Based on discussions I've read in other NIN groups, it seems that The Fragile tends to be the fan favorite, while The Downward Spiral is considered their critically acclaimed masterpiece.
This is interesting to me because when I was a 16-year-old Ninphile in 1999, Trent Reznor was heavily criticized by a majority of my fellow NIN fans for being too soft or mainstream with that album. However, the music critics really responded well to that album. I never understood the fan's negativity during The Fragile era. That album spoke to me on a level that no other album could. It was layered, complex, and offered me a feeling of hope that The Downward Spiral didn't. The Fragile felt like an old wound that had finally healed. The scar was there. A daily reminder. But the pain was in the past.
#NIN
#NineInchNails
#TrentReznor
#TheFragile
https://www.loudersound.com/features/steven-wilson-nine-inch-nails-the-fragile
@LowEndRich @flsounds Agreed. I used to run a NIN fan group on MySpace called The Great Below for that very reason. It still remains one of my favorite songs of all time. Gives me chills.
@flsounds @GeeNova The Great Below is such a transcending end to the 1st half of The Fragile.