Less Than, is by far its weakest track, and it's not terrible, so that should give you some ideaThe first song and single from Add Violence, Less Than, is by far its weakest track, and it's not terrible, so that should give you some idea of how much more interesting is the rest of the EP. There's nothing amazing here, but if you're a NIN fan, this bit of music should please you.… Full Review »
  3. DavidWasHere
    Sep 3, 2017
    7
    While nowhere as explosive as their last EP, Not the Actual Events, Add Violence is yet another fine record in the Nine Inch Nails catalog. ItWhile nowhere as explosive as their last EP, Not the Actual Events, Add Violence is yet another fine record in the Nine Inch Nails catalog. It retains a lot of the throwback sound to older NIN records during the Pretty Hate Machine era, with dated synths and harsh percussion, Add Violence is addictively catchy and sinister at the same time, with lead single and opener Less Than being one of the catchiest songs Trent wrote under his famed project. It's a bit too safe like the last official NIN album, Hesitation Marks, and not containing any of the harsher and aggressive songs from Not the Actual Events, Add Violence is a good place holder for fans and still have some solid material worth spinning every once in a while.… Full Review »
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