Episode 4: KoRn - 'Untitled'
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| Thanks for clearing that up, Barry (via RollingStone.com) |
Also, apologies for the slight delay in releasing this, for anybody who might have been looking out for me to drop the article on Wednesday.
This week's topic might be interesting because I think we're on the verge of a critical re-evaluation of nu metal music. Nu metal, a genre that achieved huge popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s with its combination of metal, hip-hop, funk, a dash of grunge and more, has basically never been a "cool" genre. Acts like Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach and Slipknot have served as punchlines from critics and audiences alike despite their massive popularity. There are some bands that have achieved acclaim from those circles like Deftones and System of a Down, but they're usually regarded as the rare exceptions to the rule.
I'm not sure how big of a re-evaluation the genre will receive, but I've begun seeing more content in defense of the often-maligned music. Earlier this week I saw this meme go around. I'm not sure how serious the maker of this is, but this is discussion I've seen in some critical circles a few times in the past few months. Nu metal lyrics often reflect a disillusionment with a society that preys on the weak and powerless, which makes it no surprise that working class and teenagers seemed to pick the music up the most. And there certainly is something to be said about how often-snobbish critical voices view art that largely appeals to these groups. Most nu metal might not be great, but is the hatred of the genre amplified by critical types that don't understand the groups that the music appeals to the most?
I think it's an interesting conversation, though I don't think I'm capable of dealing with the topic here with the nuance it deserves. I just thought it was an interesting point that I tried to keep in mind while going through the catalog of an incredibly hated band like KoRn. As much as I may dislike artists and genres I cover here, I do try to look at the full context and give things a fair shake.
Anyway, I listened to a KoRn album, and I thought it sucked.
KoRn - Untitled (EMI Records, 2007)
Genres: Nu metal, alternative metal, industrial rock
Producer(s): Atticus Ross
Metacritic Score: 51/100
RYM Rating: 2.45/5 (1389 ratings, ranked 10/12 in band's catalog)
Sputnik Rating: 2.5/5 (1214 ratings, ranked 11/12 in band's catalog)
Weeks at #1: Two (Weeks of August 18 through August 25, 2017)
Other Accomplishments: Certified Gold by RIAA
Though I've never been much of a fan of nu metal, I was surprisingly drawn in by a good amount of KoRn's early catalog while listening through their stuff. It's still not exactly my scene. I think Jonathan Davis' lyrics are pretty rough at times, and a decent amount of stylistic stuff the band does comes off as goofy to me. There's a song called "Shoots and Ladders" off the band's self-titled debut that's about how classic nursery rhymes have some dark, sinister meanings behind them. The song essentially has Davis reciting various rhymes in his trademark rap-sung cadence, and the whole thing seemed a bit silly to me. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to take the rabid-dog beatboxing on songs like "Freak on a Leash" seriously.
But I started to see the band's appeal pretty quickly. KoRn was one of the bands (probably the band) really that bridged the gap from the funk metal that was around in the early 90s (think Primus, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers) into the full-fledged style of nu metal. I liked "Fieldy" Arvizu's bass work a lot, and David Silveria's drums quite a bit, because it reminded me of those funk rock bands I'm into. Brian "Head" Welch's guitar playing was distinctive. And what Davis lacks in lyrical strength he makes up for in emotion. KoRn's closing track "Daddy" has the singer breaking down into tears by the track's end after brutally recalling childhood abuse. It's a harrowing listen that I wasn't expecting. I wasn't completely on board with that album, but moments like those stuck with me.
I think the band really started coming into their own after that. They got co-signs from full-on rap acts with guest features from Ice Cube on 1998's monster Follow the Leader and Nas on 2003's honestly underrated Take a Look in the Mirror. From 1994-2003, KoRn was making really solid mainstream metal music. It's far from perfect, but scratches the itch for loud, aggressive mainstream metal music well.
After Take a Look in the Mirror, KoRn had to face issues regarding band members leaving. After becoming a born again Christian, Welch would leave the band to focus on his personal life and solo music. It created a void that the band wasn't able to really fill until he returned to the band in 2013. Silveria eventually lost interest in the project as well and left after 2005's rough See You on the Other Side.
