The Nine Inch Nails lyric that made Zeal & Ardor’s Manuel Gagneux quit his job

Nine Inch Nails performing live in 2005 and Zeal And Ardor performing live in 2005 — (Image credit: John Shearer/WireImage for KROQ-FM | Mariano Regidor/Redferns)

Zeal & Ardor mainman Manuel Gagneux has revealed which Nine Inch Nails lyric inspired him to give up 9-to-5 work.

Talking exclusively in the new issue of Metal Hammer, the Swiss-American singer/multi-instrumentalist says that the chorus of Every Day Is Exactly The Same, from Trent Reznor and co.’s 2005 album With Teeth, highlighted the monotony of corporate life for him, encouraging him to quit and pursue music.

He explains: “That song actually made me quit my day job.

“I was working doing shitty SQL [Structured Query Language, a computer language] data entry stuff, which I sucked at, and on the commute I was listening to With Teeth when that song came on. Literally the next day I quit the fucking job, because that [title] line just hit me.”

Gegneux then jokes: “I think Trent Reznor did a lot for the job market that year!”

Black Sabbath on the cover of Metal Hammer issue 402 — (Image credit: Future)

Though Gagneux doesn’t specify when he gave up day-to-day work in favour of more creative pursuits, he launched Zeal & Ardor in 2016, initially as a one-man project, with their debut album Devil Is Fine. The release became an underground hit, to the point that it was reissued by record label MVKA the following year and Gagneux amassed a full lineup to play live shows.

Zeal & Ardor put out their latest album (fourth overall), Greif, last year. It was the first recorded work to feature the band’s full roster of live performers, a decision which Gagneux explained in an interview with Guitar.com last year.

“Until not too long ago, it was, for instance, ‘Here’s a tour, take it or leave it,’ and that’s not fair to people who’ve dedicated seven years to this project,” he said. “Now everyone’s at the table when decisions are made. Everyone has a say as to whether or not we do something. It feels good not to be a shitty person.”

Nine Inch Nails released With Teeth, their fourth album, on May 3, 2005. Every Day Is Exactly The Same came out as a single on April 4, 2006, and topped the Canadian singles chart. It also reached number one on the US Alternative Airplay and Dance Singles Sales charts.

Nine Inch Nails are currently touring Europe on their Peel It Back run, which continues on Friday (July 11) at Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, Spain. See all remaining dates via the band’s website.

The new Hammer is a blockbuster celebration of all things Black Sabbath, following the heavy metal godfathers’ swansong concert Back To The Beginning last weekend. All of the band’s original members are interviewed, as are multiple high-profile fans of the legendary four-piece. Order your copy now and get it delivered to your doorstep.

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Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

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