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Korn

Korn 8 ( 1994 )
Blind / Ball Tongue / Need To / Clown / Divine / Faget / Shoots And Ladders / Predictable / Fake / Lies / Helmet In The Bush / Daddy

'Nu Metal' wasn't a term on anyones lips when this album was released. It didn't exist. Korn always have been a little part from everybody else, not quite originators of the whole scene but certainly becoming celebrated by practioneers of the current 'Nu Metal' scene. But, as I said, at the time of this release, it didn't exist, so, its not wonderfully relevant. Who cares anyway? Once 'Blind' blasts your speakers to smithereens and the lyrics get going, you only have one thought in your mind. That thought may be something like this. 'OH YEAH!'. Strong vocals, a great heavy rhythm section, biting furious guitars and a little almost unintelligble section of vocals where the singer seemingly goes completely insane. 'I can see, I can see, I'm going blind....' and the song reaches a peak. The singer screams, the whole thing is heavy, raw and thrilling. Fantastic. 'Ball Tongue' is, if anything, heavier and more furious still. A decent guitar riff, rolling drums - good bass work especially and Korn singer Jonothan Davis turns in an intriguing set of lyrics. The songs that immediately follows these are all of a fairly high standard but none so thrilling as these opening two tracks. 'Clown' with its 'in the studio' introduction is especially irritating. 'Divine' and 'Faget' are both high quality rock songs, 'Shoots And Ladders' overstays its welcome somewhat and the nursery rhyme lyrics sound slightly silly.

'Fake' restores your faith. Fantastically heavy, moving through different lighter sections but always returning. Always returning. 'Lies' is even better, even more furious and exhilarating. Always intelligent for the most part, lyrically and musically both. The closing epic 'Daddy' has been known to reduce people to tears. Its lyrical matter is scary, creepy and sadly far too often true. It scares the life out of me, the guitars are wonderful throughout this song. It joins the opening two tracks in being an absolute classic Korn moment. The middle section of the song is the sound of someone breaking down, crying in pain. The bass rolls and runs underneath and then everything fades out, a quiet lengthy ending that still has you strangely captivated even though not very much appears to be going on. An auspicious debut this record, in anyones book. It not slick or consistant but there are enough moments here to indicate the potential of a major new talent in the making.

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Readers Comments Ryan Johnson ryanjohnn68@hotmail.com What???!!! How could you possibly rate this album a 8? Especially when you gave Issues an 8.5? You should be ashamed, this is the best album that Korn ever put out. It is so uncut and describes them fully. Issues is pretty much the same as Follow the Leader, it was commercial and showed way too much of a calmness to Korn. They are metal, not pop, sorry. At least give the self-titled album a 9, just to beat out the worst album Issues. Sam sam_p_walker@hotmail.com how the hell could you only give this an 8? Its EASILY their best album and its way better than Issues. And you say Clown's annoying??? Ok the intro bit gets a bit annoying after you hear it for like the 50th time, but the song is amazing. It's heavy, gritty, agressive, tormented...its my second favorite song on the album (first is Daddy of course). There is only one bad track on the album (Predictable) but even thats worth listening to. 10/10 man come on!!! Chris american_boy_14@hotmail.com have to agree, "KoRn" Korn's debut album is the best, it is an opeing to show,they mean buisness, this album is a start to something new and refresing in the category of rock. People think that Metallica are wiser and have more wisdom and also talent then Korn but, people open your eyes, Metallica are boring and full of shit, This album rocks and I agree with Adrian Daniel Fitzgerald danielfitzgerald99@yahoo.co.uk I completley agree that KORN is undoubtedly their best album. I may only be 14 but I know what makes a good fucking cd. It is 60 minutes of pure, awesome, original korn. This album revolutionised rock as we know it. I have got Korn, Life is peachy, Follow the leader, and the gretest hits vol 1 and I intend to get them all. I disagre with the person that said metalica are boring because I love them. Thay are just a different style. I think follow the leader was the biggest load of bullshit apart from a few decent songs because it was weird and had to much rap. I like freak on a leash, my gift to you, dead bodies everywhere, and Justain but all the rest is rubish. I mean what the FUCK is children of the Korn. Wanta good korn song listen to Blind, Twist and Good God. PS Korn rule

Well, well, well. Korn make it to the charts! Hit singles and the whole thing! Its not important - what is important is the following question. Does this record display a general development from the debut? Well, yeah. It does. Not a dramatic, huge leap or anything. No. But, they sound more angry, more pissed - than ever before. More effective. The opening 'Twist' is all nonsense syllables and vocal noises. Its fun though. 'Chi' is astonishing in its vocal and guitar assault. Great bass guitar as well, by the way. You've got 'Lost', 'Swallow'. These are all good songs, all biting, loud, angry, thilling. Makes you heart beat a little faster. You know what i'm saying :)

