Blind: A suspenseful start to the album, each instrument working its way into the intro one-by-one in a build-up to Jon's instantly recognizable first line, 'Are you ready?' The song proceeds to weave in and out of his words which almost seem to speak from two parts of him, before the visceral heart of the track is revealed in a guttural tirade surrounded by guitar and drums. By the close, we are given a momentary lull - but only momentary - before Jon is back at our throats again.
Ball Tongue: Exploding into being from the get-go, Ball Tongue is a driving tune, giving way to creeping background noises which explode into Jon's trademark attitude-packed lyrics. This pattern goes back and forth with the same sinister and maniacal energy, mixing pounding drums with bile-laced vocals. The sense of urgency increases by the end, dominated the whole while by an insistent drum beat, dissolving into what sounds like Jon beating his head against a shovel... (I don't know)
Need To: There is no mistaking the familiar Korn-esque intro of Need To, or the continuation of Jon's hatred and fear for his past which encompasses the whole album, highlighted by his cries of 'I hate you', soothed by his otherwise gentle but sickening lyrics, and drowned out moments later by a repeated chainsaw scream of 'Why?' which (in only the best way possible) lacerates the brain with its raw anger. The vocal at the close of this song, while indeterminable, leaves an impression of bottled up emotion, which I almost wish had carried into the next song.
Clown: The banter between the band at the start of Clown makes this song seem human, if only for a little while, before the song winds up on a rising guitar note and slams into a wall of noise. As this drops off to a disquieting level, a peculiar plucking of guitar strings haunts the background to Jon's equally creepy whispers, rising into the fighting talk of the chorus. A knuckle-clicking sound after the chorus gives me slight shivers (as does most of this song). At the 3/4 point, the anger builds yet further as does the volume, finishing with yet more of Jon's classic self-defacement.
Divine: Everything is fast and angry from the start with this one, Jon allowing his childish side out with a sing-song chorus evocative of song-to-come, Shoots and Ladders. We are then treated to a momentary release from Korn's teeth before diving straight back into Jon's guitar-dominated fighting talk. There isn't much to set this song apart, however, unlike the next track.
Faget: Starting us off is a familiar enough intro, ripped by Jon's vocalisation - which comes to scar its way through the chorus on multiple occasions - and gives itself over to my favourite creeping lyrics (in keeping with the album's theme of abuse). This song, in my opinion, is the lynch-pin to the whole album, reluctantly winding down from Jon screaming 'Faget' to a lonely and barely-contained vocal solo backed by equally restrained guitars; this sort of collapses again by 3.50 and sees the return of Jon's sing-song vocals, questioning his own sexuality/identity ('Oh my life, who am I?...I'm just a faget!'). A visceral and crucial component to their debut.
Shoots and Ladders: Enter Jonathan Davis and his signature bagpipes to start this alternative look at children's nursery rhymes, almost as if finding solace from his childhood fears in something so simple. A drawn-out guitar note heralds a change in tone, ushering in Jon's mix of disturbing rhyme, from Ring 'a Roses to London Bridge, which quickly morphs into a dark rendition of This Old Man. From there, I can only describe it as anarchy, mixing in Mary Had a Little Lamb (and stripping this rhyme's innocence in a millisecond), before violently ending.
Predictable: While Predictable is not too remarkable, its casual but driving tune changes enough to keep me interested, with Jon's drawn out vocals predictably (hehe) drawing me in further. Again we hear multiple voices as if another side of Jon were being addressed, and the song cuts off on a final cracked line of 'I wanna try.'
Fake: Possessing an aggressive intro, Fake quickly gives way to a more dreamy and despairing tone with a chorus commanded by Jon's chilling and drawn out lines. Between each verse is a series of stabbing guitar drones, surrendering to a second of Jon's lonely solos, more softly backed (to a point), and then nose-diving into his guttural roars of 'Fake!' After a return to the chorus, everything fades out, subtly but no less spectacularly.
Lies: For our third recognizable intro, we have Lies, which soon drops its tone to one laced with highly strung guitars, then to a sudden death roar underlying Jon's shouted lyrics, and back again. Lies also boasts the favourite instrumental breakdown, Jon screaming his heart out until, seemingly breathless, all we hear is a sudden intake of breath.
Helmet in the Bush: The beginning few seconds of this song do not make any sense to me, so I shall pass them by in favour of the creeping/pounding beat that starts Helmet in the Bush. This song feels somewhat different from the rest of the album, making good use of the drum kit's cymbal and Jon's freaky whispered lyrics in the chorus, tied together with a menacing guitar tone in the background.
At the 3 minute point, some calm descends for Jon's prayers for help, soon being overlaid by anger and finally an unearthly death growl.
Daddy: And so we come to the most emotional song of the album. This one truly shocked me by its close and had me in tears too. The opening is instantly memorable; a choir-esque plea to his mother, giving over to deep guitar notes and what sounds like the clucking of a tongue (somewhat disturbing, I feel). Jon's ensuing lyrics are enticing, slithery and dirty, ramping up to a brutal tirade against his abuser: 'You raped, I feel dirty...tied down, that's a good boy' (just a taste of what assaults your senses) before a through-the-teeth whisper of 'It's alright'. The chorus is restrained in volume after a short instrumental breakdown, Jon's voice deeper, cracked, and somehow sicker, overlaid with his cries, until with the words 'I didn't touch you there' the song starts over. For 9 minutes this song doesn't lose any of its urgency or sickness, diving into the chorus once more and letting the emotion build each time until Jon's lyrics are screamed and miserable. The music continues over the sound of him crying and yelling his hatred - 'You f***ing ruined my life; I wanted to die'. Eventually all that remains is Jon sobbing quietly, a sound which broke my heart, soothed by a delicate lullaby and the quiet sounds of the band playing. Jon is heard leaving the studio to end this shockingly visceral song.
Thank you for reading! I will be back with another Korn album soon xxx
