Send "Korn " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 So... (ahem)Are you ready?? Perhaps I’m being just a little bit too cynical here, but I’m a little bit flummoxed that this ended up being the album to follow what was so obviously designed as a “return to roots” release as Korn’s third self-titled album. And I can honestly look back on that album and at least acknowledge that Korn were trying to do something extraordinary with that one; and while the end result was nothing more than a muddied and stale affair, at least they seemed to be trying. Where they locked themselves in a room devoid of any studio trickery (read: pro tools) and attempted to kick-start the old engine by producing a stripped-down-to-the-bone rehash of their debut LP, you could tell that they really wanted to be that band again, and not the one now more commonly associated as desperately trying to cling on to their 90’s nu-metal successes. And as if to reinforce that point more than the St. Anger-like production, they even named it Remember Who You Are, as if it was as much of a reminder for us as it was for them. So, if that was Korn remembering who they were, then what is The Path Of Totality if not a response to the failed attempt at a walk down memory lane? We’re beyond taking cheap shots at the whole American fascination with “brostep” now, but it’s in that fascination that this motley crew of middle-aged alt metallers has potentially found their much needed salvation. Because it’s that slightly disturbing love with this jockstrap-addled brand of dubstep that will ultimately ensure this album’s success, to the point where creating it would have been akin to shooting ducks in a barrel, there’s simply no challenge. And so when you realize that The Path Of Totality is really nothing more than a slam dunk in the gambling stakes, we’re left with the rather obvious question as to why do this in the first place? Sure, Korn have played around with electronic music before (and they’re by no means the first “metal” group to embrace dance culture) but a whole album of new material indebted to a bastard strain of music that bears no resemblance whatsoever to its roots? A localized style of music that traded in garage for garbage? If it was a question of relevancy, the act, more than the product itself, will surely be the group’s undoing if they had to turn to other stars to ensure their survival a little longer. Had their entire fan base turned on them to the point where seeking a new audience proved to be easier than potentially winning back the formerly devout? But if you ask Jonathan Davis he’ll be quick to inform you of the fact that Korn were, in fact, “dubstep before there was dubstep (!)”. Which begs the question as to why they actually needed to bring in any other artists to work on this album, but that’s a whole different story. And the supporting roster here reads (for the most part) as a who’s who of jockstep luminaries: the poster boy Skrillex was an obvious inclusion, as is Excision, Datsik & Downlink (the Rottun three). But then things get a little interesting: there’s 12th Planet, an artist who decided that after interviewing enough of the genre’s stars that he could pull it off just as well as them (he was wrong); and then there’s Feed Me, who seems to be doing everything in his power to destroy the credibility he built under his Spor moniker. But the biggest surprise is easily Noisia’s inclusion into the fray; a group who have only recently begun exploring the possibilities of dubstep after making critical waves within the world of drum & bass seems a little out of the ordinary given that they don’t need to make a name for themselves, so to see them so willing to jump aboard this sinking ship is more than a touch peculiar....full text |
| Music |
| Jonathan Davis and crew attempt to take their grimy brand of hard rock in a different direction on their latest album. Pairing with a handful of successful dubstep, drum and bass, and electro artists, the band attempts to meld the swirling industrial stomp of those genres with their own burly rock. While it is a ballsy step in a new direction for the band, at times recalling White Zombie ("Narcissistic Cannibal") while more often landing closer to Pendulum, the inability to balance the two sides of the hybrid make for an uneven album marked with great highs and disappointing lows. When the experiment manages to balance the fierce guitars and the snarling stomp of the dubstep rhythms it makes for enthralling listening. The engaging mash of atmospheric haze, swirling electro beats, and meaty riffs punching their way through "Bleeding Out" and Davis' twisting vocals shooting through the balanced attack of muscled-up guitar and distorted synth on "Let's Go" deliver a fresh sound for the band without stripping away too much the core rock elements that earned them a fan base. The album falters where the fuzzed out rhythms are allowed to overpower the roar of the guitars, as on the mud-soaked beat sloshing over the blurry snarl of overdubbed vocals on "My Wall" and sluggish, downbeat "Sanctuary". The clomping swirl of the beat blanketing the guitar on "Illuminati" is only half the problem, with the overstuffed production giving the song a claustrophobic sound as Davis' vocals frequently dislodge from the beat. Despite using several different producers on the effort, many of the songs feel like one homogenous lump of sound, with the slightly cleaner sound of "Burn The Obedient" only mildly distinguishing it from "Illuminati". Of all the pairings on the album, working with artists from 12th Planet to Noisia, the best synergy seems to happen on the Skillrex produced tracks. Davis' vocals seem right at home slithering through the winding grind of the drum and bass beat ticking, tumbling, and stomping through "Chaos Lives In Everything", and the warped rhythm and heavier reliance on guitar on "Get Up!" swell to a fiery shout-along hook for proof that this is a great concept at its core; even if the album does not deliver as consistently as you might like....full text |
| Avclub |
| What does it mean to be Korn? Korn has asked itself that question often since 1994, when it unleashed its nü-metal-forging, self-titled debut. Over the past 17 years, the group has made numerous attempts to refresh, refocus, and/or ventilate its suffocating angst: 1999’s Issues was its first real leap into melody and subtlety (relatively speaking), and 2002’s Untouchables—the band’s high point—actually benefits from a shameless, strenuous effort to brood like Tool. But Korn’s agonizingly slow evolution hit a wall with last year’s sludge-treading Korn III: Remember Who You Are. To Korn’s credit, The Path Of Totality is its most radical reinvention to date. It’s also the worst slab of sludge it ever shat. Only Totality doesn’t even have sludge going for it. This—so the promo narrative goes—is Korn’s brave, new dubstep record. Conceptually, that’s fine. Korn has always hybridized genres, and it’s even dabbled in industrial on recent discs. But nothing on Totality lines up. Dubstep wunderkind Skrillex sticks his fork in the socket of “Narcissistic Cannibal” and “Chaos Lives In Everything”—the result being a choppy, crisped-beyond-recognition version of Korn’s former gloom. The group’s constant has always been thick, black blobs of guitar, but on “My Wall,” it’s reduced to pudding skin. “Times are looking grim these days / Holding onto everything,” grunt-whines frontman Jonathan Davis on “Get Up!” If Davis were perceptive enough to comment on his own awkward disconnect with Skrillex’s sloppy robotics, the sentiment would be almost poignant. But the whole band sounds like it’s racing on a malfunctioning treadmill—gasping for breath, twisting ankles, and pouring flop sweat....full text |
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