Long time ago, there was a year 1994. It was then when we heard the growl Are you ready and the riff that created what everyone started calling nu-metal. Why? Because altogether, it escalated to the point where deserved a name. Metal guys started wearing baggy adidas clothes, bass players started playing it rough, the number of guitar strings increased, and the groove became more important than skill. The power of nu-metal rapidly spread into the massive fire, but it was destined for the exponential decline and judgment from the rest of metal community.
Twenty two years later, the genre still exists, and some bands still perform as headliners at the world’s top festivals. Korn is one of them. They have grown from the local band to the globally acclaimed musicians. What is even more important is that they have tried everything. The experiments were mostly bashed; only those with open mind were aware that it is difficult to be nu-metal AC\DC and to constantly produce the same albums for their fans.
The fans were a part of generation that grew up eventually and forgot about the soundtrack of their youth. Korn have tried the methods that worked before, but the result didn’t always satisfy us. When Head returned to the band, it seemed like the electronic dub-step are left behind, in Jonathan Davis’ dreams.
Serenity of Suffering was promoted as the Korn’s brutal and consistent return to the glorious times. The only question is – did fans wanted to hear that trademark riff again? The answer is yet. Are Insane and Rotting in Vain enough to replace Make Me Bad and Falling Away From Me? Hating, Take Me and Please Come For Me resemble Take A Look In The Mirror era.
There is nothing bad to say about Korn’s new songs. I must admit I was uncomfortable during the reiteration of There is nothing in my head on Everything Falls Apart due to its pathetic essence, especially coming from the middle-aged man. My favorites are Black is the Soul and Next in Line, while Different World is the most interesting one as it features Corey Taylor.
The riffs are on, the sound is on, the dark atmosphere is on, and the satisfaction of the fans is on. Are these songs that we already heard? Is this Korn or their tribute band? Do we care? Probably not. Enjoy.
