Artist: Korn
Label: Epic
Release Date: 10/11/94
Rating: 3 Skulls
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Title: Korn Artist: Korn Label: Epic Release Date: 10/11/94
Rating: 3 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Solomon:
I approached this record with a certain degree of apprehension, this being my maiden voyage into the world of Korn, and the fact the band is not a favorite choice among the traditional metal faithful. Aside from a few songs on the radio, I was unfamiliar with Korn's music before picking up their debut album, and I wanted to check out for myself what everyone was raving/ranting about. Korn's first effort seemed like a logical choice to represent this important, if not altogether loved, group, so if anyone thinks one of their subsequent releases is a better representation of the band's style, my apologies to you and forgive my ignorance.The term "rap-metal" comes to mind when the subject of Korn comes up, but, as far as "Korn" goes, the term is too limiting. In my mind, there's nothing wrong with combining rap/hip-hop/dance with metal elements, and Korn is credited with helping to create this hybrid. However, to describe "Korn" as a Black Sabbath meets Snoop Dog project is misleading. Sure, Korn emphasizes heavy (and I mean down-right gutteral) guitar set against groovy, rhythmic beats, along with percussive vocal attacks ("Ball Tongue" chorus) and cool RATM-inspired kiss-my-ass sing-alongs ("Divine"). There's also plenty of discordant bell-and-whistle guitar riffs and weird vocal style shifts to put the band in an almost "avant-garde" catagory. Bottom line: this is a very odd record.
Despite my general sense of open-mindedness towards music, I had to fight the impulse to say "Korn sucks" without giving these guys a fair shake. My thoughts on the band are still mixed, and I still don't know what makes this band so damn popular, but I found Korn starting to grow on me. "Ball Tongue" is probably my favorite tune, with its more straight-ahead metal drive, and I like the cleaner, "progressive" verse part in "Fake." The guitars rely too much on sludge and noise for my taste, but the strong rhythmic element in the songs offer plenty of "edge." Jonathan Davis' whiny voice can be annoying, but I can see where his brooding, schizophrenic style fits in with some aggressive, experimental music. His cleaner singing on the chorus to "Faget" is notable, along with a suprisingly beautiful Robert Plant-like intro to "Daddy." This song, incidentally, is the album's defining moment. This is the most disturbing tune I've ever heard: the evil sounding guitar of the chorus only serves to punctuate the blunt description of the horrors of child abuse. "Daddy" is not easy to sit through, and Korn earns points for having the balls to make me listen.
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