Dec. 07, 2011 - Issue #842: Hroses
The Path of Totality
Korn {recordings_bands_mg} The Path of Totality {/recordings_bands_mg}
Roadrunner, 2011
1
One of the most strangely enduring of all the original nu-metal giants—remember, Korn has two Grammys to its name—has abandoned the genre and set its sights on dubstep. Except, if there's one thing The Path of Totality proves, it's that the new trimmings suit Korn no better or worse than nu-metal did. Which is to say, for all the talk of genre-swap here, this still sounds like the same band it always has. You get your spooky melodies ("My Wall"), repetitive rhythms ("Kill Mercy Within") and Jonathan Davis's off-kilter vocals (every song). Its appeal is in pretty much all the same ways that a more traditional Korn album would appeal, just with less angry guitar, and more angry distorted synth.You could argue the blueprints for this have existed since the band's beginning—is the breakdown in "Freak On A Leash" anything but a pre-dubstep dubstep drop, when you line it up in your mind?—but that just means it's doubtful Totality will alter your preexisting feelings on Korn in the slightest. The band has switched up the mechanics, but the output remains effectively the same—these freaks are still very much on the same leash. Also, the drops here suck. vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
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