Review Summary: Band loses 2 members. Band realizes they aren’t getting any younger. Band throws everything at the wall to see what sticks. Most of it does.
In 1995, Korn broke to stardom with their genre-defining self-titled album. After this, they became known as the pioneers of the mostly-despised “nu-metal” phase, scoring respect in both underground and mainstream circuits. Hits like “Blind”, “Freak On A Leash” and “Got The Life” were anthems for late-nineties teens everywhere.
But now in 2007, with nothing left to prove and two members short of their “classic” lineup, the band give us the biggest surprise yet- by breaking drought after three disappointing albums with
Untitled, a dark experiment and a huge risk which, upon multiple listens, was evidently worth taking.
Untitled breathes new life into a band long thought dead, expanding on many old ideas and giving them a fresh and original tweaking.
Hints of change are almost immediately evident by the one-two hit of a sinister-sounding intro track leading into the rocking “Starting Over”. The urgency and power in the song’s delivery, present especially in the chorus and the absolutely cracking drum work, is overwhelming on first listen. Once you have settled in, however, the song is a perfect combination of the band’s past and the new ideas and adventures the band are undertaking throughout the whole record. The multi-layered vocals on the last verse are also a really great addition.
Another highlight comes in the form of lead single “Evolution”, which could pass off as Marilyn Manson after discovering funk and forgiving Trent Reznor to the point of letting him produce a song. Vocalist Jon Davis ponders the future of the world, with a bleakness that would make Morrissey proud- “I’m sorry I don’t believe, by the evidence that I see, that there’s any hope left for me”.
Musically, the band leave no rock unturned- evident in the dark, progressive synth-pop of “Love And Luxury”, the industrial noises of “Bitch, We Got A Problem” (I know, I cringed at the title too), the completely left-of-centre church organ loop in “Killing”, and the beautiful ambience and musical contrast of “Kiss”. These tracks are proof alone that this is a real return for Korn, and not just another excuse to tour (
Untouchables, anyone?). Even on the tracks that connect the most to the band’s past on this album (“Hold On” and “Innocent Bystander”) feature new ideas in terms of both instrumentation and production- “Hold On” has some great “dirty” sounding synth work in the last verse, “Innocent Bystander” features some spacey effects on Davis’ vocals in the verses and makes lyrics as sub-par as “Shut up! Shut up! And do it to yourself!” sound like the most anthemic thing on the planet
Upon extended listening to
Untitled, it seems there too is an all-round improvement on musicianship, with both guitarist Munky and bassist Fieldy using many new styles on their instruments that has not been seen to this extent before. A prime example of this is “Ever Be”, where Fieldy introduces the song with a warped-out bass riff, accompanied briefly by sparse guitar howling, almost sounding like something Johnny Greenwood would use.
The finger-picking featured in “Hushabye”, too, is proof that Munky is more than just a one-note crunch guitarist.
Another standout is the drumming on the album- ironic, considering that
Untitled is the band’s first album without David Silveria. Excellent drum work is featured from Terry Bozzio and Bad Religion’s Brooks Wackerman - even Davis has a go on “Bitch…” and “Love And Luxury”, and he’s not half bad. The best drum work is found on closer “I Will Protect You”, performed by Bozzio, which emphasizes both the intensity in the song and the atmosphere that Korn are setting out to create throughout the entire record. The fills are excellent, and it doesn’t miss a beat for one second- it is, quite possibly, the tightest, most exciting and overall best drumming ever featured in Korn’s music.
The band has obviously found their feet on this record, after what seems like a few too many “trial and error” records.
Of course, not everything works here- Korn are yet to make a perfect album (even albums like the self-titled release and
Follow The Leader had their flaws). Davis often struggles with his vocals and occasionally resorts to raspy barks, and some of the all-too-simple riffing is still present. These, however, are small flaws in comparison to the album as a whole.
Untitled is a massively impressive body of work from a band that have been ignored for many years. It’s an exciting record- it’s a refreshing take on the band’s sound which has the potential to win them many new fans and win back even more old ones.
The old saying goes- “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. The same can be applied here to this album- if you were expecting another weak and uninspired 50-minute drone from Korn, you’re in for a hell of a surprise.
