Day 30- Korn- S/T
Got to play catch up a little bit again so will be doing a two'fer today. While Life is Peachy, the sophomore album from Korn was the first record that i had heard and learned of the band from it was the self titled album that made the larger impact on me. After seeing the video for "No Place to Hide" i was a bit mesmerized by the uniqueness that Korn had as an act.
I know that many in the metal community frown upon the nu-metal scene and its connection to metal in general but i always found that view a bit short sighted. Not that nu-metal was this mind blowing sub-genre but because it crossed over and brought yet another connection to yet another genre with rap/hip hop.
Sure, rock acts like Faith No More and bands like Anthrax dabbled with the mixing of metal and rap long before it was Korn that took that dabbling and made it a staple to their music altogether. And while Korn could write more poppy and catchy songs there was also this underlying anger and dark ferocity within the music that was often conveyed through the vocal work of Jonathan Davis.
While Korn doesnt spend time on the occult or political themes lyrically they do dive deep into the subconscious of teenage angst or issues closer to home. And in today's climate of mental illness and depression its kind of easy to understand where they were coming from as a band even back in the 90's when they first gained a reputation.
Songs like "Blind", "Fake", "Shoots n Ladders", "Need to", "Clown", "Faget", and "Daddy" all showcase different emotions and trials that individuals can face on a daily basis and it isnt very pretty. As i said before Korn knd of became the butt end of the joke in metal after they gained success in the mainstream. But little do most people know prior to their explosion of popularity they shared the stage with some heavy hitters like Broken Hope, Morbid Angel, and Incantation at the Milwaukee Metalfest in 1994.
And judging by the reaction of the crowd there was no shortage of moshing and headbanging when they opened with "Blind". While other bands like the Deftones and Limp Bizkit followed in their shoes (Deftones have long abandoned the sound for a more post rock/metal sound of today) Korn will always be remembered as the band that started the nu-metal genre whether people like it or not. And while their sound has also evolved over time the first 2 records are chalk full of great music especially this debut.
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