Well, would you look at that! Another album review! Only a couple of months late but I've finally got around to it. As promised, this is See You On the Other Side, a more experimental and rebellious album that I would consider a backlash against the child-like hate and fear in their previous material. The album artwork (which I shall upload at the end of this month - hopefully - when I can get at my CD collection once again) is truly beautiful, designed by a guy named David Stoupakis whose art is just as disturbing as some of the songs on this album.
Fading into the spotlight first is Twisted Transistor, the full minute of discordant noises, guitar sounds, and peculiar mob-like chanting eventually giving way to a characteristic droning guitar riff and stomping beat laced with schizophrenic vocals and explosive drum beats. It's a rather overwhelming start, but the first time listener won't be given a respite as they are quickly thrown into the chameleonic but equally crunchy Politics. Jon's acidic vocals seem to outweigh the backing for a lot of this song, until the short sing-song breakdown. It nonetheless addresses a crucial and modern issue many of us can get behind: that of the absurd and prolific nature of politics.
Following in a similar fashion is the ominously distorted and uneasy Hypocrites, showcasing Jon's seemingly split-personality with sing-song and raw vocals tumbling one after another, the title shouted scathingly throughout. Not missing a beat, Souvenir swaggers and stomps in, feeling somewhat more lightweight than the rest of the album (for the most part) without sacrificing strength, particularly during a short instrumental breakdown.
If you were looking for your token dirty Korn song, you get more for your money on this album, the first courtesy of 10 or a 2 Way, the intro hovering uneasily before sliding in, Jon's vocals lazy and erotic, but escalating dramatically in a rush of searing guitars, bested only by a scorching growl in the breakdown. Then things get rather weird as the guitar sputters out, making way for a confused bagpipe tune and the sound of slow, deep breaths in an oxygen mask.
Keeping with the uneasy feeling, Throw Me Away falls back on Korn's earlier fears to make a track laced with desperate sing-song vocals (often shadowed by a raw whisper) and electronic elements. When the tone shifts at the 3/4 mark, you can feel the volume struggling to return, and return it does. You get the impression of Jon being a broken toy, telling us 'Kick me and I'll be okay.' (You've been going for 11 years at this point, Jon - no one's throwing you away). The heavy scathing swagger of Love Song, which follows, was a song included in their MTV Unplugged set, and I must admit I prefer the acoustic version, except with regard to the chant in the breakdown which is much more sinister in the original, overlaying the final chorus.
Now I'd like to think this next song was once a conjoined twin with the penultimate track; Open Up and Seen It All have a lot in common, but for the moment I shall focus on the one. Open Up feels different from the rest of the album, displaying more moments of calm than most, Jon's vocals never going above a certain volume, and the unsuspecting listener is treated to just another falsely disturbing ending. At first, there is the smooth sound of metal bar chimes and a slow violin/bass note, but then the bagpipes return, and with them a more creeping violin note. As if that wasn't enough, Jon puts his skills of gibberish to the test in a display of disturbing noises unlike anything I've heard before. You're almost grateful for the driving guitar intro of Coming Undone! A real headbanger this one, drum-heavy, and exploding with energy in the chorus, coming across as a much more simplistic, cleaner, but no less iconic track.
And then you run into dirty track #2: Getting Off, which outdoes its predecessor in the lyric department (I'll leave you to enjoy that for yourself), and tips the scales in its favour weight-wise. When the volume and tempo drop off around 2 minutes, the suppressed energy is barely contained, breaking free occasionally until it is released in one acidic burst (innuendo intended). The stomping distorted Liar combines elements from two places, feeling very similar to opening track Twisted Transistor, while reminiscing on Life is Peachy with a short burst of Twist-esque gibberish. The final few seconds wind to a close with one drawn out line, those sneaky bagpipes making another appearance.
Continuing with the theme of rebellion is the driving For No One, riding in on a strong guitar intro and brandishing a huge middle finger to the police by proclaiming 'we're not gonna stop for the pigs and no one'. Short and sharp. Conversely, there follows the severed twin of Open Up in the shape of Seen It All, a maniacal and desperate collection of drums, guitars and peculiar sounds. What sets this song apart is Jon's quiet yet harsh lament at the halfway point which is an impossible thing to maintain for Korn as the sound quickly kicks back in, fading away into another ambiguous but short bagpipe ending.
And finally, what I consider to be the most original Korn song yet: Tearjerker, which is in possession of some super eerie sounds, flirting with Jon's unadulterated and lonely vocals which echo as if he really was alone. It feels a little disturbing but also gentle, like a lullaby, and all the while that energy is vibrating just beneath the surface, soon bursting through with a massive escalation in vocal weight. Strangely enough, this outburst can only sustain itself for 45 seconds before the drums slowly die away, leaving just gentle guitar notes and Jon whispering 'never can'.
Whoa boy, this was a tough one to come back to. Next time, perhaps, won't be so long coming. I always loved this album, but in much the same way I have been made to rethink my opinions, this album has fallen a little out of my favour. But Tearjerker will always have my heart, and so I suppose, as I promised, I'll combine that into my Music Challenge.
Song of Choice: Tearjerker
As I've already given you a run down of what this one sounds like, I'll just offer a reason why. I've identified it as 'the most original' Korn song because of the way it manages to strip back all that iconic energy and focus on the misery that often gets sidelined. Of course that energy can't be kept on a leash forever, bursting forth with as much viscera as misery. It's what endears this band to me more than anything.
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