courtesy of wikipedia
For this week’s album of the week I chose one of my all time favorite KoЯn records that the band released. It’s their fifth studio album and was follow up to 1999’s Issue which at the time was the darkest KoЯn album to date. It was also the most expensive album KoЯn had released at the time ranging in the 4 million range. Michael Beinhorn at the time was known for producing Hole’s Celebrity Skin and Marilyn Manson’s Mechanical Animals. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard Top 200 selling 434,000 copies in it’s first week and as of January 2013, it has sold 1,612,602 copies in the US and over 4 million worldwide. Things weren’t always easy for the group though. They are reports that tensions were high amongst the five of them causing them to write music in Arizona to see if the change of scenery would help. During the tour that followed the release, the band even contemplated firing Fieldy due to his drug habit, but obviously they never did. Let’s check out the album.
The first track on the album which was also the first single, Here To Stay, starts off like a guitar making noise until it’s very brief pause. Then out of nowhere it explodes and the music hits you like a ten ton hammer. My favorite thing about the song is the groove because man does it ever groove and Jonathan’s voice matches over it perfectly. Make Believe is the next track on the record and KoЯn was always known for making unique sounds come from their guitars. Jonathan comes in after the eerie guitar riffs and he sort of raps and sings over the riffs before they explode into the chorus. Blame starts off much like Here To Stay before exploding into the track. The best is the riffs played during the verses because it’s almost like the calm before the storm as it’s real mellow before the rage shines through in the chorus. Hollow Life is a very dark track on the album in that it starts off slow and ominous. The chorus gets a little scarier as Jonathan screams about living a hollow life. Bottled Up is one of the heaviest and grooviest songs on the record about keeping hatred all bottled up. It’s also a song that I took to heart because I at one time had insecure feelings about my appearance and I always felt Jonathan spoke to me.
Thoughtless is the next track and the lyrical themes to the song are dark. It was the second single released off the album and it was about an experience where Jonathan Davis was bullied in school and he dreams of seeking revenge on those who bullied him. Hating is one of my favorite tracks on the whole album and it starts with this cool guitar riff as the drums start to kick in, you get this eerie feel to it and then Jon takes over. It’s another track on the record that deals with the ever growing theme of hate that Korn has explored. One of my favorite parts is the pre-chorus where David and Fieldy are doing their best with the groove. One More Time is the next track on the record and it has a Nightmare On Elm Street like groove to it, at least that’s what I hear. The harmonizing on the track is cool as you can hear they tracked Jonathan’s vocals a bunch of times to get the effect. Alone I Break was the third and final single off the album. They traded in the distortion for clean guitars and some funky bass lines. I saw the song described as a haunting power ballad which is such a true description. Apparently, Head and Munky used custom built 14 string guitars for the track to create that wide chorus effect.
Embrace is another track that is just pure metal with the screaming vocals and big power chords. It sort of combines elements of early Korn which included that hip hop influence with metal grooves. Beat It Upright has a major bass groove that feels like their just bouncing the sounds off the ground. It’s all about the bass in this track that is just hoppin and it you’ll be bobbing your head to it. No One’s There is another one of my favorite tracks on the record that is just dark to the core. It’s another one of those tracks that I felt really spoke to me on all levels of my life. I really love this album and I would say that it’s one of my top three KoЯn releases. I told my brother that KoЯn to me is what Motley Crue was to him when he was growing up in the 80’s. It’s funny, before this album was released I had never had the chance of seeing KoЯn live and when I heard they were playing I made my brother go to Connecticut with me to see them. It was the greatest experience of my life. I am giving the album 4.5 stars out of five.
Edie (Ciao Baby) is the next track on the album and the song stems from Ian’s trip to New York when he was recording the Electric album. He was reading stuff about the fashion scene in New York and he became obsessed with the Velvet Underground and the Factory. So, if you didn’t guess it, the song is about Edie Sedgwick who was a tragic figure of the Factory era. The song starts with acoustic guitars and an orchestral background before it the electric guitars and drums kick in. The two elements blend in so flawlessly together as he sings the tragedy of Edie. Sweet Soul Sister starts off with the keyboards before Duffy chimes in on this straight up rock and roll track about Black Panther Angela Davis. Astbury’s vocals on this track are so full of soul (no pun intended) and the track is so bluesy especially in the breakdown when Stewart plays a funky bass line. New York City is a harder faster song with a punk flare and it’s no wonder when you have Iggy Pop singing backing vocals on the track. Automatic Blues is a balls out blues track that reminds me of Aerosmith’s Love In A Elevator. The start Soldier Blue has that real punk beginning to it that reminds me of something cheerleaders would want to listen to. I don’t actually know if cheerleaders listened to that, but it’s the first impression I got from it and I don’t know why. Wake Up Time For Freedom is another rock classic from The Cult and even though it’s not as amazing as Fire Woman, Astbury’s vocal abilities and Duffy’s guitar playing combined really make the song pop. I think everyone in 1989 was messing with the blues instead of what they were usually putting out as we heard Cinderella do it with Heartbreak Station and so The Cult do it in the beginning of the song Medicine Train. The song opens with a harmonica and some twangy guitar.
As I had stated before, my two favorite songs on the album were the Wasted Years and Stranger In A Strange Land. Wasted Years starts out with Adrian’s trademark intro riff that displays what a masterful guitar player he is before you hear it kick in to the song about how the last tour had brought so much baggage, but in the end it was a decision the band doesn’t regret. It’s a song that no matter how many times I hear it, I still enjoy playing air guitar to. Stranger In A Strange Land contains some real epic riffs from Smith and even though it doesn’t feature Harris’s galloping bass lines, his playing in the intro of the song is still amazing and it gets you in the mood to head bang. The track is about a man that gets frozen in ice only to be discovered 100 years later by other explorer’s. Caught Somewhere In Time is another great track that starts the album which features some epic riffing and some galloping bass. Sea Of Madness featured more epic and funky bass playing from Harris with an amazing pre-chorus and some blazing power chords. Alexander The Great starts with the King telling his son to conquer more land for a bigger kingdom before it breaks into the very slow guitar riff with Nicko playing a cadence military style drumming. Then the epic guitar playing comes in before the madness begins. It’s a great history lesson from the professors.
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