Industrial rock demigods Nine Inch Nails formed back in 1988. They released their last album, ‘The Slip’ in 2008, and haven’t appeared live for over 2 years. But frontman Trent Reznor has now hinted that the band’s hiatus may be coming to an end, with the possibility of a new album next year.

Since NIN were put on hold, Reznor has been involved in various projects, most notably working on the soundtrack for David Fincher’s remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Not generally known as the metal-head’s publication of choice, it was The Sun of all people that broke the news that NIN fans wanted to hear. In an interview with the paper, Reznor said “Nine Inch Nails is not dead by any means, but all the touring and record writing has been thrown off for a little bit. I highly expect that to be the focus of 2012 in terms of writing and we may see a full-length release even.”

Reznor also said that his hero David Bowie inspired him to put NIN on ice and focus on other projects such as soundtrack work and his new band How to Destroy Angels. He said he didn’t want to regret not trying new things, and pointed to Bowie’s willingness to take risks and confuse his audience.

Reznor’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’, with vocals from Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, will feature on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo soundtrack. Let us know what you think…