"It still excites me and breaks my heart." Trent Reznor reflects on 30 years of Nine Inch Nails masterpiece The Downward Spiral

Trent Reznor has marked the 30th anniversary of the release of Nine Inch Nails' masterpiece The Downward Spiral with a reflective statement saying he still finds the album exciting and heartbreaking.

NIN's second album was released on 8 March 1994 and went on to become a quadruple platinum selling record in the United States and also achieved massive success around the world.

It spawned the singles Closer and March Of The Pigs and influenced a string of bands in the years that followed its release.

Reflecting on its 30th anniversary, NIN mainman Reznor says in a statement posted on the band's website and social media accounts: "Spending too much time looking backwards feels dangerous to me, but this day on the calendar caught my attention. Has it really been that long, old friend?

"I just spent an hour listening to this time capsule of what 28-year-old me had to say, and it still excites me and breaks my heart. Be kind to yourselves. Hope to see you soon."

The story behind The Downward Spiral is notorious, not least due to where it was made. Reznor chose to write and record at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles – the site where actress Sharon Tate and four others were brutally murdered on August 8, 1969, by four members of the Charles Manson family.

Reznor was said to have been fascinated by the history and the lingering feeling of evil. The band intentionally placed the mixing board and main control area in the exact location of the couch where Tate was found murdered, according to the band's then drummer drummer Chris Vrenna.