Nu metal fixtures (and kernel of baby-name inspiration) Korn are back with another earful: the Bakersfield, CA-formed outfit have returned with their 14th studio LP.
Requiem — a title that recalls an act of remembrance, or more darkly, a lullaby for the souls of the dead — arrives today via Loma Vista. Led by the singles "Start the Healing" and "Forgotten," the nine-track offering co-produced with Chris Collier follows Korn's 2019 release The Nothing.
The band's creative process was inevitably altered by the pandemic. Working free of their usual time constraints energized them, according to a press release. Approaching nearly three decades of activity, they were finally able to slow down and make room for experimentation, which included recording to analogue tape to unearth new vitality and some of the best-sounding guitar parts of their career.
Having always leaned more towards the sadness side of the spectrum vs. anger, their third record Follow the Leader (1998) essentially set the blueprint for Korn's volatile brand of brooding — a heavy expression of despondence and grief that also drove The Nothing, which was recorded shortly after bandleader Jonathan Davis lost both his wife and his mother.
Likewise, Requiem is an act of mourning. Consistent in sound like the background hum of grief, the band attempt to bury the pain in the distortion of a sonic avalanche; from palm-muted, thrashing guitar riffs to Davis' trademark metal scatting — all in a simmering 32 minutes.
Listen to Requiem on your streaming service of choice below and check out our review.
Requiem — a title that recalls an act of remembrance, or more darkly, a lullaby for the souls of the dead — arrives today via Loma Vista. Led by the singles "Start the Healing" and "Forgotten," the nine-track offering co-produced with Chris Collier follows Korn's 2019 release The Nothing.
The band's creative process was inevitably altered by the pandemic. Working free of their usual time constraints energized them, according to a press release. Approaching nearly three decades of activity, they were finally able to slow down and make room for experimentation, which included recording to analogue tape to unearth new vitality and some of the best-sounding guitar parts of their career.
Having always leaned more towards the sadness side of the spectrum vs. anger, their third record Follow the Leader (1998) essentially set the blueprint for Korn's volatile brand of brooding — a heavy expression of despondence and grief that also drove The Nothing, which was recorded shortly after bandleader Jonathan Davis lost both his wife and his mother.
Likewise, Requiem is an act of mourning. Consistent in sound like the background hum of grief, the band attempt to bury the pain in the distortion of a sonic avalanche; from palm-muted, thrashing guitar riffs to Davis' trademark metal scatting — all in a simmering 32 minutes.
Listen to Requiem on your streaming service of choice below and check out our review.