KORN: The Nothing (NEO/NU METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Three years after "The Serenity Of Suffering", the nu metal giant is back with his thirteenth album. This enigmatic title came to the singer Jonathan Davis following one of the worst tragedies that can happen to a man one day: the loss of his wife, following an overdose, on August 17, 2018. Overwhelmed by a feeling of emptiness, Korn's leader then decided to work on a new album that he would call "The Nothing", in reference to the emptiness that seemed to have taken over him following the death of his ex-spouse. The theme of death is indeed omnipresent in this opus that Jonathan Davis himself describes as Korn's most emotionally heavy album.

Despite this loss, on a musical level, the message is clear: Korn is still the same. 'The End Begins' is sufficient on its own to express this stylistic stability from the very first seconds with a bagpipe, like 'Shoots And Ladders' or 'Let's Do This Now' on previous albums. 'Cold', the first single, uses the ingredients that have shaped the unique sound of the American combo: the usual dissonances, a heavy rhythmic, a snoring bass and very present on the verses. The listener will not be disoriented with this very successful piece.

Although immersed in pain, the singer of the quartet is particularly fit and offers a song that is sometimes clear, sometimes guttural, always powerful. We also find his famous painful gimmicks on the end of 'You'll Never Find Me' and 'The Darkness Is Revealing' as it was the case on old titles like the unmissable 'Blind'.

Apart from the previously named tracks, there are some highlights such as "Idiosyncrasy" which presents all the qualities that the listener loves about Korn: very powerful moments, growl to support them, a very well-sounding chorus, almost rapped phrasing and tasty dissonances. 'Finally Free' is also very convincing thanks to a chorus that will remind us of the "Take A Look In The Mirror" period. The mysterious "This Loss" is also one of the highlights of the album. The singer's pain hangs over this track with its super-powerful riff at the beginning, its plaintive verses and its beautiful bridge.

Some may blame the band for being overheated and lacking in originality, while others, on the contrary, may be delighted to see their favourite band remain in their usual style. Anyway, Korn makes Korn and remains faithful to what he has always known how to do, and of course we can't blame them for that.

Despite nearly 30 years of existence, the passing of time definitely doesn't seem to have any hold on Korn, who offers with "The Nothing" a dark and powerful album as the Americans know how to do them so well. While some bands tend to run out of steam over the long term, Californians always seem to be in shape, to the delight of their fans. - Official website

KORN

THE NOTHING

ROADRUNNER RECORDS

NEO/NU METAL