Review Summary: More akin to the first Korn albums due to a lack of catchiness and a dark tone this is an effective and convincing return to form.
Korn has gone from the glaring spotlight and into the fleeting twilight at the edges of it. This album won’t change that, though not from a lack of quality so much as a lack of mainstream accessibility. This album contains few hooks or pop influences but instead more-or-less emulates the style which made Korn’s self-titled one of the few nu-metal classics. It fortunately contains no filler and is similar to the first album in the sense that there isn’t much variety to be had within the tracks at first listen, but repeated listens bring out the uniqueness of each track. This is my first review and though I might get a lot of *expletive* for this I may as well start with a band I happen to know decently well, since I’m 14 and all. I’ll continue with a track-by-track review and my score for it since I’m sort of new to reviewing and lack the necessary brain development to facilitate an adequate condensation of the album etcetera, etcetera.
1.Uber Time- A somewhat pointless intro which is basically the album engineer doing a sound test by reading bits of a N.A.S.A. report about looking for ice on the moon, although the last 30 seconds or so do lead well into the next track. 3/5
2. Oildale-The radio edit seemed to make this track a bit weaker, it’s somewhat typical Korn and features some terrible vocal timing and lyrics, though the funkiness makes up for some of that if it’s your thing. 3.5/5
3. Pop a Pill- This is probably one of the better tracks on the album, with some great bass and drum molding. It also has one of Jonathan Davis’s more aggressive vocal performances. Can’t imagine how someone who supposedly has been sober since the late 90’s could sing so convincingly about drug addiction but I suppose that’s a mystery for another day. 4.5/5
4. Fear is a Place to Live- Somewhat similar to the previous song, but a bit funkier. The breakdown on this song is one of the finest on the album though, but the revert back to the chorus is somewhat anticlimactic and somewhat of a recurring trend on this album. 4/5
5. Move On-Interesting whispered verses are almost ruined by the horrible lyrics in the chorus and another freak-out tends to work against variety in this album, basically a typical Korn song that could have been more. 3.5/5
6. Lead the Parade- This had the potential to be the best song on the album but seizure/bad Mike Patton impression vocals nearly sabotage this otherwise good song. It grows on you if given the chance. The intro is definite Life is Peachy for all those involved. 4.5/5
7. Let the Guilt Go- Repeating the song name four times doesn’t really make an endearing chorus and the singing seems to drag through the music, then it breaks down and reverts back to the chorus, breaks down again and…well you get the idea, the song is catchy at first but repeats past the point of interest. 3/5
8. The Past- A very atmospheric song and the quietest song on the album. The vocals boom over the rest of the music a bit too much in the chorus though and repeating the vocals in the ending almost drowns out the catchy flow. 4/5
9. Never Around- Another atmospheric song on the album with some maniacal laughter that will either annoy or completely disturb you, although I suppose that’s the basic definition of Korn as well. In the last minute or so there is a guitar part, which sounds very similar to something the ex-guitarist of Korn would have written…. B.C. 4.5/5
10. Are You Ready to Live? The intro sounds similar to Let the Guilt Go but is otherwise somewhat different I suppose. At first it sounds similar to their older stuff but then goes into some soft vocals, which makes it a bit more melodic, which doesn’t work well for nu-metal. 3/5
11. Holding all These Lies-The most emotional track on the album, with the best vocal performance from Jonathan Davis on the album.The song unleashes the epic chorus too soon though, and should have built up more. It’s somewhat similar to the songs Daddy and Kill You off of Self-titled and Life is Peachy respectfully, though not as intense. It ends in some choking sobs though and definitely showcases what Korn’s recent albums lacked, raw and brutal emotion. There’s also a Korn solo, it flows with the music well but isn’t exactly complex and if it lasted longer it would have definitely ruined the song. This really showcases why Nu-metal cannot have solos. I think Jonathan Davis needs a hug. 5/5
Bonus Tracks:
12.Trapped Underneath the Stairs- Starts out aggressive and continues that way, which begs the question if putting the best tracks as bonus was simply a marketing ploy to force people to buy the special addition. The growls in this song actually sound chilling and brutal so that’s a big difference from their last wescreweduphere’sbacktorootsalbumpleasegiveusyou rmoneyendeavor, in that’s it’s actually convincing.4.5/5
13. People Pleaser- The closest to old-school Korn after the old Korn died that the band ever got. The really big difference here is the riff, which has a similar feel to the riffs on self-titled and Life is Peachy. The vocals in this song are very old-school as well with a lot of sputtering variation sure to annoy the crap out of some metal-head elitists if their 12 year old friend lulls them into a sense of friendship only to gain their trust and betray them all to get revenge for not liking because Korn is the greatest band ever! The lyrics flow exceptionally well here and are a cut above the usual grade b lyrics. 5/5
14. Blind (live)- I’m not really going to give a score for this as it’s completely pointless to even be on the special edition. Whoever plans to buy this album most likely already has this track on their portable music player and will most likely not listen to this at all.
Is it a good album? Sure if you give it the chance. Is it a masterful composition destined to survive a nuclear apocalypse and subsequent zombie outbreak, no but it’s one of the best albums Korn has done, as little as that means to most people. It’s one of those albums that grow on you. In reality it isn’t exceptionally catchy but that somewhat harkens back to their older songs, which were more growers than anything else. If you despise korn this isn’t the record for you, if you preferred old-school korn than you should check this out. If you want to strangle me than please move to the back of the line.
I know I haven’t really said anything particularly new about this album but I hope you enjoyed this review.
Recommended Tracks:
Holding All These Lies
Never Around
People Pleaser
Trapped Underneath the Stairs
4/5
