National Music Reviews
Korn
The Paradigm Shift
Universal
Street: 10.08.13
Korn = Slipknot + Mudvayne + Deftones
Not many ‘90s nu metal bands have survived this long, and a lot of them are still around almost out of nostalgia over actual popularity. Ask someone who listened to Follow the Leader religiously when it came out, and what they listen to now, and you might find out it’s Mumford & Sons or something. If there is one thing about Korn that will stand the test of nu metal, it’s the fact that many have tried to sound like them, but nobody really does. Their latest effort is a bit of a regression to the heavier side of Korn—there are breakdowns and plenty of bass slapping going on, just not as much of front man Jonathan Davis’ screaming. For fans, this may be a nice bite of fresh Korn after the last dubstep collaborative album. Looking past “dubstep Korn,” this record fits right in with however many albums Korn’s recorded. —Bryer Wharton