'Porno Creep' has some great funky bass lines, 'Good God' a dramatic and demented vocal performance of the highest order. There possibly aren't any great lyrical statements on this album, as compared to the debut. Well, is 'Adidas' a lyrical statement? It was a hit, in any case! Hardly my favourite Korn song, actually, but once again, Jonothan Davis does a fine job vocally. Whilst there aren't the same high points on this record as the debut, no 'blind', no 'daddy' - it is more consistant. Pretty much all of the way through. The delightfully titled 'Ass Itch' is all you could ask for in a rock song. Great riffs, good screaming vocals, an ever so slightly more straightforward chorus. A well stuctured and performed song. The guitar does all sorts of things, the bass guy excels himself once again. Fantastic.

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Readers Comments B-rad barmy@hotmail.com Issues sucked, Untouchables was pretty good, Life is Peachy wa a very good album but suffered being the followup to Korn's almight debut. Come on now. This album started nu-metal, yes, but it so much more than that. These guys sound like they just rolled out of the freakin' jungle. Listen to those DRUMS!!! This album is a rhythm machine. The only albums that come close are Sepultura-Roots (and Chaos AD sort of) and Deftones-Adrenaline if that says anything. On a side note, any metal fans need to pick up Beneath the Remains by Sepultura. gareth renegade04@hotmail.com life is peachy was the best good god was wicked with nice lyrics, and wicked was awmsome the chorus brang out the metal in them. The only band song is k@#o% didnt really make sense but this is there best apart from see you on the other side released december the 6th 2005 twisted transistor theri new song Daniel Fitzgerald danielfitzgerald99@yahoo.co.uk I love this album. Twist has really grown on me. I keep singing it in the shower (easier when you have phlem) Good God is absolout;ey stunning I also like kunt (not because of it's obscene, but hugely entertaining lyrics, but because of the guitar riff and because Davies manages to sound so pissed of.

For reasons that remain unclear this album begins proper at track thirteen following twelve tracks, five seconds long or so each of silence. Now, if you want to put the album on random play - this is damn annoying! And! The final song is nearly sixteen minutes long! Also annoying for random play purposes when it keeps popping up all over the place. But, onto the album proper. The opening 'It's On!' is anything but, a very poor opening song by Korn standards. It doesn't rock, doesn't do anything much of anything. 'Freak On A Leash' is highly entertaining though, but does show a more commercial side of Korn coming to the surface. The first two records just don't sound commercial in the same way. It is a good song though, it builds up as it goes along, and works well in the end. 'Got The Life' was also a commercial moment, but its pretty damn stunning as well. So, that's alright! Funky little bass, a good riff and a monster hook the size of Pluto. Great aggressive vocals. The more aggressive Korn are, the more I seem to like them. After that particular highlight, 'Dead Bodies Everywhere' is also wonderful, great lyrical matter!

We have a couple of guest spots. Ice Cube contributes to 'Children Of The Korn' which is actually....very funny! Still, laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of the whole enterprise that is 'Children Of The Korn' is entertaining! And, music that's entertaining works in a sense as good music. Music should be entertaining. So, I don't mind this. 'BBK' and 'Pretty' are both Korn by numbers. And then? The pure evil of Fred Durst ( of Limp Bizkit 'fame' ) adds his 'talents' to 'All In The Family'. Unsurprisingly, its completely crap. Still, not all is lost! Song 21, 'Reclaim My Place' has biting aggressive guitars and works well. 'Seed' and the strangely titled 'Comeltosis' both add to the Korn catalogue. The closing 'My Gift To You' is terrible though, by and large. Some good moments mixed in, but it simply doesn't justify its near sixteen minute length. At all. And, its a shame. This album simply doesn't cut it due to these too frequent moments of sheer self indulgence. It didn't appear to harm them in any way though, as this was another big selling album for them.

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Readers Comments katrien verstraete kjm.verst@hccnet.nl Man, I think you're wrong about this album! "It's On" is one of the best songs on the album. What the hell do you mean by "It does't rock". OK, there are some shitty records on this album. "Children Of The Korn" and "All In The Family" are ridiculous. I always skip them. But "My Gift To You" I think is fantastic (Except for that bullshit that comes a few minutes after the song). "Got The Life" is a bit more, how do I say this, swingy than rock and "Cameltosis" is too soft for me. But the rest of the songs are great. This album might have some fucked up moments, but don't they all. I think a 5.5 is way too low. I'd rate it about a 7. By the way, I think you should change the colour of text. It's just that I can't stand the colours pink and purple. Daniel Fitzgerald danielfitzgerald99@yahoo.co.uk I really dislike this album bar a few tracks. I dislike it due to its rap intergrations. Korn meant loads to me because they do what no band ever did for me. I am 14 and over the last years went through more shit than you can imagine. When I was so pissed of I wanted to kill everyone I put on Korn and listi ened to Jonathan Davises lyrics and his screams about his auffering made me feel better because I could relate to him. The pure anger and heavy sound of munky and head made me feel great. When I heard the pure crap on this album I thought what on earth is this. How can you call this a Korn album. I mean what is that Bullshit with Ice cube. Luckily Korns following albums blew me away. Follow the leader is the only album I dislike.

