Just under 2 1/2 years since the release of The Nothing, Korn has released their 14th album. That time went by in the blink of an eye and slow as molasses, which can only be seen as possible through an event as large as a pandemic that upended everyone. Requiem is both a reflection of The Nothing, and the stress of the covid-19 lockdowns.
Korn didn’t get to tour The Nothing for long, finishing the first leg of a US tour days before the world got shut down in March of 2020. That album is a tour de force in anger and grief, an outlet of spiritual catharsis that many reviewed as one of the best albums of their discography. 25 years into a career, that’s saying something. Requiem was written and recorded through much of 2020, so the finished product has likely been sitting in wait for some time. The question has been what would be the theme to follow The Nothing? What is their message this time?
Having spent 3 weeks with Requiem I’d say it’s one of optimism and further introspection of what ails us.
On and on, this lucid darkness is filling up my soul.
And how can I be all alone here, constant ridicule.
And I just wanna go
And I just want to see what the future holds.
Had a hell of a time I’m suffering. God, my life was a mess. And I will never forget it haunting.
Let the dark do the rest.
Track 2 “Let the dark do the rest”
While there’s a lot of thrashing around that you expect from this band, these recordings have a certain clarity and brightness to them that feels refreshing. It’s a more approachable album compared to The Nothing, which was a constant howl and shake of the fist to both heaven and hell. It was basically a tableau of a man mourning the loss of life. On the other side of that trauma–in the middle of social and health stress that the majority of us have never experienced before–there is a relief that can be found. Growth, acceptance, and the challenge of moving forward in the face of doubt and uncertainty are all concepts that you deal with your entire life. You can see this in the album art, a face being squeezed by a hand. Nothing is a given and you need to prepare every day to put one foot in front of the other.
Look out, the feeling’s rushing back again
Too much to numb
It’s ripped the seam, I stitch it up again
Somehow it stays on
Track 7 Penance to sorrow
And from one of the best tracks:
It is always something, life keeps throwing things that don’t go my way. I’m damned, awful thoughts devour me, all familiar places I can’t escape.
Calling me, I feel it coursing through the inside and I can’t get away, away inside
I feel it breathing and I realize the worst in on its way.
It makes me sick/ but I deal with it/ set it all aside/ my confidence overrides
Track 9: Worst is on its way
Sonically, the first thing that jumped out to me is a few elements from The Paradigm Shift (2013). A few recalls in the guitar tunings and a few notes from a synth for texture (“Lost in the Grandeur” is the best example). The vocals are super sharp, in the front of the mix during verses, and then pulled back into the fold for the choruses that are anthem-like walls of sound that beckon you to sing along. Jonathan Davis is beautiful on this album with some terrific lyrics and clever vocal arrangements that lean on layering so he can harmonize, emphasize certain words and phrases, and create a musical representation of his headspace. He uses all of his vocal prowess on this album from whispering to death metal growls.
Going along with The Paradigm Shift and Serenity of Suffering (2016) approach of writing, Requiem leans on the guitars of Head and Munky to lead the charge. There is just one fun rift after another through the entire album. They came up with some weird effects that bring back the Untouchables (2002) days, which is a real treat for me. A lot of tempo changes and transitions that weave over and under each other. Guitar sounds you just don’t hear anywhere else, giving us the trademark creepy vibes. This is a really melodic album which is one of my favorite things Korn does; those compositions add much of the beauty to their most memorable songs. Requiem also has some terrific song intros, which are key to setting the stage before blasting off into the world beyond. The first 22 seconds of”Penance To Sorrow” sounds like you’re being seduced to come in closer for Jonathan to embrace you with his voice:
Outside I’m looking for an answer
‘Cause inside is gone
Each step the ground beneath me starts to break
I can’t hold on
Ray and Fieldy frolic in every pocket they form with the percussion. They bounce off each other really well, as we’ve come to expect over the years. Fieldy has a slightly different tone in each track, he’s very dynamic on this album. You have traditional bass sounds that mix inside what Ray does along with his trademark clicky slaps that set him apart from all other bass players. These two made me swoon a few times (check out “Penance To Sorrow”).
One of my favorite songs is “Disconnect” which has every Korn element I love. I’d recommend you listen to this song to get the summary of this album in one tasty bite that you might find yourself dancing to. Chugging duel guitars that tease and embrace each other. Classic Fieldy thumping away in an intoxicating rhythm with Ray. Sweeping, moving, and energetic vocals. There is a swing to this song that is undeniably infectious, one of those beats like “Here To Stay” that is simple but memorable. For me, this track gets into the mentality that I think a lot of people have gone through in the last 2 years.
I could never let go/ The concept of dark and light
One tries to pull me in/ One gives me strength to fightLies are truth refined/ Dark is light hidden from the eye
The pain I have I can’t conceal/ The hurt inside is dark surreal
The feeling is divine/ This duality aligns
Selfishness, indulgence
Track 5 “disconnect”
Insist on, forgiveness
Common sense, still awaits
What we feel is all disconnect
While they don’t do anything groundbreaking with this album, there is a great sense of play and exploration with the instrumentation. This is unmistakably a Korn album and you can hear everyone contribute on every track. They again reach out of the mold they made almost 30 years ago, but don’t try to reinvent it. It’s familiar, but not the same album as before. And since no one else sounds like Korn, I don’t see that as a problem. In fact, it’s what I keep coming back for. It’s almost impossible not to groove along with this album. Whenever I have this on in the background (great car album too) I catch myself bobbing my head along with each sweet and bouncy note. They landed on a terrific blend of metal, groove, funk, and rock that keeps their tremendous win streak going. I’m so happy they are still putting out music this good.
At 9 tracks (33 minutes long) this is the shortest album they’ve ever put out. With the B-Side “I Can’t Feel” it’s 36 minutes (it’s a good, not great song). While I always want as much material as I can get with each release, I don’t mind the brevity. It’s pretty much all killer and no filler. There’s a level of focus in this production that makes it clear they got everything across that they wanted to with Requiem. I do wish they would make longer songs though. There’s only one song that reaches 4 minutes. It can feel like strict efficiency to make songs that will fit on the radio (and what’s the point of that in an industry now dominated by streaming?). They didn’t adhere to that idea with their early material which had super weird song structures that I miss today.
That’s something I’d like them to explore next, break out of their standard song structure. They’ve been relying on choruses to get to the end of a song for a very long time. Use a chorus twice instead of three or four times. Make longer bridges, more varied pre-choruses. Going “experimental” in this way could make a really dynamic and stand-out album. There is no need to ape the sounds of Korn or Life is Peachy. There is a well of discovery out there with those kinds of crazy song arrangments from those two albums. Don’t put a limit on how long a song can be. We’ve had a few very brief bass solo parts on the last three albums, how about letting Munky and Head go nuts for 45 seconds or so? I’d go nuts for an epic 6 minute Korn song, the likes we haven’t heard since “Faget” on Korn.
The only track I skip is “Hopeless And Beaten” because I don’t like the music at all. I think you have to go back to The Path of Totality (2010) to find the last Korn song I can’t stand, so this is a rare event. It’s a slow song, I don’t like the lyrics and it just isn’t pleasant to listen to. It’s more noise than music.
Every couple of years, the Bakersfield Boys (and Pennsylvania Kid) come together in the kitchen, place some ingredients on the countertops, and pull from their custom spice rack. They spend months crafting new recipes trying to make something fresh and enjoyable with every menu they put together. Requiem is another touching release, full of care and thoughts only these individuals can pull off.