The band also had to deal with a changing landscape. KoRn and other bands still were selling plenty of records, but nu metal as a whole was on the decline in the mainstream. The band had been around for over a decade and was already starting to grow stale in their sound. They'd have to evolve their sound a bit to stay fresh.
I had high hopes for Untitled even with the departures of two band members whose contributions to the project were pretty vast. First, the project was produced by Atticus Ross. Ross is mostly known for his collaborations with Trent Reznor, both as part of Nine Inch Nails and as a collaboration in scoring films such as Gone Girl and The Social Network. With Ross working with KoRn on See You on the Other Side, you start to hear the band using a more industrial rock-influenced sound. There's a lot more influence from bands like NIN as well as Orgy and Ministry.
The other prospect that excited me was the addition of Terry Bozzio, the legendary drummer best known for his work with Frank Zappa and Missing Persons, as well as a long history of session work. Bozzio does the majority of drumming on the album (current Avenged Sevenfold drummer Brooks Wackerman plays on the rest of the record), and I was hoping Bozzio's presence would influence the band and help take them in more interesting directions.
Unfortunately, I found Ross' influence to be a bit more of a distraction than I was hoping. The industrial flourishes are nice, but it's hard for me to listen and not think of how much better Reznor's vocals sound on this styles as opposed to Davis. Bozzio's drumming is indeed a highlight throughout the project, but the band didn't seem to want to add him as a creative force. KoRn seemed to see him as more of a session guy for this album while Bozzio wanted a more creative stake in the band. Those disagreements led to Wackerman finishing up the project, and Bozzio would be out of the band before the tour started.
Even with some stylistic changes spattered throughout the album, Untitled still sounds very much like KoRn, and an uninspired version of the band at that. "Bitch We Got a Problem" is what I feel many would imagine the stereotypical KoRn sound sounding like, as Davis argues with another person as well as the voices inside his head. "Kiss" is a bit slower, and Davis' vocals sound a lot more nasally than usual, almost Billy Corgan-esque. "Hold On" is a fine enough single, but it's nothing the band hasn't done before aside from some distortion provided by Ross.
"Evolution" is one of the album's brighter points. It's still not exactly original-sounding, but it's one of the few melodies that stuck out. "Generic, but catchy" is still better than a good portion of the album, which sees the band going through the motions but not even cohesively. It's all just a bit jumbled.
Though Untitled did well enough commercially (it's the last KoRn album to be certified at least Gold by the RIAA), it's a creative low point that the band won't completely get out of until half a decade later. The band feels incomplete and lost without Head's guitar playing. We'll see the band in this column a few more times, but things are going to get worse before they get better.
Chris' Rating: 3/10
Chris' Official KoRn Ranking:
1. Follow the Leader (1998)
2. The Serenity of Suffering (2016)
3. Life is Peachy (1996)
4. Take a Look in the Mirror (2003)
5. The Paradigm Shift (2013)
6. KoRn (1994)
7. Issues (1999)
8. Untouchables (2002)
9. See You on the Other Side (2005)
10. Untitled (2007)
11. KoRn III: Remember Who You Are (2010)
12. The Path of Totality (2011)
Next Week: We crash into Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds as they're Live at Radio City. Plus: Something else!
Though I've never been much of a fan of nu metal, I was surprisingly drawn in by a good amount of KoRn's early catalog while listening through their stuff. It's still not exactly my scene. I think Jonathan Davis' lyrics are pretty rough at times, and a decent amount of stylistic stuff the band does comes off as goofy to me. There's a song called "Shoots and Ladders" off the band's self-titled debut that's about how classic nursery rhymes have some dark, sinister meanings behind them. The song essentially has Davis reciting various rhymes in his trademark rap-sung cadence, and the whole thing seemed a bit silly to me. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to take the rabid-dog beatboxing on songs like "Freak on a Leash" seriously.
But I started to see the band's appeal pretty quickly. KoRn was one of the bands (probably the band) really that bridged the gap from the funk metal that was around in the early 90s (think Primus, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers) into the full-fledged style of nu metal. I liked "Fieldy" Arvizu's bass work a lot, and David Silveria's drums quite a bit, because it reminded me of those funk rock bands I'm into. Brian "Head" Welch's guitar playing was distinctive. And what Davis lacks in lyrical strength he makes up for in emotion. KoRn's closing track "Daddy" has the singer breaking down into tears by the track's end after brutally recalling childhood abuse. It's a harrowing listen that I wasn't expecting. I wasn't completely on board with that album, but moments like those stuck with me.
