It’s not like Korn have anything to prove at this point in their career, but 20 years on, they appear to be doing everything they can to go back to the roots of their first several albums. That’s not a bad thing, and with Brian “Head” Welch fully taking part in the creation of the album (as opposed to joining midway through like he did with The Paradigm Shift), they’ve had time to craft, judging from the first two songs, an album they described as heavier than anything they’ve done in a while.
It appears to be working. “Rotting In Vain” found Jonathan Davis scatting again, like it’s “Shoots and Ladders” and whatnot. Even the album cover, a surreal circus scene, references the band’s fourth album, Issues. “Insane,” released this morning in advance of the Nick Raskulinecz-produced The Serenity of Suffering, starts out with a guttural scream from Jonathan Davis, and features plenty of downtuned riffage, Fieldy’s slap bass, and somehow still has a catchy chorus.
The video is, like “Rotting in Vain” a dark, gothic clip. Directed by Ryan Valdez, and full of sepia tones, a victorian-era photographer captures some vivid, dark photography, seeing death reflected through the lens of his camera.
The Serenity of Suffering will be released on October 21 on Roadrunner Records. It can be pre-ordered here.