Old time Korn fans generally diss this. Absolute fanatics of Korns debut generally diss this. Newcomers to Korn recognize this as the fine piece of work it is. It doesn't do anything new. At all. Everything Korn have done before is basically reprised here, and not always better, but always more consistantly. If that makes any kind of sense at all. Whilst arguably there is nothing here as fine as 'Blind' or 'Daddy' for example, equally, there are no real weak points. Korn were in their full commercial flight during this phase, the style of music was winning imitators and gaining huge success. Some see this album as a sellout even though it pretty much sounds exactly the same as previous Korn albums. We have Jonathon Davis on Bagpipes to open. We have the fine 'Falling Away From Me' to follow, which contains more great riffs than almost the entire 'Follow The Leader' album, right here, in this one song! It does, though perhaps i'm asking for trouble from fans of 'Follow The Leader'. He screams, the riffs are furious. What more do you want? 'Trash' is nothing spectacular but re-emphasis the appeal of this album. Whilst its nothing special, its still damn good and better than previous filler. I can't imagine why anybody wouldn't like the anger and splendour of 'Beg For Me' either. It's hot! 'Make Me Bad' isn't too far behind either.

By the middle of the album, where many albums sink or swim, 'Wake Up' appears. And, it wakes you up! It does its job! Its angry, has no message at all lyrically, but its there. It is. Groovy bass parts as well! 'Hey Daddy' and 'Somebody Someone' are less essential. The only real complaint I have with this record is that they could have easily lost a couple of songs and nobody at all would have minded. A nice, concise, twelve track album, would arguably have worked better. But still, 'Lets Get This Party Started' is an absolute highlight, classic Korn whichever way you look at it. Little funky bass lines and an interesting set of lyrics amongst a demonic angry performance. 'Counting' opens with a good dirty riff and the closing song is called 'Dirty'. How good is that? Not very? Well, 'Dirty' is over seven minutes long but still manages to hold your attention. And, whilst this album is hardly innovative or an all time classic - it is damn good. It really is. It draws a line under everything they've done before, in a sense. A sense of closure. <

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Hans superunknown@ananzi.co.za Respectfully, I kinda disagree about your assessment of this as being KoRn by the numbers. It seems to me like there's a higher level of variety and musical complexity going on here; the heavy parts and the lyrics are standard stuff, but there are also a lot of small things stuck in that distinguish it. For instance, look at the melodic picked riff at the beginning of Let's Get This Party Started, or the weird little jangly thing stuck over the verse part on Somebody Someone. There was hardly any of that on the first two records, and the third was more preoccupied with adding buzzes and grinds for guitar texture, but there are moments like that strewn all over Issues. I think it adds a nice sense of depth and variety, but obviously a lot of people don't agree. rob molson9274@yahoo.com i am one of the hardcore fans of korn's first album. life is peachy disappointed me and follow the leader made me stop listening. issues however, is in my opinion their best album. i heard it for the first time perhaps two months ago, and it's been in my car stereo ever since, when the first album's not in there. Skinz niallcallum@aol.com I deffinitely agree with the score you gave Issues. It was the first Korn album I bought and I'm really glad I did. It's a perfect mixture of the self titled album and Untouchables. The songs seem to have more power behind them but all the dark hatred than was present on the first album is still there. I'd have to disagree with you about about the middle section of the album being a low point. That riff after the quiet intro on Somebody Someone is incredible! The albums worth it just for that. I'm really glad I went onto this site now I know I'm not going to buy Follow The Leader-Fred Durst's on it. I hate when Korn get rappers on their records that's what they did on Life Is Peachy for the song Wicked and that songs shit. Wicked Mike South Africa Always interesting to witness the conflict between critic review and fan opinion. Often the latter forgets that the critic is a fan and that slander carries less weight than reasoned argument. I comment this after reading comments on the entire korn page. Disapointing how a cuss appears when debating an A versus an A-plus. Laughable attitude. My only difference with the review for Issues is that it wasn't given a higher score:) But we agree that it's something special in the Korn catalogue. Issues is the superior release for it's psychological impact. The entirety fits one mood that feels like one story experienced in the darkest of alleys where characters are coloured in shades of black. Astounding and mind wrenching. Issues is the best Korn release.

