On the face of it, news that nu-metallers Korn were dabbling with dubstep sounded like the worst kind of bandwagon jumping imaginable. But their 10th album isn't as laughably bad as it could have been. The Bakersfield band have always utilised electronica (they collaborated with The Dust Brothers on the Spawn soundtrack in 1997) and their thuggish metal crunch comes with a bass wallop utilised by many of the big-name dubstep producers appearing here.
When combined with barked vocals of frontman Jonathan Davis, the dub-metal soundclash becomes a perfect fit for adrenalised electronic mayhem, like the woozy wobbles of Noisia's Kill Mercy Within and the robotic boogie of Excision's My Wall. Then there's the brutal stomp of Illuminati and Get Up!, featuring chaotic cult figure Skrillex and the same kind of thrilling aggression Korn's celebrated first two albums were built on.
Elsewhere, it's hit-and-miss stuff, with Chaos a repetitive and headache-inducing album opener, while Way Too Far's growled vocals and gutter beats quickly grate. And Davis continues to repeat the same tired refrains about being a mistreated loner. As he has already admitted, the album will confuse the heck out of metal purists. But for those who don't mind the odd genre mash-up, it provides enough heavy hitters to be called a success.
Stars: 3/5
Verdict: Nu-metallers reinvent themselves with hit-and-miss dubstep album.
-TimeOut
