So last month I took a look at 2 album that would help form the foundation upon which later bands would shape it further. Now, we reach the point in time where Nu Metal truly would become a sub-genre all on it’s own, and one band in particular would be known by many as the group that no only brought it into the spotlight, but would also be the ones to give it a name. For nearly 30 years, Korn has dished out the hard-hitting style to the masses, and in the almost 3 decades since their debut, then still continue to champion Nu Metal despite it not being a popular style anymore. So, to honor the legends of this left behind subgenre, let’s take a look at the record that helped them get their foot in the door. Let’s begin.
Background
Taken from Wikipedia:
“Before Korn developed a name, they had moved into a small house together in Huntington Beach, California, south of Los Angeles, where they began working on songs. Soon after moving, they rented Underground Chicken Sounds, a recording studio, from Jeff Creath, who had previously allowed lead singer Jonathan Davis to live in his garage. While they were recording at the studio, they attracted a crowd of people when performing the prelude to "Clown". The band's bass guitarist, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, said that the crowd gathered because the band's style sounded so "different".
Korn was formed in 1993. Within two weeks of their establishment, they recorded a demo containing "Blind", "Predictable", and "Daddy". A couple of weeks later, Korn played their first-ever show at a club called California Dreams in Anaheim. Korn began playing gigs in the summer of 1993. While performing at Huntington Beach, the band was spotted by Immortal/Epic A&R Paul Pontius. He approached the band offering to record an album through their company. Although the group had offers from several other labels, Korn went with Immortal/Epic because they did not want to "sign away all of their creative freedom".”
Korn would go on to be received quite well upon it’s release. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave Korn a positive review, calling it "a powerful sound and one that actually builds on the funk-metal innovations of the late '80s/early '90s instead of merely replicating them". In the original review in 1994, the Los Angeles Times wrote "Kindred to such bands as Tool, Rollins Band and Rage Against the Machine, Korn and its singer-lyricist, Jonathan Davis, make their core ethic fairly explicit in songs like "Predictable", "Lies" and "Fake": the world is a torment-filled morass that leaves us seething with deep, internalized fears; virtue lies in confronting those painful truths unflinchingly and screaming them to the world". A year later in 1995, Jason Arnopp of Kerrang! wrote that Davis' "voice overflows with cracked, frustrated emotion, often lapsing into uncontrollable screams like a mental ward". He go on to describe how Korn have "injected their own special insanity into the music, crafting a horribly sleazy sound that matches their bleak outlook on life". He’d also note that the "general aggression" of the self-titled album could delight fans of Prong, Pantera, and Rage Against the Machine. Arnopp would go on to rate Korn 4 out of 5 and mentioned the "band's cult stature" a year after the album's release. Finally in 1996, music journalist Manuel Rabasse described Korn as "an almost dadaist record – little or no melody, structures cut out in spite of common sense, guitars deliberately out of tune – with, to top it all off, a hysterical vocalist playing the bagpipes" and also said Korn was "a group of crazies". Rabasse also found that the album "marks the awakening of a metal-hardcore a little too primal".
Korn would go onto Gold status on January the 29th in 1996, and just a few days later on the 10th of February it charted at no. 72 on the Billboard 200. The record entered the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand charts on the 23rd of June in 1996, where it would stay for 30 weeks, and peak at no. 10, but it left the charts nearly a year later of the 18th of May in 1997. It would go on to achieve Platinum status in the U.S. on the 8th of January, 1997, and then Double Platinum on the 10th of November in 1999. Korn would also go on to chart in the UK in February of 2001, and on the Dutch Megacharts in July of 1999.
Basic Description
Nu Metal Classic.
I just want to say that it’s incredibly frightening at just how well the band’s inaugural album has aged. Despite being nearly 30 years old in 2023, it still somehow manages to sound & feel so fresh and new from beginning to end. Not only that, but nobody heard anything like this coming from the Heavy Metal scene of the early 90s, and there was still a little bit of that badass 80s skin the genre was shedding off. The unique way the guitar & bass were being played, the unique way the drums were crashed down on, and even Jonathan Davis’s way of singing was something new. Very few groups have been able to sound like this in the decades since Korn’s self-titled album came out, but the band themselves continue to carry this sound in a seemingly near-flawless manner.
Best Track
Even before I listened to the album proper, I was always hooked on the opening track, Blind. An exceptionally rhythmic tune (On an album filled with rhythmic songs is saying something), the instrumentation flows like an early 90s rap song: mot too fast, but not too slow, yet still carries a lot of intensity behind the whole thing. Davis’s singing is particularly on point, as when he hits the high notes his voice never cracks. Yet, it’s the portions where he talk-sings that an absolute chill is sent up your spine, and that coldness stay for a bit even after the song is done. If there was a track I’d point someone towards to show that Nu Metal is a legitimate sub-genre, this would be one of the first songs I’d steer them towards.
Blind
Worst Track
Like I said above, Korn’s self-titled debut has aged remarkably well in almost 3 decades, and I still stand by that. However, at the same time you can tell that the album is a blatant product of it’s time. For better or for worse, the record is practically saturated in the early 1990s vibe. So, while it’s weathered the ages & still continues to sound amazing, it’s also a relic of a less insane time.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Korn
Overall Impression & Rating
Korn’s self-titled release was a watershed for the newly born Nu Metal subgenre. Yes, it’s still a product of the early 90s, but simultaneously still sounds just as fresh as it did in 1994. Though they would practically dominate the rest of the 1990s with future releases that were even better, the self-titled album still manages to really go in just about every way. If you’re curious as to why Nu Metal was popular in the last decade of sanity, then look no further than Korn. You won’t be disappointed.
Korn gets a out 9.5 of 10.
And that was a look at Korn’s inaugural album. A monster of a release in a new subgenre at the time, it still manages to send a ripple or two out whenever sometimes listens to it. So, join me towards the end of July for a glimpse into their (Relatively recent) history, as I’ll be looking at what is quite possibly their darkest album ever. In the meantime.....expect a Connecticon 2023 soon!
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