Korn - The Path of Totality
_ 2011
Reading about the 10th album from the veteran Nu Metal titans in the lead up to the release I was surprised, as I’m sure many Korn fans would be, to discover that there would be collaborations with dubstep artists indicating that Korn were heading in a new direction. Being a stalwart metal fan I was not sure whether this would be something that I would be interested in. As I used to be a huge Korn fan I thought I would give them the respect that they deserve and trust these music visionaries. Korn have never been afraid to go against the grain and have made a considerable name for themselves as the pioneers of the now almost defunct nu metal genre. Being the original nu metal band, Korn have survived where others have fallen into obscurity. However, Korn have struggled to replicate their early popularity. Ever since original guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch in 2005 followed by original drummer David Silveria in 2006, Korn albums have not felt the same and fans would be forgiven for thinking that the band had peeked. From the early days of stripped back heavy metal with a twist which earned them their own genre, to their rise to dizzying heights of success which saw a switch in the fan base from metal heads to jocks and then their seemingly steady demise Korn have stuck to what they know best and to constantly push boundaries. A complete departure from their last album ‘Remember Who You Are’, perhaps this album should have been called ‘Now Forget That and Change Everything’. A band like Korn would be the perfect band to collaborate across genres. In so doing they have created the freaky bastard child that is 'The Path of Totality' of the nu-step or dub-metal genre (however it may be called in the future).
Some will argue that this is not a new concept and that the result is similar to Industrial metal. After listening to the album I would disagree. On the first few plays this is new and interesting. However, I would say that after the initial hype has worn off many of the crazy noises started to grain on me. Usually at mlm we would do a song break down. In this case I won’t as unfortunately after a few listens the songs blur into one. What I will say is that there are several songs that stand out and make this venture worthwhile. Unfortunately the rest seems to be filler or uninteresting. Some of the album is hard to crack and maybe that is the problem. For most listeners the two singles ‘Narcissistic Cannibal’ and ‘Get Up!’ are the best songs and the most accessible on the album. If the rest of the album was like this then this would be great. However, if the rest of the album was like the two singles then this album and perhaps band would never have come to be as experimentation is a vital part of the Korn formula.
For a band to still be pushing the boundaries and risking dividing their fan base nearly twenty years since their debut album was released they deserve the upmost respect. This is what musician should be doing with every release and that is what makes Korn the band that many have come to love. For me this is not the finest Korn album. But I predict that many new bands will pick up on this formula and a new genre may be born through this album. For a band to create two genres in their lifespan would be an incredible achievement. I look forward to the music development as there does seems to be a winning formula in there somewhere.
The Path of Totality – 5/10
RazorRich for mlm
Reading about the 10th album from the veteran Nu Metal titans in the lead up to the release I was surprised, as I’m sure many Korn fans would be, to discover that there would be collaborations with dubstep artists indicating that Korn were heading in a new direction. Being a stalwart metal fan I was not sure whether this would be something that I would be interested in. As I used to be a huge Korn fan I thought I would give them the respect that they deserve and trust these music visionaries. Korn have never been afraid to go against the grain and have made a considerable name for themselves as the pioneers of the now almost defunct nu metal genre. Being the original nu metal band, Korn have survived where others have fallen into obscurity. However, Korn have struggled to replicate their early popularity. Ever since original guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch in 2005 followed by original drummer David Silveria in 2006, Korn albums have not felt the same and fans would be forgiven for thinking that the band had peeked. From the early days of stripped back heavy metal with a twist which earned them their own genre, to their rise to dizzying heights of success which saw a switch in the fan base from metal heads to jocks and then their seemingly steady demise Korn have stuck to what they know best and to constantly push boundaries. A complete departure from their last album ‘Remember Who You Are’, perhaps this album should have been called ‘Now Forget That and Change Everything’. A band like Korn would be the perfect band to collaborate across genres. In so doing they have created the freaky bastard child that is 'The Path of Totality' of the nu-step or dub-metal genre (however it may be called in the future).
Some will argue that this is not a new concept and that the result is similar to Industrial metal. After listening to the album I would disagree. On the first few plays this is new and interesting. However, I would say that after the initial hype has worn off many of the crazy noises started to grain on me. Usually at mlm we would do a song break down. In this case I won’t as unfortunately after a few listens the songs blur into one. What I will say is that there are several songs that stand out and make this venture worthwhile. Unfortunately the rest seems to be filler or uninteresting. Some of the album is hard to crack and maybe that is the problem. For most listeners the two singles ‘Narcissistic Cannibal’ and ‘Get Up!’ are the best songs and the most accessible on the album. If the rest of the album was like this then this would be great. However, if the rest of the album was like the two singles then this album and perhaps band would never have come to be as experimentation is a vital part of the Korn formula.
For a band to still be pushing the boundaries and risking dividing their fan base nearly twenty years since their debut album was released they deserve the upmost respect. This is what musician should be doing with every release and that is what makes Korn the band that many have come to love. For me this is not the finest Korn album. But I predict that many new bands will pick up on this formula and a new genre may be born through this album. For a band to create two genres in their lifespan would be an incredible achievement. I look forward to the music development as there does seems to be a winning formula in there somewhere.
The Path of Totality – 5/10
RazorRich for mlm