Post Description

Bleedthrough
The initial concept of the album was an exploration of “loss and possible discovery of self, along with alternate layers of reality and perception set inside a nightmare you can't seem to wake up from; with lots of feedback”. Around this time mysterious quotes and binary codes appeared on the NIN website, including a passage from the book The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, containing the phrase "bleed-through". The working title for ‘’With Teeth’’ was “Bleedthrough”, referencing the phenomenon of audio bleed-through. In a question posted in the Access section of nin.com Reznor announced that the working title “Bleedthrough” had been dropped. Reznor stated that the name was changed because "it was supposed to be about different layers of reality seeping into the next, but I think some people were thinking about blood or a tampon commercial". "'Bleedthrough' is no more," Reznor wrote in a message posted on nin.com, "as the songs and concepts matured, the focus and theme of the album shifted somewhat--leaving me feeling that title was inappropriate. Or you could just say I changed my mind. Yes, the new album has a title and track list, and no I'm not telling you what it is yet". 

[edit] With Teeth
Reznor commented on the change of direction for the album, stating that "About five or six songs into writing it, the songs started to sound good on their own and they didn't need this framework to work together,” and that With Teeth consists of "a collection of songs that are friends with each other, butdon't have to rely on each other to make sense", however, the album's narrative arc describes "a difficult journey that begins with a nightmare and ends with acceptance of a new reality.”[1] 

In an interview in February 2004 Reznor stated that the new material was “more song-oriented (than The Fragile). It's much more lean. It's going to be twelve good punches in the face -- no fillers, no instrumentals, just straight to the point…It's a complicated concept record, but reduced to just simple songs. It's not epic in its scope. It's minimal and a bit brutal." The album's new, and ultimately final title is a reference to a Broadside Electric album of the same name 

According to a statement on nin.com, Reznor stated that producer Rick Rubin was Reznor's "mentor" and "source of inspiration" throughout the planning and writing process of the album. Reznor was also heavily inspired by the use of more analog electronic effects and instruments, specifically tape delay and modular synthesizers, stating that "computers, among other things, are ruining music these days. I hate the Pro Tooled sound of perfection and everything being 'fixed.' This record is most definitely 'un-fixed." 

[edit] Themes
With Teeth, unlike most Nine Inch Nails albums, does not have a unified concept and deals with a variety of themes. Reznor wrote the album after overcoming undisclosed addictions and settling legal issues with his former manager, John A. Malm, Jr.: 

"A lot of this was [about] my relationship with myself, the world at large, and where I might fit into that...Also [it's about] my relationship to a disease that's going to kill me if I don't deal with it, and I came very close to that. Hopefully disguised enough that it's not a terribly boring record about recovery andaddiction and that nonsense." 

Reznor seemingly gained a new awareness of world issues, and showed this by speaking out against the US Government, as well as becoming a spokesperson for PETA. Some songs seem to deal with addiction ("With Teeth," "Sunspots"), while others have a more political intent ("The Hand That Feeds," "Right Where It Belongs").