Halo 7: March of the Pigs

I can only imagine the excitement rabid NIN fans had to have felt in February, 1994 when Halo 7: March of the Pigs was released. This 5-song CD single was just a glimpse of the awesomeness to come. I recall very clearly buying the single for Prince’s “Gett Off” before the album DIAMONDS AND PEARLS was released, and being very excited, loving the single, and barely being able to contain myself at the thought of an entire album of like material. Unfortunately my pleasure was somewhat diminished when the album came out, but, hey, those NIN fans made out pretty well, I think.

Halo 7 offered 2 new tracks for those fans who’d heard Halo 5 and wondered what the hell Reznor could possibly do to top himself. The title track, “March of the Pigs” is a manic romp, a complete lack of restraint set to a staggering 269 beats per minute. The lyrics hint at a general displeasure Reznor may have felt for certain aspects of fame, such as the public’s voracious need to completely consume their favorite celebrities:

”shove it up inside surprise! lies
stains like the blood on your teeth
bite chew suck away the tender parts
I want to break it up I want to smash it up I want to fk it up
I want to watch it come down
maybe afraid of it let's discredit it let's pick away at it
I want to watch it come down

now doesn't that make you feel better?
the pigs have won tonight
now they can all sleep soundly
and everything is all right”

The sarcasm comes through loud and clear.

“March of the Pigs” has long-been a fan favorite as Reznor is able to let go and be the angry young man we know him to be, yet balanced by two very simple and elegant piano breaks that offer some startling moments of peace. A truly great song this is. It receives double treatment on Halo 7, first the album version, then an extended remix called “All the Pigs, All Lined Up” which doesn’t differ much from the original, only offers a longer, more involved version (“All the Pigs” is nearly 3 times the length of “March”) with an instrumental outro, full of rapid, pounding drums and guitar.

The second peek at the upcoming album to appear on Halo 7 was “Reptile” which is what I imagine a Prince song would sound like if Prince made an industrial metal album

”she spreads herself wide open to let the insects in
she leaves a trail of honey to show me where she's been
she has the blood of reptile just underneath her skin
seeds from a thousand others drip down from within
oh my beautiful liar
oh my precious wh*re
my disease my infection
I am so impure”

Reznor’s vocal on “Reptile” (remixed for Halo 7 as “Repitlian” by Dave Ogilvie) is undeniably seductive, yet simultaneously terrifying. He’s giving you the come-hither, but just behind his back you can see he’s hiding a croquet mallet, and the only ball he wants to knock around is your melon. Yet you find yourself inexplicably drawn to him.

If any song in the NIN discography could be the poster child for industrial music, it is this one. The sounds of machinery (Wikipedia claims they are sampled from the movie LEVIATHAN) in the background makes up the heart of the song while the drums and guitar also hint at some huge metal larger-than-life machine. Every time I hear this song I’m reminded of the new cenobites from the God-awful HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH, mostly the one with the piston in his head, or the CD-faced one.

Version 2 of “Reptile” for Halo 7 is the instrumental “Underneath the Skin” which just reminds us what an amazing composer Reznor is. I’d always thought the lyrics were the star of that song, but “Underneath the Skin” proves to me it’s a collaborative effort. As instrumentals go, I think they either rock or vanish unnoticed, and “Underneath the Skin” definitely belongs to the first group. I mean it’s got this beat that just moves along constantly, the song never gets monotonous no matter how often you listen to it.

Lastly there’s the other instrumental, an original called “A Violet Fluid”. The theme that carries throughout Halo 7 is the beat. Both “March” and “Reptile” have these awesome driving beats that make you want to turn up the volume and “A Violet Fluid” continues in that vein, even if only briefly. Honestly, at 1:05 we’re not given enough time to sink into the song, but as good as that minute-five is, it really only serves as a horrible tease.

I wish I had been a NIN from the beginning and even more I wish I’d owned Halo 7 before Halo 8’s release because I expect the joy and gut-wrenching anticipation must have been excruciating. After my not-so-glowing reception of the previous remix CDs, I spent years passing this one up every time I saw it on the record store shelf. After all, if nothing else, Halo 4 taught me I probably don’t need multiple remixes of the SAME song on one CD. But, man, if I’d known they would be this awesome, I would have bought Halo 8 years ago. For the most part I believe the remix Halos are for the die-hard fans only, but this is one case where you don’t have to own the rest of the catalog to “get” it and love it, Halo 7 truly speaks for itself.



Halos what have come before:
Halo 2
Halo 4
Halo 5
Halo 6