|
| |
|
|
|
Review Summary: Korn try to make you forget the time they had a fun rhythm section. Korn have disappointed and misjudged their audience for over a decade now, so compared to those wasted years, "The Paradigm Shift" plays like a comeback album. However, a stubborn listener will still discern the continuing rot in their work.
They've rolled back the songwriting formula to the Untouchables-era, presenting here fourteen somewhat-solid rock songs with simple vocals, containing lyrics landing between "earnest" and "idiotic" on the teen literature scale. The riffs are fun when they're present (lead single "Never Never" lacks a single one, and has nothing else about it to recommend) but they come at the expense of expression - none of the accompanying musicians gets a single second in the sun. Remember when Fieldy's wiry bass playing would simply go into business for itself, snaking up and down the scales, appropriately or otherwise? Remember the "trickety-trickety-tssh-ping" drum flourish we used to hear twice an album? You get the impression that whoever was in charge of production duties had more to say about the layout of these songs than the band members ever did.
Maybe they're less comfortable about seeming weak and jejune these days? The most popular Korn albums had really miserable vocal delivery and a series of quirks which made the band worth your time, and, well, those are all gone, leaving behind the type of modern rock which a wrestler could walk to the ring to while doing no damage to his image. Musically, the band assures you that they are pretty good. Lyrically, Jonathan pretends to bare his soul to us, but just doesn't convince - where's the desperation? I hate to imagine that the quirks have been ironed out by the process of becoming better musicians, because, uh, this is Korn we're talking about. All in all, "The Paradigm Shift" is a very airbrushed outing which should suit anyone who falls for airbrushing.
Incidentally, the drums are ***. A corpse could provide a better pulse. The guy at the desk knows the drums are boring, too, because they're covered in effects which turn them into a gated splatfest. They're not played badly, but you might find yourself missing the enthusiastic funk skitter that lifted the first four albums so far into listenability. None of the songs go krakka-bompa-dompa-dompa-THRAKKATHRAK which, now that I think about it, is the actual downfall of modern Korn. They aren't sloppy enough. Bring back the sound of exhaustion.
| other reviews of this album |
Scuro EMERITUS (4.5)
The accumulation of 20 years of professional musicianship, 10 studio albums and the return...
BassDemon333 (4)
The Paradigm Shift shows a reunited and reimagined Korn, and boasts some of their best and...
LocustGrove (4.5)
Korn finally realized that all they needed was more Head....
AaronBatt (3.5)
What a surprise......
therapy20 (4)
Can Korn return to their earlier glories?...
WicKed110 (4.5)
An album with a sound mixing Untouchables, Issues and their debut album together....
TheGreatQ (3.5)
Korn said they remembered who they were, and now they prove it....
Alex561 (4.5)
With Korn remembering who they are and Head back in the band, The Paradigm Shift makes The...
Townsendium (4.5)
Korn have redeemed themselves, The Path of Total shit can be put behind us once and for al...
|
Album Rating: 2.5
Review lacks a bunch, but rating is spot on.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
awful reviw
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Review is okay. Pos'd.
| | | Album Rating: 1.0
lets see if we can get to 3 pages of reviews for this
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
What's with all the 4.5 reviews.. It's about as much of a 3 as it's gets.
| | |
so, uh, what's so bad about the review
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I don't think it's a terrible review, but it's vague and you don't support your opinion very well. Justification is key. Also, the 'sound effect' type writing eg; "trickety-trickety-tssh-ping" is probably uneccesary  . Otherwise, it's well written, it's just the content that's lacking.
| | |
I actually really like this review. Clear and concise, with a little bit of flair. Pos.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
This album is no masterpiece by any means but it's not a 2.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
I actually kinda like the review too. As much as I hate to say it (I really like old Korn) a lot of
this is true in my opinion.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Nice review and true and nice and it conveys its point very well with the idea of the wrestler who can walk to the ring without damaging his image. Korn used to be quirky now it's clean and normal and sad.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Me likey.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Agreed, great album
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Not a fan, but The Path of Totality sucked ass, so this was definitely an improvement.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Album is a 4 really but imma keep my rating because that was my initial feeling. TPOT was pretty bad agreed, but Untitled was worse.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
I can't even remember a song from that album, so you're probably right haha
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I just found it boring, even TPOT had moments of fun if not much else, Untitled really doesn't.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Both albums were shit but TPOT was miles worse, specially way too far and get up were abominations against the human race
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Meh, Get Up was okay imo, not any better or worse than anything else on the album. Way Too Far is bad though, even Jon seems bored with it, vocally.
| | |
Incidentally, the drums are ***. A corpse could provide a better pulse. The guy at the desk knows the drums are boring, too, because they're covered in effects which turn them into a gated splatfest. They're not played badly, but you might find yourself missing the enthusiastic funk skitter that lifted the first four albums so far into listenability. None of the songs go krakka-bompa-dompa-dompa-THRAKKATHRAK which, now that I think about it, is the actual downfall of modern Korn. They aren't sloppy enough. Bring back the sound of exhaustion.
| | | |
|
| |
