Review by Phil Rozier for MPM
Korn. Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, they weren’t just part of the Nu Metal wave, they were the wave. Tracksuits, dreadlocks, kilts, down tuned guitars and a bass so low the strings practically flapped like washing on a line… it shouldn’t have worked, but somehow it absolutely did. They fused hip hop swagger with metal aggression and created a sound that rewired an entire generation.
And I’ll admit it now, they were my guilty pleasure. Back then, I was a “proper” rocker: Guns N’ Roses, denim, and a packet of Marlboros permanently in the jacket pocket. Anyone daring to stray into the realms of Korn, Limp Bizkit or Slipknot was considered a musical heretic. But when no one was looking? Yeah… I was blasting Life Is Peachy and Follow the Leader like everyone else.
Fast forward nearly 30 years and more than 20 record releases later, Jonathan Davis and his dreadlocked battalion are still unleashing their unmistakable cocktail of aggression, atmosphere and emotional chaos. This week, they drop their 48th single, ‘Reward the Scars’.
And here’s how it hits…
There it is! That classic tight snare, that subterranean bass tone that sounds like it’s tuned somewhere between B and earthquake. Within seconds, you know exactly who you’re listening to. Then Davis barks “Go!” and the whole thing detonates.
It’s heavy. It’s distorted. It’s sludgy, swampy, stoner rock on acid heaviness with that unmistakable Korn twist. The track lurches between moods like a musical mood swing: crushing riffs, eerie calm, twinkling keys, whispered tension, explosive release. It’s manic in the best possible way. A three and a half minute rollercoaster that throws you off, picks you up, and hurls you back down again.
What keeps it gripping is the unpredictability. This isn’t a track that politely telegraphs what’s coming next. It’s a snarling, shape shifting beast that grabs you from the first note and doesn’t let go until Davis screams the final “reward the scars.”
When it ends, you need a moment. It’s like stumbling off the dodgy Waltzer at your local fair; dizzy, buzzing, slightly confused, and absolutely ready to go again.
Korn are still Korn. And thank God for that.
“Reward the Scars” music video out now
Diablo | lnk.kornofficial.com/rtsvideo
TICKETS: . General on-sale tickets via livenation.co.uk.
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