When I heard Nine Inch Nails was composing the music for the new Tron, I was intrigued. Despite not being a huge fan of AI or robots, I have always loved the aesthetic of Tron, and I was delighted to see what Nine Inch Nails could bring, as I have been a huge fan of their music for a very long time.
I pressed play when Spotify told me the countdown was over and Tron: Ares had arrived. Immediately, I was taken into the world of Tron, one of piercing neon against deep black skies and city skylines. Technology hummed and buzzed through the headphones, but in a way that was familiar.
A way that sounds like it could have started as a B-side off Pretty Hate Machine.
Nine Inch Nails Tron: Ares review
A way that sounds like technology is propelling you through a carefully constructed matrix-esque infrastructure. It was carrying me through the film with every beat, every note.
To be completely honest, I had no desire to see Tron: Ares until I listened to this soundtrack. It pulls the entirety of Nine Inch Nails' sound from start to present together in a way that weaves in neon buzzing in the cityscape at night.
Of course, creating worlds through soundscapes is no new feat for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, nor is it for Ilan Rubin. Rubin was involved with the Tron: Ares album and has since swapped places with the previous Foo Fighters drummer, Josh Freese.
Rubin had been with Nine Inch Nails briefly from 2008-2009, then returned in 2013 and remained a part of the band until this past July when the swap happened.
As for the soundtrack, the synths and driving beats somehow encompass every era of Nine Inch Nails, and they do it in the most hauntingly
There are only four tracks that feature Reznor’s iconic vocals, but the 24-track album is anything but boring. Songs average about two minutes and keep you moving through the story, even with no words. I was fine to wait to see it whenever Tron: Ares is released on streaming platforms; however, after listening to the soundtrack before, this is going to have to be experienced on the big screen.
I can’t wait to hear these melodies echoing in that theater's surround sound. I can only hope the film itself lives up to the album.