Record wise, Korn may have had numerous ups and downs over the last seventeen years, but one thing has always been a constant: their trademark style and sound. Even with a few tweaks here and there, both fans and haters alike pretty much knew exactly what to expect each time around. That was until now. Earlier this year, the band announced that they would be working with numerous dubstep and electronic producers to create their most groundbreaking album to date. And honestly, whenever I hear bands say things like this I have to laugh. How many times have fans heard bands say, “This will be our heaviest album” or “We are breaking new ground this time around”? And usually, fans get exactly what they expected for the most part. Am I right or am I right?

While The Path Of Totality is different from every other Korn album to date, I won’t go as far as saying it’s as “innovative” or “groundbreaking” as they want you to believe it is. In 1997, Immortal/Epic Records released Spawn: The Album. While the movie wasn’t all that well received, the soundtrack was a huge success, fusing some of rock and metal’s biggest acts (Filter, Marilyn Manson, Silverchair, Korn, Incubus, Metallica, etc.) with numerous popular electronic outfits (Orbital, The Crystal Method, Moby, The Dust Brothers, DJ Greyboy, Sneaker Pimps, etc.) to create a unique and exciting experience that listeners really hadn’t heard before. So to say this is really cutting-edge or state-of-the-art is kinda silly.

Comparing this album to any of their previous nine would be a lesson in futility. Simply put, you can’t. The Path Of Totality is an entity that stands on its own and cannot (and should not) be judged alongside their other efforts. Unfortunately, the band’s trademark musical landscaping (guitars, bass and drums) have been dummied down so much that they are almost unrecognizable. Instead, they’ve been remixed and/or replaced by dubstep’s branded wub wub’s, big bass drops and propulsive, driving rhythmic patterns. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but don’t expect the typical Korn sound this time around. Vocally though, Jonathan Davis’ instantly identifiable snarling whines, throaty yells and soaring melodies are all there and in full effect. Not only does this album feature some of Davis’ most complete and catchy songwriting, it also showcases him sounding the best he has in many, many years.

Tracks like “Chaos Lives In Everything”, “Kill Mercy Within”, “Narcissistic Cannibal”, “Burn The Obedient”, “Get Up” and “Way Too Far” find the band (and fellow electronic cohorts) really hitting their stride and unleashing some of the coolest and most memorable tracks of their career. I can only imagine how nasty “Kill Mercy Within”, “Narcissistic Cannibal” and “Get Up” are in a live setting with Fieldy’s (Reginald Arvizu) thunderous, clanking bottom-end and Munky’s (James Shaffer) monstrous crunching tone mixed with what dubstep’s finest have to offer. I’m more than sure that blood will be shed and probably quite a bit of it.

There were, however, some songs that I just couldn’t get into. “My Wall” comes out pumping, but quickly falls on its face with sections that just don’t seem to fit. “Sanctuary” has Davis doing his best impersonation of Marilyn Manson during the verses, only to flow into these horribly boringButthole Surfers (and very Gibby Haynes-esque) style choruses. BLECH! And “Bleeding Out’ starts off with beautiful keys and winding electros, but much like “My Wall”, suddenly kicks in and feels incredibly forced together. It would’ve been a really nice touch to hear Korn leave the distortion behind, step outside their comfort zone and do something light, airy and ethereal for once. Sadly, it didn’t happen. *Holds up glass* Here’s to the next album.

Davis declared this release “future metal” and was quoted as saying “We’re mixing metal and electro music, and you’re not supposed to do that. Since day one, Korn has always been all about going against the grain, experimenting, and trying to take music different places.” While I commend him for his extreme enthusiasm, I highly doubt that this album will spawn an entire genre that dominates the globe (like they did with their debut), I will say that The Path Of Totalityis a fun, stimulating and entertaining thrill ride that, if listened to with an open-mind, might just stun a few people.

Track Listing

01. Chaos Lives In Everything (feat. Skrillex) 
02. Kill Mercy Within (feat. Noisia) 
03. My Wall (feat. Excision) 
04. Narcissistic Cannibal (feat. Skrillex & Kill The Noise) 
05. Illuminati (feat. Excision & Downlink) 
06. Burn The Obedient (feat. Noisia) 
07. Sanctuary (feat. Downlink) 
08. Let’s Go (feat. Noisia) 
09. Get Up! (feat. Skrillex) 
10. Way Too Far (feat. 12th Planet) 
11. Bleeding Out (feat. Feed Me)