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No. 5 had the return of 2 groups that managed to get out of a rut, and regained some lost energy. Now, we reach number 4 of 2022, and the band in question has been running solid since they got an infusion of some old but potent blood back in 2012. Of course I’m talking about the iconic Korn, who’ve had a bit of a presence on the Heavy Metal Otaku blog since all the way back in 2016. Despite Nu Metal no longer being in the spotlight for decades at this point, Jonathan Davis & the gang manage to keep going. Even when some absolutely horrible things that happened in Davis’s life, that didn’t deter the band in any way. So, without further delay, here’s my review of last year’s release, Requiem. Let’s begin.
Background
With The Nothing doing pretty well towards the end of 2019, Korn were looking to the next decade to see if they could conquer it as much as they did in the 2010s. Even with Jonathan Davis still reeling from what was happening in his life, everybody grouped up and pushed through the darkness.....and right into the plague-ridden disaster of a year that was 2020. I don’t need to remind you all what that year was like, save for the fact that every band in the world was impacted by The Plague. Come around to 2021, and some things did change: In his first online interview of the year, Brian Welch revealed that the band had plans for 2021, but was playing hard to get as to what they were. On the 23rd of April, Korn announced that work had begun on a fourteenth record, and used the COVID lockdown to help with the writing. A day later on the 24th, the band released a one-off, online streaming event entitled Monumental, which was filmed on the top of a parking structure at the Stranger Things: A Drive-Into Experience set in Los Angeles. A month later on the 12th of May, Korn announced a 28-day summer US tour with Staind as the supporting act......and not long after that’s where things kinda went to crap.
On the 21st of June, it was announced that Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu would be taking a hiatus from the band, and wouldn’t be along for the 2021 Summer Tour (He’s still not back in the band at this moment). Ra Díaz of Suicidal Tendencies would replace Arvizu on the tour, but that was the least of their problems. Several members of the band would catch The Plague during the tour: Jonathan Davis would test positive in August and cause several dates to be postponed, James "Munky" Shaffer would sit out several dates in September (He was replaced by Love and Death guitarist JR Bareis while he recovered), and finally Ray Luzier tested positive in October of 2021, being replaced by Fever 333 drummer Aric Improta for the next 3 shows. Even with all of that, the band managed to enter 2022 with their heads held high, and on the 4th of February that year, Requiem was released.
Requiem would go on to be received very positively upon it’s release. In Allmusic’s review, they said that “Against the odds, Korn have done it again with Requiem, a quick and ferocious blast that finds the band still hungry and innovative nearly 30 years into the game.”. Meanwhile, Wall Of Sound would give Requiem a 7 out of 10, saying that “Requiem isn't going to end up listed among the great Korn albums, but it's short, punchy and hooky. After more than 25 years I reckon that's OK for a band who are comfortable with what they do.”. It would reach number 14 on the Billboard 200, and no. 1 & no. 2 on the US Top Hard Rock Albums and US Top Rock Albums respectively.
Basic Description
The Nothing.....yet, not The Nothing.
I think anyone who listened to Korn’s release back in 2019 will find that to be a pretty hefty gut punch, cause I know I felt getting hit hard by the time I was done listening to that album. Requiem goes for a slightly different approach: the entire album still has plenty of dark feelings, of that there is no question. Jonathan Davis was definitely carrying a lot of emotional weight from the late 2010s, and right into the beginning of this decade. However, despite that pain he was still feeling, not to mention the fact that he survived catching the Plague, there’s this undercurrent of positivity throughout the record. Not in a “Sunshine & Rainbows” kind of way, but more in a “Things Are Going To Get Better” manner. It was around the time of the early 2020s that Davis began crawling out of the darkness, and into a better state of mind. That’s Requiem in a nutshell: a giant blanket of darkness, but there’s also a mote of light that heals the heart.....goofy as that sounds.
Best Track
Right from when it was first previewed in 2021, I knew that Start The Healing would be a fantastic track, but I had no idea at just how significant it would be when the rest of the album was revealed. As the name suggests, this song is about Jonathan Davis coming to terms with what he’s been going through in the past few years, and begins the process of recovering from all of the hurt. The instrumentation is intense as always, and Davis’s patented vocal work shines through, but it’s the raw emotion of the whole tune that gets me. Sure, it’s definitely dark, but that bit of light that weaves it’s way through the album definitely makes it’s presence felt on this track, and it’s presence really done make it seem as if Davis is going back to a better place. If there is any complaint about the song......it would be that it doesn’t open the album. That is all.
Start The Healing
Worst Track
Pretty much like The Nothing, there isn’t a single bad track on Requiem. It’s an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end, but one that isn’t quite as soulcrushing as what Korn put out back in 2019. The only detriment I could find, and even then it’s not one of the biggest flaws, is it’s run time. Requiem comes in at 32 minutes & 36 seconds, but goes to 35 minutes & 47 seconds if you somehow got the Japanese edition of the album. Meanwhile, The Nothing plays for a heftier 44 minutes & 20 seconds (No idea how long the Japanese version is), which is definitely a chunkier package when compared to The Nothing’s runtime.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:
Requiem
Overall Impression & Rating
Requiem definitely was a breath of fresh air. Sure, there’s still plenty of darkness around, but with Jonathan Davis getting better, there’s also a little bit of sunshine to make the experience easier to swallow. If it played for a longer amount of time I think it would stick a little bit hard, but even with that one complaint I still find this album to be absolutely fantastic from beginning to end. Korn continue to keep Nu Metal alive almost 30 years since their debut album, and I look forward to whatever they have next.
Requiem gets a 9 out of 10.
And that was my look at Requiem from Korn. Nearly 30 years since their very first release, the boys from California continue to hold the Nu Metal banner aloft despite the style being long out of the spotlight. With Johnathan Davis getting better, I hope that the band manage to get out another album or two before they finally decide to call it quits. So, now we got to the no. 3 of 2022, where a Death Metal legend awaits us. See you soon!
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