This album has reputedly cost three million dollars to record. Which is an awful lot of money to pour into an album. Why have they done this? Who knows - the production doesn't make an awful lot of difference. Yeah, it sounds good! But, as always, it's gonna be the quality of the actual songs that decide the day. Thankfully, they are very good. But first. A little diversion. The following takes random words and phrases used in reader reviews for this record taken from Amazon. "Nu-metal." "Awesome." "Very dark and freaky songs." "Davis still does the moaning and screaming." "To say Korn's albums are 'diverse' is an understatement." "Bad points?" "anger machine" "costing enough to feed a 3rd world country" "I obtained this album a few weeks ago." ( special web-masters note : previous comment taken from a review dated on the 10th of May 2002. this album was released on the 10th of June, 2002! )

They are funny things the reviews on Amazon. I should know, before this site, I did a few myself! Thing is, there isn't really anything new as such on this latest Korn record. It is dark as hell, though - their darkest and least radio-friendly offering yet. Of the previous records, it has most in comparison with 'Life Is Peachy' although is arguably a lot more accomplished than that set. I said arguably? That should read IS more accomplished. There is no question about that. Match that with a dark and deep collection of songs that cost $3 million dollars to record, and you have something. 'Here To Stay', the lead single, is actually one of the least interesting things here. Standard Korn stuff, heavy for sure but no 'Got The Life' or 'Blind'. Of far more interest is second song 'Make Believe'. It sounds like Korn - it don't sound like NOBODY else, but it's just done so well. Melody AND dark, heavy music. 'Issues' wasn't really a dark album as such. A combination of dark and melody, works. It works! Plus, the vocals are supreme. Sorry that I can't be anymore poetic or precise! Third song 'Blame' opens with a dirge riff, before exploding with drums and bass. It's frenzied, powerful. All the things you'd expect, all the things you won't find on an 'Alien Ant Farm' record. Korns association with 'Nu-Metal' is actually tenuous from a musical point of view. They are a world apart in terms of song-structure and also lyrical intelligence. They unwittingly inspired the whole Nu-Metal movement, of course. But, should we hold that against them? Should we? NO!! This is so much better than any other record 'of its type' that i've heard in a while.

'Hollow Life' is facinating. It borrows from 'Goth' in a very alluring fashion. Opens quietly with keyboard lines before a crystal clear vocal appears. Nothing is so obvious here, it lacks cliche even though it's called 'Hollow Life' which perhaps is exactly the kind of song title you'd expect to find on a Korn album! 'Bottled Up Inside' features a great dirty guitar groove, 'Thoughtless' not matching it's title at all. It's anything but. This is intelligent material. It's also heavy and thrilling. Something for everyone! 'Hating' is stellar, lots of spooky noises enriching that tune. Lots of good songs all over the record. I hope that this album is hugely sucessful. I really do. 'One More Time' is a fantastic song, nothing here is at all weak. If I do have a small complaint, it's that the quality and sound of the songs is a little too uniform. We don't get many peaks and lows. You could argue that everything is a peak, but that would be incorrect. Perhaps that's why so many people dig Korns debut, and forget everything that followed? That record had a couple of real stand-outs. Other than that, Korn have certainly improved since then. This is a very solid release, and worthy of 'lapsed fans' attention. 'Alone I Break' does break with the sonics of the record, actually. Given it's company, it almost comes across as being acoustic in nature. The riffing and everything stops to allow for a genuinely moving set of lyrics.

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Readers Comments jordan hiv071@hotmail.com "This album has reputedly cost three million dollars to record. Which is an awful lot of money to pour into an album........ " Who ever said that is stupid and gay and doesnt know anything. In circus magazine they interveiwed Jonathan Davis about that issue and he said that it that is totally false and that they would never put that much money into a album Mr. Rojas's student Josh Solis shamucool@yahoo.com You have to hand it to Jon... he *HAS* worked on his voice... he uses a wider range of pitches. This album is great for anger, but it still has the same old Korn in it. Jon always expresses himself well with his voice and tone.... Untouchables is great. JPerrynGA@aol.com am so sorry to say this but the new korn sucks I havent heard anything i liked since life is peachy after that they started to such each korn album gets worst and worst Tapeworm andrewjustus@hotmail.com I hate korn their music has always sucked ass. jon davis sounds like a whiney ass bitch tryin to scream. i put these pussies in the same category as papa roach. if you bought their new cd or any of their cd's for that matter you should dispose of them as soon as possible. Dani lucifana666@hotmail.com Hola, i am a big Korn fan who came into contact with their music with fallow the leader and my first real cd was Issues. i love it but was more drawn to the older suff. like faget. it depresses the hell out of me but draws to to it's sarrow. it really is beautifull in it's own way. i want to say thankyou for puttin my favorite 2 tracks on the new cd out there. alone i break and thoughtless are amazing. Ben Fishes.Inc@gmail.com As a young man of 13 I loved Korn, ate them up like cheap chocolate. That was 5 years ago though and in retrospect things aren't the same. This is by far my favorite korn album, they do the old stuff and try out some new things. What this reminds me of is "The Soft Parade" and suddenly I'm starting to understand Mark Prindle's take on that album and its follow up. The difference though is that Korn isn't suffering the way the doors were at that point. This album is creative and that alone makes it worth something. Unfortunately their next move was to tuck their tail between their legs and make a redundent album.

