asp's classic albums # 71: korn - s/t
 

KoRn "KoRn"
Interscope, 1994

Holy fuck does this album rule. Can't believe such a genuinely weird band ever got popular. Really weird guitar noises, bizarre super-low slap bass that doesn't go with anything, an amazing drummer, and a singer who goes from crying in the middle of a track to scat singing in other tracks. Bagpipes and about one thousand guitar overdubs round out the bizarre, highly produced, yet somehow dark and raw production by Ross Robinson. A truely one of a kind, remarkable album. "Predictable" and "Clown" are two of my all time favorite tracks.

Here's Clown, for your enjoyment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRNbT...eature=channel

Yeah this one's cool, prefer Life Is Peachy though.

Well, Life is Peachy has my favorite songs on it, like Good God, but this one is just so much more consistent.

Great band. One of those weird things where people would probably think a lot more of them now if they weren't so popular. First Slipknot album as well. I constantly hear people go on about, say, Botch or Refused, but there's not that many people go on about Korn.

Also - best dual guitar band since SY?

Yeah, SlipKnot's "s/t" is definitely similarly amazing, I'll have to cover that another time.

I think the guitarists in this band are definitely two of the most unique and interesting guitarists in popular music history, as far as just doing totally weird and new things that no one else had ever done before. I mean, the guitar noises in Ball Tongue are insane -- sounds like a baby crying or something, constantly, from speaker to speaker, and then out of nowhere they rip into a Morbid Angel riff. Really insane and good stuff. Liked it when I was 13 but I hear it now in a totally different way -- not even a nostalgic way, I probably appreciate it more than I did 10 years ago. It's so good!

I'm sure if someone like Helmet became as big as KoRn then they would definitely get the shit KoRn get.

Not that I'm defending KoRn past 1998... have you heard the last two ones they've done? Terrible!

True. And I definitely hear a Helmet-ish sound in some of KoRn's heavier riffs, but KoRn were on a completely different level and were just, generally, kinda... odd.... I dunno, something really magical about them. I think KoRn had a really good career up to and including Untouchables.. I didn't bother with anything past TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR, which still had a few okay songs on it.

Fair enough, the first 3 were good listens. I can not stand Issues however.

Untouchables DID have some great stuff on it... how the hell do they get that guitar sound on 'Here to Stay'? Heavy as fuck.

Selftiteld and life are classic's in my book. I remeber listening to them as 11 year old and till still remaining some of the slugiest rock I ever heard.

That riff in Good God is actually really, really difficult to play. It doesn't seem like it would be, as it's just two notes (1 on the lowest string, 20 on the highest string) but to do it precisely is actually a real bitch. Great stuff.

fuck korn.

The first few Korn albums are really cool records - I remember enjoying them a lot as a teen. They're still good records today, but I couldn't bring myself to listen to them. I think too many bands were spawned from such albums that just ruined it all. That 'nu-metal' sound, dare I say it, grosses me out. There's elements in the music that are still cool, even in some of the bands that are still flogging that sound today, but that 'nu-metal' element just ruins it all.

after listening to some songs off this record I feel pretty guilty for hating on korn. but the stuff they've released in the past decade has been sooooo bad

Yeah, Korn has (had?) some awesome guitar riffs but their versus-chorus-versus sound was pretty monotonous. I also hated their bass.

Seconded. I just can't get into it because of the lyrics and the whole vibe.

But it brings me back to when I was in 6th grade. KoRn was the next natural step from Nirvana being in the midwest. It was angrier, right for the age.

Musically they are doing some neat shit and nostalgia is kicking in.

But I just am not that 6th grader anymore so...

Fuck Korn.

fuck the haters korn were a great band

Yes, they WERE, when we WERE young. Before the rest of my brain matured and they started making rock rap albums...

yes yes to each their own

too drunk to speak sensibly sorry

then don't speak, skat.

mmmbop eee mmmbebop mmmmbop eeee uuga wooga

mmmmbop screeaaaam umga wunga

mmnop bop eeeehhhhhh YEWANGA GO!

*numetal breakdown*

I think I like them more now than ever.

Coming soon:
classic album posts on slipknot's s/t and soad's s/t.