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Nihil is the eighth studio album by industrial rock group KMFDM, released on April 4, 1995 on Wax Trax!/TVT. Nihil was recorded in 1994 in Seattle, Washington, and marked the return of former band member Raymond Watts and the first appearance of journeyman drummer Bill Rieflin. The album was mostly written by band leader Sascha Konietzko, who emphasized a less guitar-driven sound for the release. Nihil's first single, "Juke Joint Jezebel", is the band's most widely known song of all time, with millions of copies sold over various releases. Widely praised by critics, Nihil is the band's best-selling album. After the original release went out of print, a remastered version was released in 2007.

In late 1993, Sascha Konietzko and fellow multi-instrumentalist En Esch both left Chicago, moving to Seattle and New Orleans, respectively. Lead guitarist Günter Schulz left the country, moving to Kelowna, British Columbia. In early 1994, Konietzko started working on new material, and Schulz came to Seattle to begin adding guitars to the tracks. Later that year, the group assembled in Los Angeles to rehearse for the upcoming Angstfest tour in support of Angst, which spanned April and May. Konietzko, Schulz, Esch, and guitarist Mark Durante were joined by another guitarist, Mike Jensen, for a live show that featured up to four guitarists playing at once. Konietzko and Schulz, along with Dutch singer Dorona Alberti, returned to Seattle to begin recording vocals for Nihil. Konietzko later said he was not happy with the sessions, explaining that nothing was coming together, and only two songs from the upcoming album, "Trust" and "Brute", had been completed to his satisfaction.

Former KMFDM member Raymond Watts, last seen contributing vocals, programming, and production to 1988's Don't Blow Your Top before starting his own band, Pig, called Konietzko and asked if he would be interested in working on a small musical collaboration. Konietzko agreed, and Watts flew to Seattle, where the pair, along with Schulz, worked on an EP entitled Sin Sex & Salvation. Konietzko said of the trio's working together, "It was the breath of fresh air I had been hoping and waiting for. This short project took my mind off the problems with the KMFDM album and gave me a welcome change of perspective." Watts then stayed on with the group to begin work on Nihil, which featured a core group of Konietzko, Schulz, Watts, and Esch, along with some input from steel guitar specialist Durante and drummer Bill Rieflin.

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