A few choice track titles spring to mind. 'Y'All Want A Single', 'When Will This End', 'Here It Comes Again', etc, etc. Korn seem to have been listening to 'St Anger' by Metallica. Hence, a return to basics. Hence, this apparently quickly recorded album meant to be natural and angry and primal. In most cases, it's just dumb, and it saddens me to say that. I've still given it a seven, because Korn don't become a bad band overnight, but gratuitious swearing and the kind of songs Limp Bizkit might do - do not a great Korn album make. We can forgive them, to an extent - most of the things this album requires of a listener. What this album requires is to imagine that it's 1996 again, or something. Yes, folks, we're taking a trip back in time. Korn retreat. Korn go for the obvious things they imagine people want from them. Not even Metallica quite did that with their critics displeasing 'St Anger'. Critics can never be pleased, you see. Metallica get slagged off for not sounding like 'Master Of Puppets', Korn get slagged off for trying to sound like 'Blind'. You can't win if you try to retreat to past glories. Metallica didn't - not really - they tried to pass themselves off as a brand new nu-metal band, tried to recapture the energy and passion, if not the sound - of their earlier work. I'm rambling, but read between the lines and perhaps these ramblings make sense to somebody.

The main problem here is the lyrics. There is nothing here that grabs you, everything appears to have been dumbed down. The first two songs display this admirably. The music and the vocals and the screaming and the dynamics - are still pretty cool, though. As I said, Korn don't become a bad band overnight. This isn't a bad album - it's just that - nearly ten years after their debut broke new ground, to an extent, Korn suddenly sound terribly old. The second half of this album mostly resembles a mush of noise and dumbed down anger - the lyrics don't grab you and Korn lyrics usually do. It's a shame and i'm tempted to give this a lower grade than '7', but the music is cool enough to earn a '7'. I would have mentioned individual songs in this review, but the album doesn't really demand that individual songs be mentioned. Well, to re-impress my point of Korn going back. 'Alive' could have come straight from their debut, it's one of the best songs here, but is that really what Korn should be doing? Going back in time nine years? Think about it. It's actually indicative of a growing malaise surrounding the music industry as a whole. Nine years? Think back through time. Think through the decades. Nine years is an eternity in the fickle music business. That Korn now sound exactly the same as they did nine years ago is saddening. But, it's not their fault. It's a wider problem, a problem caused by an increasingly conservative music industry. It's a problem that needs to be addressed.

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Readers Comments steven bosigu123@msn.com i personally like this album the best. the reason for this is the fact that it incorporates the energy that the new albums lack while retaining the classic style that jon sang in the first two albums. Its just an opinion, but you should listen to that album again Adrock tifaslover@hotmail.com I completely disagree with this review!This is Korns best work ever.I've had this album since it first hit the shelves and I can't stop listening to it.Plus, it sounds nuthin like limp bizkit at all(thank god!!) eclair witchlick@hotmail.com alive sounds like a track lifted straight from self-titled because it was originally a demo track created before self-titled was even released, and has just been revamped for 'take a look'. thought you might like to know. oh and korn rock, this album rocks, and who cares if they've regressed nine years? who likes the shit that's out now!? Doc O Rock Benwd1@aol.com Come one this album is clearly at least a 8.5 (if not more) Right Now the first song on the album is easily one of KoRns best songs to date and every song (apart from Play Me and Did My Time although after some time Did My Time is starting to appeal to me) is a classic in its own right plus Metallica's One at the end of the album from there live performance at Metallica Icon should bring the score up all on its own In short this is a great album by korn and deserves a much high rating Lucy Smith whip_it_good@hotmail.com I think this album is really really extremely great, but i think their cover of "one" by metallica, kind of killed the album a bit. "One" is a very powerfull and meaningful song, as metallica displayed. korn didnt really need to go and do it again. i absolutely love korn but i personally think metallica done a better job of this song. Wade montoz@hotmail.com I agree with your rating, but it seems, you have rated the band as after the release of TALITM and not the individual album. This album is so uncreative. The lyrics are boring. There is no songs about any physical matter "I'm feeling so bad" "I'm enslaved" "I hate you" Recycled lyrics. No songs have any hidden meanings or have mystery to them such as some of their older tracks, that have a point to them. They said they wanted to create an album that sounds great live. Yet after their whole recent tour they only tried playing half of them. The irony of yall want a single, becoming a single, followed by their next single, being a popular 80's rap cover. This band is definatly lost meaning. I love your website adrian. I like the simplicity, and hope to see you review more albums and get a bigger data base. You should have went with your instinct to give this album a lower score. the fact that this badn has been around for 10 years now. Songs lke blind are still relevant and yo! u would get away with listening to it. Imagine in ten years time.. Do you think anyone will still be listening to "right now" or "here it comes again"... speaking of here it comes again. I bet jonathan davis has NO idea what "it" is. The song is basicly about nothing. Heidi myjunksamples@yahoo.com Come on now.Have you even listened to ya'll want a single?This album rocks!!Two thumbs up.I dont see any other rock band out this still making kick ass songs for this long.Also,KOrn did a GREAT job redoing Metallica's One song.Your either a true fan or not and true fans dont bad mouth bands zach lamb_knot@hotmail.com anyways this is the very first album of korn i got and let me tell all u mother fucking faggottS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!this is the best korn album ever!!!!!!!!! heavy as FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! an awesome album with a very cool cover of metallica's one( too bad that mtv made them cut the song to shit) but it still kicks ASS!!!!!!!!! if u don't like the lyrics then fuck off and go listen to that faggy pop band shit charelotte!!!!!!! these lyrics are the most dark and meaningful lyrics jon has ever written!!!! they even said that this is the album they've always wanted to make!!! 100% KORN!!!! didn't you fucks read the thankyous from DOG!!!! anyways they've quit their label so they can make more albums like this!!!! (hense, y'all want a single) keep it comin korn this is awesome!!!!!

