Ryan Schreiber reports:
You didn't see it coming but here it is: the long-awaited new delay from Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor! Possibly in celebration of the release of Halo 2, Reznor has bumped his forthcoming follow-up to 1999's double album The Fragile to a very tentative March 2005 release date, effectively furthering his reputation as either a ridiculous procrastinator or obsessive perfectionist.

Reznor broke the news via Nine Inch Nails' official website, along with word that he's changing the title from the previously planned Bleedthrough to... something else. "Bleedthrough is no more," the songwriter/producer dramatically revealed in response to a question submitted by a fan. "As the songs and concepts matured, the focus and theme of the album shifted somewhat, leaving me feeling that title was inappropriate. Or you could just say I changed my mind."

Trent does want to stress, however, that the album will be finished by year's end: "To be more clear: There is a new NIN record, it will be done-- as in finished and mixed-- before the end of this year, 2004. It will then be released 3/05 and extensive touring will take place beginning around that time. Yes, the new album has a title and a track list, and no I'm not telling you what it is yet."

Little other news was made available regarding the album itself, but Reznor did offer some very specific PR details, such as the fact that a single will predate the album's release (as expected), and that he's parted ways with his former label, Nothing, with which he became entrenched in a lawsuit earlier this year.