Rating: NNN
The news that nu-metal veterans Korn were teaming up with young dubstep and electro producers like Skrillex and Noisia provoked speculation that this could take the “worst album of the year” crown from the loathed Loutallica collaboration.
Writers have been sharpening their knives: Korn are generally reviled by critics, and Skrillex has been widely blamed for the fratboy-friendly rise of “brostep.”
So it’s with much music-nerd shame that I admit this isn’t actually that bad. It’s actually the best thing Korn have ever done. Okay, faint praise, for sure. If populist contemporary dance music is maligned as overly aggressive and testosterone-fuelled, it makes sense that it would blend reasonably well with the hard rock equivalent. The combination of chugging half-time beats, machine gun riffing and techno’s sonic extremism is way more pleasing than it should be, the weakest point being Jonathan Davis’s earnest adolescent vocals, which we assume actual Korn fans will enjoy.
Top track: Get Up! (Featuring Skrillex)