Korn lose a founder guitarist and don't replace him. Their guitar assault is now down to a single guitar player, then. They also hire hip-hop/pop producers The Matrix. The Matrix contribute towards both the arrangements and, gosh, the songwriting. What is the world coming to? Well, I welcome any attempt by Korn to experiment and expand their sound, because by god, they need to. Poor sales of their old-school Korn by numbers 'Take A Look In The Mirror' necessitated change. Commercially, the change hasn't had a great deal of effect, neither album charting within the UK, at least. Still, the first two songs here are good, both joining together nicely, Korn displaying a new level of melodiscm without sacrificing too much of their heaviness. I still have a sneaking suspicion that first surfaced when I heard 'Take A Look In The Mirror', and that's the suspicion that Jonathon Davis has pretty much run out of interesting things to say. Still, it doesn't detract too much from an album that seems to be enjoyable enough, just not perhaps on the deeper levels of Korn's finest work. 'Hypocrites' and 'Sovenier Of Sadness' both rely on riffs and the heavy distorted rumbling of the rhythm section rather than particular great guitar work. It does appear that instrumentally, departed founder guitarist Brian "Head" Welch is certainly missed. A quick plug at this stage in the review. If you go to the main 'Album Reviews' page of this site, you'll find at the bottom a selection of internal links, one of which is 'new releases'. You'll find the section sub-titled 'First Impressions', an idea I had to give brief reviews to new releases based on one or two listens only. First impressions, as the title indicates. I gave this Korn album 2/5. It's grown on me since, the lack of heaviness being overcome, to an extent, by the increased melody factor. I still miss the heaviness of old, though. 'See You On The Other Side' is a very listenable album overall, pretty consistent writing wise, if perhaps lacking moments of 'wow, what the f**k was that?' or the sheer thrilling excitement of prime-time Korn of old.

New elements in the sound then? Well, 'Love Song' introduces elements of industrial music quite well, the rhythm section joined by electronics and distortion as Korn try to overcome the loss of their guitarist through experimentation. It works ok, 'Love Song' is an enjoyable dirge. A highlight arrives with 'Coming Undone', another track leaning towards the approach of Marilyn Manson musically, a dirty riff laden arrangement, although simple riffs and almost a glam approach to the music. It's a song with a hook, it's heavy enough and would make a decent single, in my book. 'Liar' is a highlight, one of the more recognizably Korn sounding songs here, funnily enough. The album comes to a close, an enjoyable record if perhaps not very substantial. It may be time for Korn to call it a day, but that doesn't seem likely to happen very soon. My main worry is, if they continue to make average to good albums like this and its predessecor, it's only going to succeed in taking away from their overall legacy, rather than adding to it. 'See You On The Other Side' presents us with small differences in the Korn sound, but it's not quite the radical change it really needs to be. Having said that, yeah, this is a solid and enjoyable Korn effort.

