Band brings back raw music

 Grammy award-winning band  Korn are no strangers to the music scene as over the years they have continued to challenge music through their songs. Singer Johnathan Davis, guitarist James Shaffer, guitarist Brian Welch, bass guitarist Reginald Arvizu and drummer Ray Luzier are best known for their songs “Freak On a Leash,” “Here to Stay” and “Falling Away From Me.” After taking an eight-year absence from music, the band is back with a new album titled The Nothing and in some ways, this record starts where the band left their music eight years ago. On this record, Davis’ vocals have not changed and his musical voice is still raw with great authority. The guitar sounds by Shaffer and Welch are righteous because just like the previous songs they have played on, the raw guitar music mixes in well with the theme on each track. Also, in the background on each track, Arvizu can be heard playing low and deep bass guitar tunes and the drumming by Luzier is superb because he is able to stay attuned with the rest of the band and his drum beats are loud and erratic. The Nothing signifies a fresh restart for the well-known metal band from Bakersfield, California. 

On the album there is a song titled “Can You Hear Me?” and what stands out on this track are the emotions within the lyrics. Listeners can relate to this song because the lyrics explain how desperate people can be when they need help while they are going through the endless darkness. Davis’s vocals are well done on this track because he is able to let the listeners feel the emotions he has and the instrumentation is just as powerful because it provides the energy to the song. Shaffer and Welch do a great job playing deep rhythmic guitar sounds, Arvizy’s bass guitar amplifies the song by providing deep rumbles which contribute to the theme of the song and the drumming by Luzier is fantastic as he is able to blend rock and metal drum beats into the song. Also, at the beginning of the song, Luzier plays a short rock style solo before the rest of the band joins him. Overall, this song is great and in some ways, it does sound like another version of “Phreak On a Leash.”

Another great song on The Nothing is titled “Idiosyncrasy” and the reason why this song is great is because of how the music stays on the same musical roots the band started with. This song is straight metal and it promises fans a great reason to headbang to the music. Other than harmonizing vocals, Davis provides a deep and authoritative grunge sound on the track. His grunginess is still as truthful as it was when Korn first emerged on the music scene. In the beginning, both lead guitars, bass guitar and drums play a brilliant cymatic pattern which helps introduces listeners to the song before Davis starts singing. This song is creative because of how harmony and metal music collide to create a dark and brilliant atmosphere. This song will fill listeners and fans ears with raw metal music. 

Also, the song “H@rd3r” is a fantastic song because of how well Korn uses creativity to create a song with a deeper meaning. The start of the song is loud and proud because of how well Schaffer and Welch play their guitars at a faster tempo which contributes to the erratic metal sound. Also, the bass guitar compliments the faster tempo by creating amplified rumbles in the background and the vocals on this track are great because when listening, Davis’ low and grungy vocals are filled with emotions due to the meaning of the song. In some ways, listeners and fans can relate to this song because we all go through hard and dark moments in our lives and sometimes when we try to break from the darkness, life just becomes harder four us to get through. Overall, this song is great and it displays what the album is all about.

Korn is back with new music that is filled with promising metal sounds. This album shows how creative the band is while recording and it should fulfill the expectations from listeners and fans.