ALBUM REVIEW: The Nothing – Korn
Over a career spanning over 25 years, nu-metal pioneers KORN have always strived to stay relevant in a constantly shifting musical landscape. From outlasting the popularity of the genre they helped bring to the forefront, having a top-forty hit with Did My Time (a song also used to promote the 2003 Tomb Raider sequel), and a detour through dubstep, KORN have done more than enough to cement their spot as one of the legends of modern metal. The Nothing is the band’s thirteenth and latest studio album, carrying with it an undeniable air of maturity comparable to nothing the band have done previously – but will it be lucky number thirteen for KORN?
Beginning with the familiar drone of Jonathan Davis‘ bagpipes, The End Begins immediately feels like an early 2000s KORN cut: gradually building, setting the tone, and preparing the listener for the coming onslaught. Once the atmospheric opener gives way to the second track Cold, it only takes a few seconds for the track to unfold into the kind of brilliance that would give any long-time KORN fan excitement-induced heart palpitations. The immediate presence of Munky and Head‘s signature dissonant guitar tones, Ray Luzier‘s tom-heavy tribal pounding, and Jonathan Davis‘ deeply rhythmic, abrasive vocals give the track an unmistakeable air of the band in their prime.
The whole album has that distinctive KORN feel but merged with elements of a more melodic contemporary metal sound that further distances themselves from their nu-metal roots. Fieldy‘s trademark bass rattle is mostly absent from the new record, instead favouring a more conventional legato technique in order to better provide a foundation for the forceful chorus sections. It’s immediately clear that this is the most well-rounded, mature, and purposeful iteration of the band we’ve seen to date: keeping enough of their signature essence to greatly please their existing fans, but also with enough modern appeal to attract some newer fans who have perhaps never felt compelled to deep dive into the band’s back catalogue.
The first half of The Nothing is pure ferocious brilliance. The tone is very reminiscent of the Take a Look in the Mirror era of the band, with all the best aspects of their previous records weaved in amongst the chaos. Tracks like You’ll Never Find Me and Cold could easily find themselves at home on albums like Life is Peachy and Follow the Leader, whereas The Darkness is Revealing and Idiosyncrasy are very embodiment of KORN‘s contemporary metal sound.
The track Finally Free marks the mid-way point of the album and brings with it a tonal shift that persists until the album’s conclusion. The second half of The Nothing houses track-after-track of heavy-hitting, emotionally charged, deeply self-reflective material, done with such a light touch that the outcome is an incredibly beautiful experience. The strong contrast between the two halves of the album is one of the albums many strengths and a true testament to the songwriting talent the band possess. The two overtly different tones on each half of The Nothing blend so well together that the overall experience when listening to the album feels complete and perfectly balanced. They don’t linger on either half long enough for the listener to be fatigued by the intensity and the result is KORN at their best.
On album number thirteen, KORN have crafted something truly special. When people recount the high points of the band’s career, The Nothing will undoubtedly be considered one of them. This is a band we’ve seen before and the resulting album is near flawless in its execution. For existing fans of KORN, or fans of any genre of metal in general, The Nothing is firmly cemented as one of 2019’s must-have albums.
Rating: 9/10
The Nothing is set for release on September 13th via Roadrunner Records/Elektra.
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