Korn - Untitled Review
by Robert VerBruggen
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Somehow it's been almost two years since Korn dropped guitarist Head, stopped playing nu-metal and teamed up with producers The Matrix for See You on the Other Side. Despite the turmoil – and the fact the genre they defined was hemorrhaging popularity – the band cranked out its best record ever, packed with dark guitars and soaring melodies.
They've lost another member (drummer David Silveria is on leave), stayed away from nu-metal and kept The Matrix (on some tracks) for the new Untitled. The same formula has created basically the same result, a sort of See You Again. The hit-to-miss ratio isn't quite so high as it was in 2005, but the new songs earn their place in the Korn catalog.
Once again the producers (Atticus Ross on the non-Matrix tracks) do a bang-up job, keeping the songs concise and adding in layers of keyboards and auxiliary percussion. Session drummers Terry Bozzio and Brooks Wackerman sit on Silveria's stool, performing competently even if they can't quite capture the Korn vibe as well.
Some genuine standouts turn up here. First single "Evolution" rocks out with good energy, and the ballad "Kiss" alternately soothes and intensifies the listener's emotions. "Love and Luxury" matches a catchy dance beat to distorted guitars."Bitch We Got a Problem" harkens back to rap-metal days, mercifully briefly, and "Innocent Bystander" and "Hold On" boast remarkably catchy choruses. On "Hushabye," Munky plays some clean arpeggios while Jonathan Davis sings in harmony. The bagpipes and some exotic drums come out for "I Will Protect You."
The problem with much of the songwriting, though, is that the various parts don't go together well. "Do What We Say" transitions awkwardly between its verse and pre-chorus, for example. And after several minutes of stale melodies and simplistic guitars, the outro to "Killing" rips off the one-note riff from Godsmack's "Bad Religion."
Korn has built up enough of a fan base that they can coast a little, and they do – a little – on Untitled. Hell, they didn't even come up with a title. But roughly a decade and a half into their careers, the three remaining members have put together a worthwhile collection of new material.
Robert VerBruggen (www.therationale.com) is Assistant Book Editor at The Washington Times.
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