Korn: Untitled
Monday, 06, Aug 2007 05:15
Virgin Records, out July 30th.
In a nutshell.
Eccentric, disappointing, predictable, hybrid
What's it all about?
This is Korn's greatly anticipated eighth studio album, packing 13 tracks that offer possibly the quirkiest album to date by the band. The hit song Evolution is included along with 12 other genre-defining tracks.
Who's it by
Korn are the alternative super-band straight out of Bakersfield, California, best known for their earlier work with songs like Freak on a Leash and Blind.
They have also created and continue to run their own successful annual tour - called Family Values - which has seen them perform with a long list of collaborators such as Limp Bizkit and Ice Cube.
Vocalist Jonathan Davis, guitarist James Munky Shaffer, bassist Reginald Fieldy Snuts Arvizu and drummer David Silveria are the surviving members of the original five-piece, with the exception of Silveria being on hiatus for a unknown period.
As an example.
"And I, I do not dare deny, the basic beast inside, its right here, it's controlling my mind." (Evolution)
"I'm a spectator, the motivator, shut up, shut up and do it to yourself, I'm just an innocent bystander." (Innocent Bystander)
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Quite unlikely with this effort, maybe next time.
What the others say
"Korn sound wounded and diminished now. The vengeful heft of 1998's Follow the Leader, Korn's best album, is here only in fits and spurts." - Rolling Stone
So is it any good?
For a newcomer to Korn, the first track is very deceiving. It sounds like something that a band with a knack for emotionally-charged songs would put out there, but anyone daring to go further will be desperately disappointed.
After the intro the songs liven up and have a big kick to them. Starting Over, Bitch We Got a Problem and Evolution are the best tracks on the album, entertaining the band's followers with the predictable, but long-awaited burst of guitar you expect from Korn.
For the next five songs the band try to mix it up a bit, adding a piano and bagpipes in true Jonathan Davis style. But unfortunately this is without success. The songs sound almost indistinguishable and move to a disappointing composition of a somewhat depressing 20 to 25 minutes of the album - funny though how all of the bad songs seem to be co-composed by Atticus Ross or Terry Bozzio, the replacements for missing members.
After a while the album begins to give out a glimmer of hope. Innocent Bystander hits back and takes us on a minor sojourn to the earlier albums when Korn's songs made a good impression. This, however, slowly diminishes when the rest of the album returns to the emo doldrums.
There are a few good songs on this album but not enough to make this a good buy. Maybe the lack of original members made a negative impact on their performance, which may or may not be turned around with the return of Silveria.
5/10
Dan Kelly