Music: A to Z 09.18.09: L is for…

Posted by Chris Crowing on 09.18.2009

Leftfield, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, plus a friendly argument about the difference between true metal and nu-metal...



I guess this week is an exercise in bands who would at one time have been guilty pleasures… I'll admit I was sorely tempted to pick Lamb of God but figured I have comparatively little to say about them apart from ‘consistently entertaining, heavy band , always a great gig' but here is a wee video to keep the complaints at bay…



There was also a part of me wanting to talk about Lynyrd Skynrd and Led Zeppelin but that is far more an appreciation for the legend status rather than having anything insightful to say about them. It turns out I've got quite a bit to say about Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, and Leftfield get the …and now for something completely different' slot.

In any case, both bands are well deserving of a video and so…





So there you have it…



On a slow week for new opinions, regular commenter AndrewCrow comes to this segment's rescue with a meaty and contentious comment, which requires an extended response…

It's easy to disregard battlecries of what is and what is not "true metal" as childish when you're on the negative end of it. That's not so much a dis towards you, Chris, as a statement. I've been on the side that got sick of hearing about false metal vs. real metal and how my bands were rubbish. Reveille, KoRn, Mudvayne, Slipknot, and Guano Apes were my preferred bands in '99. While I'll still listen to some songs by them, I discovered bands like Nile, Nevermore, Exodus, and Slayer, bands that the "elitist pricks" at the old Bolt.com metal forums said were REAL and not NU. Hell, the first time I heard Slayer? I thought it was awful. I've since chalked this up to the song I heard, "Human Disease," which IS awful, considering I picked up Reign In Blood on a whim and blew my proverbial load about 10 seconds into "Angel of Death."

Nu-metal refers to a period of time moreso than a style, or at least it did initially. The style is an offshoot of groove metal (simplified riffs, often times to allow a broader audience the ability to hear and discern it) with elements of rap, funk, and a strong bend towards bubblegum pop. This is why groups like Linkin Park, KoRn, Slipknot, and Disturbed share the same moniker: they present simplified riffs in the same vein as those found by bands like Faith No More and Pantera, with vocals that range between screaming and "whiny" clean vocals. The riffs themselves are groove-oriented (if this requires a further explanation, then you're not listening good enough), the drums focus on break beats as opposed to a steady pace, and the lyrics usually focus on the singer's own personal reflection (with a lean towards a "woe is me" format). Basically, nu-metal is an even more simplified version of groove metal (which, in itself, is a simplified version of thrash and death metal), but dressed up with enough pop sensibilities as to wipe away any and all "real metal" attitude and tendencies away from it.

As for Machine Head...ugh. I don't see the appeal in them, and I honestly don't see much of a change between their nu-metal days and now when they're "real metal." Most of the underground still sees them as nu-metal (though the modern-day term thrown about the most is "fashioncore," to be fair). And the emo connection between those bands you've listed comes from the out-of-tune singing, overall fashion of the band members, and their shared fanbases. Bring Me The Horizon call themselves grindcore, yet sound almost NOTHING like early Napalm Death, early Carcass, or Cripple Bastards. They're MySpace Grind, or Grind-Lite.

That is quite the comment, and needs a response split into a few parts parts.

‘True Metal?'

Like yourself I've been on both sides of the ‘true' metal debate, but for a few years now, I've tried to stop myself when the instinct to castigate emo-kids for their flawed perception of the true ‘metalness' or ‘alternativity' of the pop bands they like flares up. The thing is, think the concept of ‘true' metal is a flawed one, and metal is an overarching uber-genre for anything which has heavy elements, and there are a thousand sub-paths and applications of the riff, the shred and scream (the key components of metal) so in my eyes, no metal can be construed as ‘true.'

You speak in derogatory terms of simplified, slowed down riffs as if the faster, more complex approach is the most praise-worthy one. I have to disagree, as I find it a LOT harder (yet more satisfying) to play a slow, weighty riff than to rattle off a series of super-fast and technically wonderful riffs and licks. The truth is, the quality is in the eye of the beholder and for every metal fan who loves Dragonforce, or Dream Theater, another will prefer Slayer and Napalm Death and another will prefer Metallica and Megadeth. There is no truth, no definitive style.

