Until recently, most music critics might have agreed that decades from now Korn
would be remembered primarily for its genre-bending works of the late
'90s. Few can disagree that songs such as "Freak on a Leash" and "Got
the Life" and "Blind" were instrumental in ushering in the nü-metal
style, imitated and further popularized by Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Papa Roach and the like.
But now, with Tuesday's release of the band's 10th and by far most experimental album, The Path of Totality, the Southern California staple is attempting to align itself with another, more current musical movement: dubstep. More specifically: dirty, dance-worthy dubstep, with help from some of that scene's most popular artists, including multiple Grammy nominee Skrillex, Excision, 12th Planet, Kill the Noise, Datsik and Downlink.
All of those acts were on hand – a few on the bill, most as surprise guests – for an elaborate album-release show at the Hollywood Palladium. Special for this event, the band outfitted the prestigious ballroom with an over-the-top stage setup that included a square lighting rig and a screen for visuals positioned directly above the pulsing audience. With multiple video cameras capturing everything (I predict a DVD release or TV special), Korn set out to prove they can still create a buzz by blazing new trails.
Still can't help but think they were beat to the punch, though. Mixing elements of traditional dubstep and house-leaning electronica isn't exactly a foreign concept. In fact, many of Korn's '90s peers – not to mention a slew of groups they influenced – have long tinkered with this fusion, as has the headliner itself in remixes and key album tracks over the years. Consequently, so many of the new cuts played this evening – grouped together in one set preceding a show-closing best-of batch – seemed to echo something all too familiar rather than distinctly fresh.
One exception was the opening "Get Up!," which featured a head-banging, furiously flailing Skrillex on extra guitar. The song encapsulated everything unique to Korn: the deep-toned, almost military rhythmic rumblings of bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and drummer Ray Luzier, the thrash-metal-inspired riffs of guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, the unsettling but somehow infectiously catchy rage-filled roar of frontman Jonathan Davis. Underneath all that, Skrillex's rowdy, bass-laden production lent the track extra wallop that had fans waving glow sticks while they moshed.
Aside from that single, however, much of the material felt recycled. Though guest DJ Excision's brooding dubstep style was distinct in the chorus of "Illuminati," much of the melodic portions seemed to take cues from Trent Reznor's various electro-rock experiments. Likewise, the next song, "Chaos Lives in Everything," evoked shades of Nine Inch Nailsl' The Downward Spiral, with more aggressive house- and industrial-influenced beats (à la the Prodigy) throughout its bulk.
"Way Too Far," sporting special guests 12th Planet and O.C. producer Flinch, was somewhat redeeming; it harked back to Korn's hardcore roots, something akin to the demonic growling of Cannibal Corpse. But its softer chorus – as with the one for the Skrillex-enhanced track that followed, "Narcissistic Cannibal" – rang out like the arena-ready soundscapes Linkin Park has built its sound upon for several high-charting albums already.
So maybe Korn isn't doing anything groundbreaking with this material, and judging by the majority of arms-crossed, mildly interested fans hanging back for this first set, I doubt this album will get as much love from the die-hards. Yet the shift did seem to have a significantly positive effect on the outfit's showmanship; Davis & Co. haven't performed with this much unadulterated vigor in several years.
That recaptured youthful raucousness shone through most significantly in the second set, which began with Davis re-emerging shirtless and sneering for a hat-trick of hard-hitting classics: "Here to Stay" prompted a rush of fans to fill the floor, "Freak on a Leash" saw Davis going nearly hoarse from the intensity of his final screams, and "Falling Away from Me" ended with a series of insane drum rolls from Luzier that had Davis punching and kicking the air in apparent abandon.
Then, though "Did My Time" was planned on the printed setlist, the group quickly conversed and replaced it with a rarely heard first-album track, "Predictable." It has to be the most metal-ized selection Korn has attempted in its recent career.
"That was for all the old-school, real Korn motherf***in' fans," Davis shouted triumphantly at the song's end, adding that the band "didn't plan this."
That cut's nearly flawless execution acted as a perfect primer for the band's crushing cover of all three parts (combined) of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall." Korn does this one frequently, and it's been less than mediocre on other occasions, but this time the riffs were turned up to 11, the singalong chorus prompted by Davis was deafening, and Shaffer's guitar solos – quite true to the originals – were astoundingly spine-tingling.
When Davis exited and re-entered playing the bagpipe intro to the live favorite "Shoots and Ladders," fans were suitably hyped – moshing, crowd-surfing, screaming like banshees. When the song resolved into the machine-gun breakdown from Metallica's "One" ("Darkness / Imprisoning me / All that I see / Absolute horror"), an all-out riot ensued, not letting up for one moment during what followed, "Got the Life" and "Blind," the two singles that launched Korn's mainstream career.
A pointed round of thank-you's – to producers, lighting and sound techs, guest artists, of course the fans – underscored the significance of this particular show. It was telling that Davis asked Luzier to come down from his massive drum kit so he could "publicly thank" all his band members together for letting him "take (the) kick drum and snare away" and "experiment on some crazy-ass sh*t."
