Album: Korn III: Remember Who You Are
Band: Korn
Genre: Rock
Subgenre: Hard Rock/Metal (Debatable on the “metal” part)
Style(s): Nu metal, Alternative metal
Track List
1. Uber-Time (intro track)
2. Oildale (Leave Me Alone)
3. Pop A Pill
4. Fear Is A Place To Live
5. Move On
6. Lead the Parade
7. Let the Guilt Go
8. The Past
9. Never Around
10. Are You Ready To Live?
11. Holding All These Lies
Take a trip back to the 90’s. There were quite a few interesting movements back then: Grunge, boy bands, hip hop hitting it big, Metallica selling out. And of course, nu-metal: a fusion of heavy metal subgenres with other genres such as grunge, hip hop, funk, and industrial. Though the genres’ instrumental prowess wasn’t complex, the lyrics were filled with angst and blind rage, and the genre still has passionate detractors to this very day, it nevertheless played its part in the revival of heavy metal music, even though its mainstream success could not withstand the test of time. That all started with the band Korn, even though they didn’t realize it and don’t really want to admit it; even to this very day, they don’t like calling themselves "nu-metal" or even metal for that matter. Back in 1994, their debut album Korn was released, though the band prefers to think of it as a “heavy groove” rather than the media-created “nu-metal” label. Fieldy’s bass groves, Munky’s down-tuned seven string guitar playing, and Jonathan Davis’ unique vocal style were the driving force behind that album, as was the fact that it was just quite different from anything else at the time. Since then, Korn’s style of music has evolved up until several years ago, when their sound in See You On The Other Side and Untitled were riddled with experimentation and over-productiveness. And while I enjoyed those two albums, many old –school Korn fans did not. Couple that with the loss of one of their guitarists and their original drummer and many started to believe Korn was now a slowly dying band struggling to continue making their mark in the music world.
Now cut to 2010. Korn has hired Ray Luzier as their new drummer, have signed on with Roadrunner Records, and got back into the studio with Ross Robinson, the man who produce their first two albums. Let’s add a recording style similar to those first two albums and a passionate drive for a return to old form while trying a unique twist on it and you'll get a good idea on what Korn III: Remember Who You Are is all about. With nostalgia being the driving force behind the album, the subtitle is dead-on appropriate: Korn has remembered who they are. After Uber-Time, the album starts off with the hard hitting "Oildale (Leave Me Alone)," the album's first single. From there on out, it’s a pummeling assault of hard rock prowess from a band playing passionately for the first time in years.
Yet, even though it’s reminiscent of Korn’s earlier albums, there are some things that set it apart from all the rest. Ray Luzier’s drumming is filled with certain twists, turns, and skillful techniques that sets him apart from David Silveria. Jonathan Davis, for the most part, sings without the use of multi-layering in the vocals. For almost the entire time, it’s just him and a mic. Not only that, unlike other Korn albums which were often bogged-down with filler, Korn III is straightforward…10 great songs in 45 minutes. For all it’s worth, the entire album is exactly like they promised…Korn sounding like Korn again. Notable tracks such as “Move On,” “Let the Guilt Go,” and “Holding All These Lies” will bring back thoughts of Korn, Life Is Peachy, and Untouchables. “Are You Ready To Live?” also sounds like an excellent song for live shows. And although Korn abandoned the idea of making this a concept album based on Jonathan’s thoughts on what would be the downfall of mankind, a few remnants of that idea are still present, such as “Pop A Pill.”
That’s not to say the album isn’t without flaws. For one thing, it does feel kind of silly that a man nearing his middle age is still singing about all the s**t that went down in his life as a teenager. There’s also the questionable nature of the small amount crying JD displays at the end of "Holding All These Lies," which is a bit of a shout out to the end of “Daddy” from their debut. The difference is that the crying at the end of “Daddy” was actually quite genuine. With returning to roots being the driving force behind this new album, one can’t help but question whether the crying at the end of “Holding All These Lies” was genuine itself or done just for the sake of nostalgia.
Regardless, I enjoy this album a lot and I definitely recommend Korn fans picking it up, especially old-school fans. It might not be for everyone, especially those with negative feeling towards nu-metal. This isn’t the best Korn album, though; their debut album is still their best in my opinion. But overall it was very enjoyable to hear Korn trying to return to roots and, for the most part, succeed.
Rating: 8/10
Memorable tracks:
- Oildale (Leave Me Alone)
- Pop A Pill
- Move On
- Let the Guilt Go
- Are You Ready To Live?