I think the band really started coming into their own after that. They got co-signs from full-on rap acts with guest features from Ice Cube on 1998's monster Follow the Leader and Nas on 2003's honestly underrated Take a Look in the Mirror. From 1994-2003, KoRn was making really solid mainstream metal music. It's far from perfect, but scratches the itch for loud, aggressive mainstream metal music well.
After Take a Look in the Mirror, KoRn had to face issues regarding band members leaving. After becoming a born again Christian, Welch would leave the band to focus on his personal life and solo music. It created a void that the band wasn't able to really fill until he returned to the band in 2013. Silveria eventually lost interest in the project as well and left after 2005's rough See You on the Other Side.
The band also had to deal with a changing landscape. KoRn and other bands still were selling plenty of records, but nu metal as a whole was on the decline in the mainstream. The band had been around for over a decade and was already starting to grow stale in their sound. They'd have to evolve their sound a bit to stay fresh.
I had high hopes for Untitled even with the departures of two band members whose contributions to the project were pretty vast. First, the project was produced by Atticus Ross. Ross is mostly known for his collaborations with Trent Reznor, both as part of Nine Inch Nails and as a collaboration in scoring films such as Gone Girl and The Social Network. With Ross working with KoRn on See You on the Other Side, you start to hear the band using a more industrial rock-influenced sound. There's a lot more influence from bands like NIN as well as Orgy and Ministry.
The other prospect that excited me was the addition of Terry Bozzio, the legendary drummer best known for his work with Frank Zappa and Missing Persons, as well as a long history of session work. Bozzio does the majority of drumming on the album (current Avenged Sevenfold drummer Brooks Wackerman plays on the rest of the record), and I was hoping Bozzio's presence would influence the band and help take them in more interesting directions.
Unfortunately, I found Ross' influence to be a bit more of a distraction than I was hoping. The industrial flourishes are nice, but it's hard for me to listen and not think of how much better Reznor's vocals sound on this styles as opposed to Davis. Bozzio's drumming is indeed a highlight throughout the project, but the band didn't seem to want to add him as a creative force. KoRn seemed to see him as more of a session guy for this album while Bozzio wanted a more creative stake in the band. Those disagreements led to Wackerman finishing up the project, and Bozzio would be out of the band before the tour started.
Even with some stylistic changes spattered throughout the album, Untitled still sounds very much like KoRn, and an uninspired version of the band at that. "Bitch We Got a Problem" is what I feel many would imagine the stereotypical KoRn sound sounding like, as Davis argues with another person as well as the voices inside his head. "Kiss" is a bit slower, and Davis' vocals sound a lot more nasally than usual, almost Billy Corgan-esque. "Hold On" is a fine enough single, but it's nothing the band hasn't done before aside from some distortion provided by Ross.
"Evolution" is one of the album's brighter points. It's still not exactly original-sounding, but it's one of the few melodies that stuck out. "Generic, but catchy" is still better than a good portion of the album, which sees the band going through the motions but not even cohesively. It's all just a bit jumbled.
Though Untitled did well enough commercially (it's the last KoRn album to be certified at least Gold by the RIAA), it's a creative low point that the band won't completely get out of until half a decade later. The band feels incomplete and lost without Head's guitar playing. We'll see the band in this column a few more times, but things are going to get worse before they get better.
Chris' Rating: 3/10
Chris' Official KoRn Ranking:
1. Follow the Leader (1998)
2. The Serenity of Suffering (2016)
3. Life is Peachy (1996)
4. Take a Look in the Mirror (2003)
5. The Paradigm Shift (2013)
6. KoRn (1994)
7. Issues (1999)
8. Untouchables (2002)
9. See You on the Other Side (2005)
10. Untitled (2007)
11. KoRn III: Remember Who You Are (2010)
12. The Path of Totality (2011)
Next Week: We crash into Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds as they're Live at Radio City. Plus: Something else!
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