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Readers Comments Aphotica aphotica@hotmail.com I can agree that no, it is not better than Untouchables. I can also agree that yes, it is better than Take A Look In The Mirror. Your rating is about equal with mine. If 7.75 were an option, I'd pick that. It's not an 8 out of 10, no. But I'm hoping that Korn's next album is pure 9/10. This album was above average but not mind blowing. A couple songs were, though. I do like that Korn are still one of the most unique bands around. That pleases me. What I hope is that in the future, we get something better than the best they've done. A last ditch effort maybe. This album doesn't fail but it doesn't succeed. That sums it up. XD toc crashtoc1218@aol.com I do agree with your rating, but I believe the songwriting is very good on this cd. Probably the best in Korn since at least Follow the Leader. Anyway, the sound really, really grows on you. In fact, this new, evolved sound actually sounds really good and I think its great that Korn did something different besides the same thing over and over again. I mean, what else could they have done? This is definitely the best they could have because if they made another Take a Look in the Mirror, which was a rushed, poorly made album copying all of their other cds, they would definitely be ruined for sure. So even if hardcore Korn fans aren't impressed, I believe a new generation of fans will begin to grow on this stuff, especially if this album goes big, but I have a feeling it won't (which is a shame). In other words, what I am trying to say is forget that this is Korn. Forget this is Nu-Metal (which basically, it isn't anymore). Think of this as a rock cd, a good one at that, and d! on't even worry about how heavy it gets. You'll realize this cd is intellegent, has a great sound, and makes a great effort instrumentally. Hangman balltonguekorn94@aol.com Im not to agreeable with your rating.But I think you rated it better than others have. 1)Most people see the ``twisted transistor`` video and immediately write korn off as sell outs. 2)Jonathan Davis has moved forward.People cant possibly expect him to keep writing about the same subjects.I think he shows his writing capabilities on this album. 3)It`s catchy and original.(which is more than I can say for most of the metal out there today) In the end,your rating was good.Ive read diffrent reviews on this album and most just say ``It sucks!``Simply because of the reasons above.

I applaude Korn's hard work. Despite serious line-up changes, they've rallied together to produce not a contract fulfilling affair ( which this actually is ) but a strong work. If this was their last album ever, as far as i'm concerned they could hold their heads up high. Quite simply, they've gone out with a bang. On the slide commercially for many years now, ever since 2002's actually rather brilliant 'Untouchables', Korn sadly are unlikely to reverse that trend here. They came up with the nu-metal scene, arguably pioneered it and were the most important band of that genre. Their attempts at updating their sound on 'See You On The Other Side' were only partially successful, often taking away from the key strengths of the band rather than augmenting them. Here, the electronics and production effects are integrated so well you don't really even notice them. Yet, the sound is heavier than any Korn album since 'Untouchables' and in my ways, this record feels like 'Untouchables' natural successor.

Speaking personally, in my day to day reviewing and listening habits ( I am just 'some guy' by the way, I have a web-site, but then, so does everybody else now! ) I do listen to a lot of metal and heavier music, but i'm not particularly 'a fan' of the genre. I couldn't describe myself as a Korn 'fan' as many commentators on this page undoubtedly are. My opinions on the Korn catalogue naturally then seem to differ from the norm of the average Korn fan. Not for me a continual artistic slide since the first two albums. I actually prefer to believe Korn reached their peak with 'Issues' and 'Untouchables'. Since then, clearly they've had some difficulties. 'Untitled' to my ears sounds like nothing less than a reclaiming of artistic lost ground and a maturation from the guys. No longer sounding angry without a purpose or merely putting teenage diaries to heavy metal music, Jonathon Davies has grown up. Well, they all have, the Korn fan who was thirteen years old when 'Korn' came out is now twenty six, buying a house and getting married. Good music should transcend such life changes. You can either stay stuck in the mud nostalgically adoring the same music you always did, or simply not like music as much these days because you have less time for it, or musically evolve. Korn have musically evolved, for better or worse. You don't have to like it, but at least give them credit for it without merely dismissing it as 'not as good as the old stuff'. There has to be reasons for that, if you genuinely feel that way. A lot of the professional music critics now slating Korn's work never actually had much time for this type of music in the first place, though.

'Untitled' opens with a bang, goes all moody atmospheric during a slower mid-phase then mixes it up a little to close. Simple as, really. There is a new found darkness within the music itself, rather than mere heaviness. Songs are instrumentally layered with intelligent and creative arrangements. The brief two minute 'Intro' highlights this very well. 'Starting Over' has all sorts of sounds going through it, musically has dynamics rather than mere heaviness and then wailing, unsettling 'come take me' vocal with overlapping backing vocals to close is extremely effective. 'Do What They Say' has a darkness ( rather than an aggression, clearly ) that reminds me of The Cure, circa 'Disintegration'. It has layers of sound including industrial sounds and a very strong vocal/lyrical hook. Indeed, the lyrics and vocals throughout this album are superb, among the finest ever Jonathon Davies has committed to tape. A good singer doesn't become a bad one overnight, remember. 'Killing' injects some intense aggression into the latter stages of the album, this new rumbling, semi-industrial noise Korn are employing is very effective. 'Bitch We Got A Problem' has electronics, guitar that sounds like electronics, a heavy rumbling rhythm section, much aggressive noise and is rather exhilaratingly brilliant. 'Evolution' is a further highlight, although a more straightforward one than that. Every track has something to recommend it and remember, this isn't me deliberately going against the grain just to be awkward, rather me being honest. I give this album the same grade as my now 'joint' favourite Korn album, 'Untouchables'. I really like this.

