SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE
OK, so you're in KORN; you're last few releases have been fairly
well-received by your fans, the nu-metal genre you once pioneered is
dwindling down to almost nothing, you've resorted to covering "Word Up"
by CAMEO to try and pull yourself from the fire, and one of your
guitarists has decided to devote his life to Christ. To say that you've
had a bumpy few years is an understatement. You pull the remaining
members of the band together and decide to fire off album #6,
See You On The Other Side, and hope to God it's going to resonate with the fans.
I'll give these guys one thing; the video for "Twisted Transistor" was
a brilliant move... filling it all up with rappers (who are
exponentially more popular among white kids these days than rockers)
was a great way to strike a nerve with a fan base who might have
thought the band had nothing left to say. The song isn't too shabby
either... I have always thought Korn was at their best with heavier
melodic tracks. "Got The Time" was their big foray into melodic
territory, and I think they have recaptured a lot of that vibe on
See You On The Other Side.
Stronger tracks on the disc include the aforementioned "Transistor",
"Coming Undone", and "Throw Me Away", which showcases Johnathan Davis'
vocal range on a pseudo-ballad. "Liar" has an amazing chorus...and
should absolutely be released as a single. "Politics" has a great
dynamic, and fluctuates very well between synth-oriented rock tune to
classic Korn growler. I would like to see it released as a single,
because it showcases the band's ability to evolve their sound from
angst-ridden whiteboy band to a more mature group. In fact, there are
way more electronic elements being used on
See You On The Other Side
than on past releases...almost heading in a MARILYN MANSON-esque
direction. "Hypocrites" is another song that could do well as a single;
it's got a great opening riff, and I for one, plan on beating the hell
out of in production pieces. Again, Davis is singing a lot more on this
track. Singing rather than yelling all the time is going to open Korn
up to a larger audience. Don't get me wrong, they don't have to go
country and western, but as the tastes of their fans evolve, they might
want to consider that as well.
Korn have assembled fourteen of their strongest tracks ever written on
See You On The Other Side,
and judging from the amount of pre-release publicity I have seen this
band engaged in (including the appearance on Saturday Night Live), this
could be the disc that solidifies Korn as one of the few remaining
career bands.
