Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Could Nine Inch Nails, the million-selling winner of two Grammy Awards and subject of countless glowing reviews from jaded critics, be passé?

That's the opinion of Douglas Wolk, who nailed NIN's latest release in the February edition of Spin magazine.

For the uninitiated, Spin and its readers both named NIN's album "The Fragile" best of the year in 1999, and the readers ordained NIN as best band. Spin also deemed "The Fragile" one of the best albums of the '90s.

Trent Reznor, a Mercer native and the lone permanent member of NIN, was named one of the 25 most influential people by Time magazine in 1997.

But, according to Wolk, Reznor's influence is waning.

Wolk vented his rage on "Nine Inch Nails Live: All That Could Have Been."

While acknowledging that Reznor has a "genius" for "painstaking soundcraft" in the studio, Wolk claimed the album falls into the category of "slow-moving studio pros who need to come up with some product in a hurry."

He rips Reznor's live performance ability by saying, "his idea of spontaneity is throwing in an extra 'f---- you.'"

"Deluxe" editions of the album also come with a "penalty disc" with instrumentals and "deconstructions" of familiar material, Wolk said.

"Playing your old songs on piano does not constitute deconstructing them," Wolk scolded.

Wolk concludes his diatribe by claiming Reznor has nothing new to say.

"His reiteration of self-important rage, which once made furious white noise sound like a party, is gruesomely passé in 2002."

Wipe the sweat off this man's forehead, please.

The fact that Spin would print such a review is astonishing, but this apparent attempt to sever ties with the Cult of Trent has the smell of jumping on a bandwagon.

After all, "The Fragile," opened strong in sales, but faded quickly. Topping 1 million in sales would be a big deal to most musicians, but the industry would lead you to believe that it's a sign of cardiac arrest, considering NIN sold four times as many copies of 1994's "The Downward Spiral."

If, in avoiding "The Fragile," album buyers were already indicating that they've moved on from Reznor, Wolk is just pounding a nail in an already occupied coffin.

So, how do you think Reznor will react? Will he spurn Spin? Will he vilify Wolk in song as Guns 'N Roses did to numerous writers on "Get in the Ring"? Will he keep his "Pretty Hate Machine" -- NIN's first album -- fully gassed and making his own brand of white noise, no matter that he's the only one at the party?

Or will his downward spiral take him so far "Into the Void" -- NIN's last single -- that he acquiesces to an interview with The Herald, something he has avoided since 1990?