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Readers Comments thedisciple USA you are obviously new to korn as you make the common mistake of believing that untouchables/issues are their best works. These two lack any energy/aggressiveness which is essential for a korn record. These two also show Jonathon Davis at his whiniest. They are not bad albums, there is some stunning melody, but they are not as good some other works. Here are the real ratings for korn albums. Korn-10 Life is Peach-9 Follow the leader - 10 Issues - 7 Untouchables - 7 TALITM - 8.5 SYOTOS - 8.5 Untitled - 6.5

Ross Robinson, who produced the first two Korn albums, is brought back and the addition of a line-up change results in the subtitle 'Korn III' next to 'Remember Who You Are'. Both changes are surely large clues as to what we can expect from this latest Korn effort? Gone is anything approaching progression or experimentalism to be replaced by eleven songs that have no nobler aim than to repeat the sound of Korn circa 1995. Nothing as strong here as 'Blind' mind you, but we do get a consistently solid set. The band sound in fine form, this is the groups heaviest release for some time and Jonathan Davis still writes his usual type of lyrics, his voice holds up well, etc, etc. So, why do I feel so underwhelmed by it all? Sure, 'Oildale' is close to classic Korn of old, as are a few other tracks, but even when Korn were apparently losing their way in recent years they remained interesting. I know nostalgia is all the rage these days but i just don't 'feel' this latest set of tunes. 'Move On' joins 'Oildale' in being a superior slice of old sounding Korn lifting this album set upwards toward the half-way mark, yet compare this with everything else here are you're hard pressed to find the differences. Well, clearly that's a statement that makes little sense. Clearly that's a statement that's a bit of a 'so what?' statement. Well, this is a consistent set yet it's also an album with a very 'so what?' feeling permeating it all. There are few dramatic changes in tempo or style across the eleven songs and yes, 'Remember Who You Are' may be trying to win back lapsed fans but I doubt there's enough really here to get anybody who hasn't already got three or four Korn albums to really consider strongly that they need a fourth or fifth.

'Fear Is A Place To Live' is my pick of the bunch, a strong anthemic tune with no frills and a standard kind of level of Korn aggression, but at least they've packed in a tune. 'Let The Guilt Go' packs in lots of aggression but forgets to be a song. 'Oildale' is, as i've hinted, a good attempt at Korn of old but i'm running out of interesting things to say about a band that have seemingly turned their back on progression to revert to baser instincts.

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Korn have sold 35 million albums - did you know that? I also didn't know that founding member guitarist Brian "Head" Welch had left, and that this his return to Korn after some 8 years. I could put a little disclaimer on this page stating this this page is not written from the point of view of a Korn fanatic. I can put up such a disclaimer if it helps? I didn't - and also haven't even reviewed the album that Korn released before this one, as producer Skrillex and Korn decided to throw dubstep all over it, and it was a disaster. For 'The Paradigm Shift' Korn are back to just thrashing away with guitars and being tight in the studio - absolutely no gimmicks here or much, it has to be said, in the way of a chorus of three. Still! It seems to be of no coincidence at all that Korn sound like their old selves of the 90s and early 00s thanks to the return of a guitarist that did much to define that sound. Listen to 'Paraoid' And Aroused' halfway through this record, for instance. Thunderous riffs - both lead and bass - and the Korn bass guitar sound has been a constant throughout their career. Screaming vocals with some menace, like Hong Kong Fuey flying out of his chest of drawers. Who was the other one? Ah, Captain Caveman!! He sings this entire record by the way - but he's toned things down and now realises he is a member of a band - not THE band.

We have some lovelty song titles, 'Lullaby For A Sadist' top amongst them. A brief section of acoustic guitar plays before the crunching arrives and Jonathon Davis sings with attack and surrounded by darkness. A mid-tempo number, 'Lullaby For A Sadist' is much needed relief on an album of all out aggression. This much needed relief arrives with a song called 'Lullaby For A Sadist'? Well, yes. Korn are still around - all these years later whereas other nu-metal protagnotists have faded. Did I spell that correctly? Probably not. Am I on drugs? Yes, but sadly, not any illegal ones. The closing 'Die Another Day' sadly isn't a bond theme, but rather an electronic inspired slice of.... melodic hard rock. It brings Korn back to top form, to a sense that they could appeal beyond genre hardcore fanatics.

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