Clearly Davis recognized the risk they took in completely changing direction for this new album. But if this sort of creative foray can enliven this group to the impressive level displayed here, no Korn devotees should retract their loyalty.
But now, with Tuesday's release of the band's 10th and by far most experimental album, The Path of Totality, the Southern California staple is attempting to align itself with another, more current musical movement: dubstep. More specifically: dirty, dance-worthy dubstep, with help from some of that scene's most popular artists, including multiple Grammy nominee Skrillex, Excision, 12th Planet, Kill the Noise, Datsik and Downlink.
All of those acts were on hand – a few on the bill, most as surprise guests – for an elaborate album-release show at the Hollywood Palladium. Special for this event, the band outfitted the prestigious ballroom with an over-the-top stage setup that included a square lighting rig and a screen for visuals positioned directly above the pulsing audience. With multiple video cameras capturing everything (I predict a DVD release or TV special), Korn set out to prove they can still create a buzz by blazing new trails.
Still can't help but think they were beat to the punch, though. Mixing elements of traditional dubstep and house-leaning electronica isn't exactly a foreign concept. In fact, many of Korn's '90s peers – not to mention a slew of groups they influenced – have long tinkered with this fusion, as has the headliner itself in remixes and key album tracks over the years. Consequently, so many of the new cuts played this evening – grouped together in one set preceding a show-closing best-of batch – seemed to echo something all too familiar rather than distinctly fresh.
One exception was the opening "Get Up!," which featured a head-banging, furiously flailing Skrillex on extra guitar. The song encapsulated everything unique to Korn: the deep-toned, almost military rhythmic rumblings of bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and drummer Ray Luzier, the thrash-metal-inspired riffs of guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, the unsettling but somehow infectiously catchy rage-filled roar of frontman Jonathan Davis. Underneath all that, Skrillex's rowdy, bass-laden production lent the track extra wallop that had fans waving glow sticks while they moshed.
Aside from that single, however, much of the material felt recycled. Though guest DJ Excision's brooding dubstep style was distinct in the chorus of "Illuminati," much of the melodic portions seemed to take cues from Trent Reznor's various electro-rock experiments. Likewise, the next song, "Chaos Lives in Everything," evoked shades of Nine Inch Nailsl' The Downward Spiral, with more aggressive house- and industrial-influenced beats (à la the Prodigy) throughout its bulk.
"Way Too Far," sporting special guests 12th Planet and O.C. producer Flinch, was somewhat redeeming; it harked back to Korn's hardcore roots, something akin to the demonic growling of Cannibal Corpse. But its softer chorus – as with the one for the Skrillex-enhanced track that followed, "Narcissistic Cannibal" – rang out like the arena-ready soundscapes Linkin Park has built its sound upon for several high-charting albums already.
So maybe Korn isn't doing anything groundbreaking with this material, and judging by the majority of arms-crossed, mildly interested fans hanging back for this first set, I doubt this album will get as much love from the die-hards. Yet the shift did seem to have a significantly positive effect on the outfit's showmanship; Davis & Co. haven't performed with this much unadulterated vigor in several years.
That recaptured youthful raucousness shone through most significantly in the second set, which began with Davis re-emerging shirtless and sneering for a hat-trick of hard-hitting classics: "Here to Stay" prompted a rush of fans to fill the floor, "Freak on a Leash" saw Davis going nearly hoarse from the intensity of his final screams, and "Falling Away from Me" ended with a series of insane drum rolls from Luzier that had Davis punching and kicking the air in apparent abandon.
Then, though "Did My Time" was planned on the printed setlist, the group quickly conversed and replaced it with a rarely heard first-album track, "Predictable." It has to be the most metal-ized selection Korn has attempted in its recent career.
"That was for all the old-school, real Korn motherf***in' fans," Davis shouted triumphantly at the song's end, adding that the band "didn't plan this."
That cut's nearly flawless execution acted as a perfect primer for the band's crushing cover of all three parts (combined) of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall." Korn does this one frequently, and it's been less than mediocre on other occasions, but this time the riffs were turned up to 11, the singalong chorus prompted by Davis was deafening, and Shaffer's guitar solos – quite true to the originals – were astoundingly spine-tingling.
When Davis exited and re-entered playing the bagpipe intro to the live favorite "Shoots and Ladders," fans were suitably hyped – moshing, crowd-surfing, screaming like banshees. When the song resolved into the machine-gun breakdown from Metallica's "One" ("Darkness / Imprisoning me / All that I see / Absolute horror"), an all-out riot ensued, not letting up for one moment during what followed, "Got the Life" and "Blind," the two singles that launched Korn's mainstream career.
A pointed round of thank-you's – to producers, lighting and sound techs, guest artists, of course the fans – underscored the significance of this particular show. It was telling that Davis asked Luzier to come down from his massive drum kit so he could "publicly thank" all his band members together for letting him "take (the) kick drum and snare away" and "experiment on some crazy-ass sh*t."
Clearly Davis recognized the risk they took in completely changing direction for this new album. But if this sort of creative foray can enliven this group to the impressive level displayed here, no Korn devotees should retract their loyalty.
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