Whereas its sibling is the warm hug that's desperately needed during times of trouble, slightly evil twin Ghosts VI: Locusts pushes that comfort away, stoking fear, paranoia, and anxiety, all hallmarks of Nine Inch Nails' most unsettling material. Released simultaneously with Ghosts V: Together during the coronavirus pandemic, this volume of the instrumental Ghosts series is utterly haunted and the more emotionally intense of the two albums. A stray discordant key here, an ominous atmospheric sound effect there, Locusts may not offer any hope or solace, but it's objectively the more interesting experience. Like the trilogy of Watchmen soundtracks, this is a deep dive into an evocative and imaginative world of creeping dread and uncomfortable tension. As "Around Every Corner" suffocates with noisy fog and unnerves with errant horns, "The Worriment Waltz" teases the spirit with warm piano reminiscent of the Still EP before dissolving back into unnerving dissonance. "Another Crashed Car" loops tape scratching as a form of sonic torture, while "Just Breathe" collapses the lungs with an uncomfortable sense of unresolve. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross toy with that tension throughout, never really putting listeners out of their misery with a break to the buildup. One of the few times they allow it comes on "Run Like Hell." Like Together's "Still Right Here," Locusts' big standout is an urgent roller coaster that explodes with a muscular breakbeat, classic NIN guitar dissonance, and wild horn screeches. Unlike the rest of the album, this track gets the blood pumping from the sheer thrill instead of the crippling anxiety. Another highlight is "Trust Fades," the most melodic offering on Locusts that sounds like Angelo Badalamenti and Radiohead collaborating on the soundtrack to a horror flick. By the time the album draws to a close, the aptly titled songs -- "Turn This Off Please," "So Tired" -- mirror the listener's likely state of mind, just as Nine Inch Nails abandons them in the abyss of the nightmarish "Almost Dawn." As a reflection of the times, Ghosts VI: Locusts might be the more accurate soundtrack to a world on the brink of an uncertain future, wiping away any goodwill fostered by the deceptive serenity of Ghosts V: Together.