KoRn - KoRn

Artist – KoRn
Album – KoRn
Released – October 11, 1994
Genre – Nu Metal/Alternative Metal
Reviewed By – Nigga J

A band hated by many, but loved by many more, KoRn are the band who started the nu metal phenomenon with their self titled debut which went platinum even though it received very little airplay on radio and MTV. Even though the band hates the “Metal” label, one cannot deny they are among one of the most influential band in metal history famous/notorious for popularizing a trend which combines hip hop music with the heaviness and angst of metal.Borrowing heavily from the likes of Rage Against the Machine, Pantera, Helmet, Public Enemy, Faith No More, KoRn developed a testosterone fueled angst heavy and ultra aggressive metal rap combination that actually builds on the funk metal sound built in the 80s and 90s rather than just copying it.

The album starts of with one of THE most memorable song not just on the whole album but in KoRn’s whole history, Blind. It has one of the most amazing opening and the whole song is very catchy and you just can feel the raw energy behind the whole thing. It almost makes you jump in excitement when Jonathan Davis shouts “ARE YOU READY!” and the instrumentalists kick in with a riff that just plain sticks in your mind and refuses to get out. Davis showcases his grunt rap style here and it is prominent in every song on the record. This is KoRn in a nutshell!

Blind is followed by Ball Tongue. This song introduces the listener to Davis’s own twisted scat singing style which may confuse many, but it is funny in a twisted way and it adds up to the experience. The album is just plain innovative and one will begin appreciating it more on repeated plays. The songs are both complex and simple, as they seem to be pretty straightforward at first but are pretty deep. Their sound is darkly heavy and they do use several eerie samples in the music. Other highlights of the album include Clown, a song with magnificent bass and a laughable video, Shoots and Ladders, a very dark and heavy song which has bagpipes in the intro and Daddy, a song about a particularly dark incident in Davis’s childhood, where he got molested by a close family friend. KoRn’s lyrics are disturbing and to some ears, often offensive. They are, dark and even violent at times. Tales of abuse and alienation run rampant throughout the record. Fortunately, there is enough good music here to make up for the vulgarity of the lyrics and they can also be funny at times. According to many people, their major drawback is lead vocalist Jonathan Davis, but his crappy vocals actually add to the experience. Think of them like a Chuck Norris B-movie. It is very shitty, and yet you like it for the shittyness. He manages to sound really fake on several songs, but that does add to the feel.

Love them or hate them, KoRn is a very good band and this is arguably the band’s best work till date. The roaring downtuned guitar attack of Munkey and Head, the thundering drum work of Silvera, the over the top hip hop influenced bass lines of Fieldy, the delightfully crappy vocals of Davis and the overall dark feel in the songs make KoRn a really cool band. If you like metal or hip hop and are not a narrow minded elitist and enjoy metal + rap collaborations, I suggest you get yourself a copy of this album. You’ll love it!

Rating - 4/5

Tracklisting -

•"Blind" – 4:19
•"Ball Tongue" – 4:29
•"Need To" – 4:01
•"Clown" – 4:37
•"Divine" – 2:51
•"Faget" – 5:49
•"Shoots and Ladders" – 5:22
•"Predictable" – 4:32
•"Fake" – 4:51
•"Lies" – 3:22
•"Helmet in the Bush" – 4:02
•"Daddy" – 17:31