The American Nu-metal band Korn has gone through some drastic changes these last couple of years. Their latest album, "The Path of Totality", was a weird experiment that can only be described as the birth of dub-metal. And after that, the band was re-united with the original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. So the questions about Korn's 11th studio release, "The Paradigm Shift" were many. Could "Head" bring the band back to its glory days? Was the dub-metal experiment a one time thing? Would I see the South Park version of the band before my eyes when the songs starts playing?
First off, Let me ease your minds with the fact that there is no sign of dub-step in this album (well, maybe a little on "Never Never"). With the entrance of "Head" has come a more classic Korn sound that may not have the same mystical touch like back in the days, but it still feels fresh and interesting. Several details are very interesting, like the catchy riffs, the passionate drumming and Jonathan Davis's fine vocal work.
Cause it is the small things that makes "The Paradigm Shift" a good album, not the whole experience. There are 11 songs in this album, but none of them are really surprising nor really impressive. I like the more aggressive songs like "Prey For Me", "Punishment Time" and "Love & Meth", and some of the melodic melodies ("Spike In My Veins" and "Mass Hysteria") are nice, but they are not strong enough to make "The Paradigm Shift" a complete winner. It is obvious that the band have found a new strength during the last years and the performance is more or less flawless, but when a album is mixing between good songs that both the band and fans can be proud of with boring and pointless fillers like "Never Never" and "It's All Wrong", it is impossible to fully appreciate all the hard work that the band has spent to make this record happen.
I can however still confidently say that this is the best album by Korn in some time. It is obvious that Brian's return has helped the band in the right direction and if this form is continuing like this, then I would not be surprised if the next album will not only be better, it also could potentially be a future classic. "The Paradigm Shift" will probably not be remembered as the highlight of Korn's career, but it is still a album that has some really neat quality in it.
Songs worthy of recognition: Prey For Me, Love & Meth, Punishment Time
Rating: 7,5/10 Spikes In My Veins
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