This year marks the 20th anniversary of the formation of Korn, and like many long running acts, they have had quite the journey. Exploding onto the scene with their first three, classic albums, they became the figurehead for the much maligned ‘nu-metal’ movement, and spawned many imitators. While all the ‘true’ metalheads huffed and puffed and worked themselves into a frenzy about how much they despised nu-metal, Korn simply got on with forging an excellent, ‘two decades long and still going strong’ career.
Subsequent albums haven’t quite matched the sheer originality and audacity of the first three, but were still generally very strong. And whilst quite consistent with the quality and regularity of their releases, they’re a band that refuses to tread water. Case in point, their last three albums. 2010’s Korn III: Remember Who You Are was a stripped back affair, in every sense of the word. Made without the use of triggers, samples or other such technology, it was just the band, playing into mics with the record button on. It was about as raw as a mainstream heavy album gets these days.
On their next record, The Path of Totality, they made a complete 180. Enlisting the services of some well known electronic artists, they created their own ‘Korn goes dubstep’ record. But they did it extremely convincingly. It still sounded like Korn, just a very tech version of themselves.
The new album, The Paradigm Shift, is kind of a fusion of the two, whilst still very different to both. There are dubsteppy and electronic elements here and there, which work very well in the context of the album, which is essentially their most ‘traditional’ sounding (as far as that word can be used when describing this band) latter day Korn album.
The band signal their intentions very clearly with opener ‘Prey for Me’, which fairly bursts out of the speakers with real urgency and a massive groove. There are a number of very strong Korn songs on The Paradigm Shift. ‘Mass Hysteria’ is simple but intense, with a very straight to the point chorus. ‘Paranoid and Aroused’ is more snaky, although the chorus is no less huge. ‘Never Never’ is lush, and the catchiest thing of the album, plus features an impactive dubstep section in the middle. Probably a good choice for a single. ‘Punishment Time’’s main riff is weird and wild and works a treat, and the quiet middle section provides great dynamics before belting you right between the eyes for the final chorus and outro. In fact, it’s a very rich and golden mid-late album stretch.
Iconic frontman Jonathon Davis is slightly more restrained than usual, relative to his previous manic, schizophrenic delivery on previous releases, but he is still in fine fettle here. And the band lock into the groove and the occasional frenzy as you would expect from pros who have been playing together for two decades. Great return to the fold from guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch too, after a six or seven year absence.
Again, The Paradigm Shift isn’t quite up to the lofty standards set by the first three Korn albums, but that says more about the strength and quality of those early albums than it does about this one. Viewed in isolation, this album is a very strong and enjoyable one, and this band shows no sign of slowing down or losing their edge, as so many other long running acts do. They still an absolute powerhouse in a live setting too. New(ish) drummer Ray Luzier is worth the price of admission alone.
Korn have copped a bagging from the ‘real’ metal fans over the years, but it has been water off a duck’s back. 20 years and 11 albums into their career, they continue to prove the doubters who passed them and their sub-genre off as a fad dead wrong. Laughing in their narrow minded faces in fact. And The Paradigm Shift is another chapter in a pretty damn glorious career that appears to have no end in sight.
8/10
Reviewer: Rod Whitfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2LpzIPsELk