With the recent albums of Limp Bizkit, Slipknot or the young prodigies of Tetrarch, nu-metal seems to be regaining some of its relevance by exploring even heavier and darker avenues than 20 years ago. with their new Requiem, the veterans of Korn join the revival by confirming that they have no intention of playing an extra role.
Posted yesterday at 9:30 a.m.
Cantilevering the metallic and industrial tones of nu-metal that Korn helped create almost 30 years ago, the rich timbres of the guitars and the muted power of the drums are perceptible from the outset on the dynamics and heavy Forgotten, which gives the whole an organic atmosphere, the result of the judicious choice to record on analog equipment.
If the sound of the new Korn is distinguished in a beautiful way from the previous recordings of the group, we do not wait long before rediscovering the atmosphere so characteristic created by the sequences of arpeggios tense with effects which define the playing of the seven strings of James “Munky” Shaffer. In Start the Healing, it is the choruses supported by the jerky roars of Jonathan Davis that remind us of the foundations of nu-metal. So we’re on familiar ground, but it’s devilishly effective, especially in the irresistible crescendo of the bridge: ” The more you fall for it, the more it starts to stick Davis repeats tirelessly before concluding with “ It’s never gonna quit! “. His grief over the death of his ex-wife Deven, who succumbed in 2018 to an accidental mix of drugs and medication, is certainly still noticeable.
Davis vociferates even louder in Hopeless and Beaten, the heaviest track on the record, probably also one of the best. We enter here frankly in metal territory with choruses supported by ferociously roared passages, an avenue that the group would benefit from repeating.
The disc, all in all very well put together, ends with Worst Is on Its Way, the most obvious nod to the glorious past of the American quintet. Confident to have proven that they can still be creative, the group makes us happy by concluding with the aggressive scat so characteristic of Davis. It’s fair game.
heavy metal
Requiem
Korn
Loma Vista Recordings