In my eyes the difference between true and false metal is not a stylistic one, but one of intention and application. I don't care if your riffs are fast or slow, if your arrangements are traditional or progressive, if your vocals are clean or screamed. Metal is about displaying passion through music, most often anger, pain and (even better) the positive aspects you can draw from those emotions, such as determination, resilience and self-identity.

Lyrically, this can be achieved through direct cathartic lyrics (as you dismiss it, the ‘woe is me' approach) or more metaphorical lyrics dealing with historical, mythological, supernatural or horror themes.

Musically, this can be achieved by just loving playing, and really digging the emotion from your strings, skins and mikes – I have no problem with a band of lesser skill, so long as their heart is in the right place (I call it Punk…), while a technically awesome band of arrogant poseurs will put me off no end.

This is similar to the way I view MMA fighters, where I tend to like a fighter based on their ‘gameness' or willingness to bring the fight, but also appreciate their technical skill level. This is why I like Clay Guida and (until UFC 101) Forrest Griffin over more accomplished grapplers. Of course, the best way to be is to be game AND talented, like BJ Penn or Diego Sanchez.

Lastly, if fast, complex and heavy denotes ‘true metal' then how do you fit bands with comparatively slow riffs such as Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and Celtic Frost into ‘true metal' – "A Dying God Born Into Human Flesh" is one of the most ‘simplified' songs I've ever heard, yet it is utterly awesome, heavy and undeniably metal.

Likewise, to contend that having pop sensibilities in a song stops it being metal is ridiculous – pop sensibilities basically denotes a song you can sing along to with a distinct, repeated chorus. Almost everyone uses it, and I defy any band to not have better production, a haircut and a wash as & when they get a decent record deal. That is not the same as being ‘pop' or selling out.

Basically, the true metal thing always bugs me, and I am ashamed to have done it, as it is always a sign of someone essentially wanting to be cool and different somehow. You tend to find people who earnestly use phrases like ‘true metal' are the kind who were outsiders in school (or wherever) and turned to heavy music to give themselves something to feel knowledgeable and special about. Hence when a heavy musical trend catches onto the mainstream, they get very huffy indeed and don't want all these newbs playing with their toy.

Nu-Metal<

I both agree and disagree with your analysis of nu-metal. It is undeniably more a time-constrained scene than a cohesive musical genre which comes from a group of peers (good examples being Gothenburg: Melodic Death Metal, Seattle: Grunge and Birmingham: Heavy Metal) and I'll concede that the simplified riffs, break-beat drums and cathartic lyrics do form enough of a cohesive factor to allow the genre to stand.

However, I do not think that the occasional (by no means genre-wide) pop sensibilities that nu-metal crafted onto the groove metal template (simplified or not) removes all ‘real metal' credibility from bands labelled as nu-metal. Sure, I'd say that bands like the Deftones and Linkin Park should perhaps be more properly termed alternative rock or some such non-metal term, but bands like Slipknot, Soulfly and Korn are definitely heavy, direct and aggressive enough to be considered ‘metal.'

Machine Head

I freaking love Machine Head, but I'm perfectly willing to accept your adult, informed choice to not see the appeal in them. However, I'd say there is a distinct difference between the three periods of the bands history, those periods being Groove metal (Burn My Eyes and The More Things Change), Nu-metal (the Burning Red and Supercharger) and Modern Thrash (Through the Ashes of Empires and the Blackening.) I can't reconcile Burn My Eyes or the Blackening as nu-metal records at all, but I can see an argument for the More Things Change and parts of Through the Ashes of Empires although this is more in the directly cathartic, somewhat rapped lyrics rather than the music itself.

