Korn - Follow The Leader Review

Korn Follow The Leader

dig it

full review

Tracklist:
13. It's On!
14. Freak On A Leash
15. Got The Life
16. Dead Bodies Everywhere
17. Children Of The Korn
18. B.B.K.
19. Pretty
20. All In The Family
21. Reclaim My Place
22. Justin
23. Seed
24. Cameltosis
25. My Gift To You

Ranking: #115 for 1998

user rating

3.4
great

Chart.

other reviews

barosjn (5)
...

Kit Brown CONTRIBUTOR (2.5)
Korn begins experimenting and misses more times than they hit....

related

Collected

Untitled

MTV Unplugged: Korn

members also liked

System of a Down Toxicity
System of a Down Mezmerize
Slipknot Slipknot
System of a Down System of a Down
Slipknot Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
System of a Down Hypnotize
Slipknot Iowa
System of a Down Steal This Album!

On 19 Lists

4.0
excellent

lewish440 USER (7 Reviews)

2009-07-20 | 30 comments | 695 views

Summary: very good album but occasionally lacks variety

1 of 6 thought this review was well written

If you've ever heard nu metal you will have heard of korn. There the biggest nu metal band and no one can question their originality, mixing hip hop with hard metal was a genius idea and it definitely works here, even if some of the tracks sound the same. Anyway I’ll get on with reviewing the tracks

13. IT’S ON
Weirdly enough this album begins on track thirteen so that is not just a typo. An eerie guitar effect kick of this album and a heavily crawling riff soon follows. Jonathan’s vocals on the verse are the usual (depressing as hell). But just when you think that this is your run of the mill korn song, this highly melodic almost beautiful chorus kicks in and surprises you, in a very good way. It’s Nice to see korn embracing a bit of melody.

5/5

14. FREAK ON A LEASH
Like many people this is the song that got me into korn. It’s just great. The verse is filled with hanging guitar riffs and rumbling bass but also contain harmonies that spice it all up. Then the pre chorus picks things up then BOOM! The massive tribal drums kick in and you hooked like bread to butter. Even though the lyrics are the same kind of generic "poor me" crap, the music more than makes up for it, especially with the freestyle bridge.

5/5

15. GOT THE LIFE
Introduced by a melodic guitar riff, this song demonstrates korn's more radio friendly side. The verse is kept interesting by popping bass and a creative vocal melody. The chorus' are good but become repetitive due to their boring harmonies and lyrics. The bridge more than makes up for this though and gives the song another dimension. A good song thats just original enough for merit.

4/5

16. DEAD BODIES EVERYWHERE
Here’s where the problem begins after a stellar beginning. This song has interesting atmosphere and emotion but unfortunately just ends up being a standard korn song and if not for the inventive bridge I might not like this song that much. The vocals in the chorus' are great but just feel recycled from every other korn song

3/5

17. CHILDREN OF THE KORN
??? I kind of understand korn trying to be original and keep the formula fresh but getting Ice cube ain't gonna do the trick. The instrumentation is good and Ice cube's lyrics are actually ok but it sounds out of place in such a sombre album. Not a bad song but just doesn’t feel right in this album

2.5/5

18. B.B.K.
Begins with weird effects similar to IT'S ON, but it becomes a pretty interesting riff and surprisingly the lyrics are ok and less generic. The chorus never really kicks in but the atmosphere and groove is there and it all feels good in the album. The heavy riffage at the end completes the punch and a nice drum fill makes this a good song.

3.5/5

19. PRETTY
A nasty, crunching guitar riff begins the song but a weird psychedelic verse quickly replaces it. The verse fit extremely well into the melodic chorus and makes the overall punch a lot thicker. The verse is different from most other korn songs and with help from the chorus, this song becomes a highlight.

4/5

20. ALL IN THE FAMILY
A real letdown after the extremely solid PRETTY. Fred Dirst guest stars in this song but his rhymes are absolutely terrible and it just ruins the continuity of the album. Even though it lightens up the dark atmosphere it just doesn’t fit and isn't humorous enough to make up for its pure badness.

2/5

21. RECLAIM MY PLACE
YEY! A rocking song that bring you back to the stellar beginning of the album. The verse riff is amazing and catchy; the chorus manages to add atmosphere and emotion. The repetition of “WHAT THE F***" keeps it rolling along and it all feels comfortable in its skin.

4.5/5

22. JUSTIN
This is a tricky on. It’s just about got enough of its own creativity that it doesn’t sound like filler and I guess it’s hard to argue with a catchy riff like that. It definitely picks up towards the end so make sure you listen all the way through.

4/5

23. SEED
Once again kicks in with a riff but uses the quiet (slightly psychedelic) verse to display a dynamic. It’s got just enough kick in the chorus to keep it interesting on a first listen and actually is quite melodic, in a dark twisted way. It also put korn's hip-hop influences to good use.

3.5/5

24. CAMELTOSIS
I fink I can hear a sitar in the verse which is an experimental step for korn. The repetion in the pre-chorus is great and never overused. The chorus liven's up a bit but stays with chorus' downbeat atmosphere, making it very interesting. Again korn show hip-hop in this song and it works perfectly

4/5

25. MY GIFT TO YOU
The intro is packed full of bagpipes and screams epic! But then the bagpipes end and a crunching guitar riff kicks in, dragging itself across the floor. Lyrics of self loathing almost copy the riff's personality and the chorus is just horrible. You’d think that maybe they'd end on a high note but it just continues the hatred and darkness. Not a bad song but they could have changed the depressing aura that surrounds the album because it ends up sounding slightly one dimensional .
3.5/5

If you want to get into nu metal then this is your album but if you just want a good old rock listen then you can't go wrong with this.

Share: Facebook Stumble Digg Twitter Del.icio.us