But Machine Head as ‘fashioncore'? No. To me, fashioncore will always be those bands who clearly spend ten times as much time in front of the mirror as they do practising their music. Having a ‘Look' or paying some attention to band presentation is not the same as being ‘fashioncore' – neither is becoming popular through hard work and a solid record. Fashioncore is ALWAYS being made-up, with your eyeliner, scarf, elegantly wasted look and quite clearly thinking you look SO cool and edgy, while you half ass your live show. See Avenged Sevenfold, AFI and Aiden for good examples.

I have said, for some years now that I regard Machine Head to be one of the best ‘straight up metal' bands on the planet, in that they have survived and grown past the scenes they were associated with, and have also increasingly gone back to their musical roots (thrash) on recent records. They are not nu, power, death, doom, grind or anything else, but with a wee smidgen of each personified on their records – hence, a ‘straight up metal' band. I like this idea, as always looking for sub-genres and breathlessly hyperbolic labels for bands is tremendously wearing, no?

My last word on Machine Head, largely TO Machine Head is…

STOP TOURING and GO RECORD AN ALBUM. I've seen you four times since the Blackening came out, to diminishing enjoyment each time and as such have NO interest in paying to see you again, until there is some fresh kill in the set.

Childish Genre Confusion

I'll 100% agree with this one, with bands like Bring Me The Horizon (who I loathe for a number of reasons, check out this week's Top 5) attempting to pass themselves off as Grindcore, or any other classically credible genre, when in fact they are a pale imitation of the bands who made that style of music's name. It always annoys me, as it is always kids, or bandwagon jumpers hearing a phrase or label that they like and proclaiming it from the roof tops. If they LOVED music, they would either end up as a REAL Grindcore (or insert genre of choice) act or they would realise what they produce is NOT what the set out to be, and then be confident enough in their music to label and market it correctly. Anything else is either ignorance, arrogance or a flagrant disregard for Trades Descriptions and Misrepresentation of Goods legislation.

Emo

I think I may have been misunderstood about the connection between Nu-Metal and Emo. IMHO, they are NOT linked musically (with nu-metal being derivative of groove metal, and Emo being derivative of pop, and arguably (in parts) hardcore punk) although the pop edges of both genres doubtless sound at lot similar for the very reasons you listed.

However, what I intended to convey was that I feel Nu-Metal and Emo have occupied a similar niche in the public consciousness – that of the cool, yet not overly scary alternative music scene. There have been several of these over time, from glam rock, punk, hair metal, grunge, to nu-metal and Emo. Notice how at the start of any given time period, stereotypes of these scenes are portrayed as dangerous loners, cultists or whatever in popular movies, but within a few short years, they are the independent spirited, cool kid.

As such, in the beginning it is viewed with suspicion and fear by parents, teachers and authority figures, until society flexes and it's all ‘just another phase' that the kids are going through and becomes accepted.
In part because of the above mentioned aversion ‘true' metallers have for their general musical neighbourhood becoming dangerously popular and partially because of the extra (usually negative) limelight such periods bring to bear on more extreme forms of music, not to mention kids of sixteen starting to wear Carcass and Slayer t-shirts and getting all uppity, such ‘middling' genres tend to be viewed with proprietary hostility by those already incumbent in the metal/alternative music scene.

Hence, I grew up with nu-metal and hence have no issue with it (although it did piss me off when it became overly ubiquitous) but by the time emo came around, I was a card-carrying ‘true' metal-head and I was righteously aggrreived at all these little kids listening to whiny pop punk attempting to tell me I wasn't alternative or cool enough. I got over it, and so should everyone – at the end of the day, who do we really want to fight, other misguided souls who clearly just need a further nudge into metal waters (we were all young and impressionable once) or the arrogant sons of bitches who give us abuse for being Goths or whatever?



* Please note, all 'Best...' designations are merely this writer's opinion, and stand as a recommendation for new fans, rather than an attempt to make a definitive statement. I'll likely change my mind by next week anyway.

Leftfield

What: Electronic music overlords
From: London, England
In the Beginning: Formed in 1989 in London.
Best Album*: Leftism (1995), Rhythm & Stealth (1999)
Best Song*: "Open Up"
Recently...: The band have been on hiatus since 2002.

While their time of relevance was during my teenage years, it is only in the last five or six years I have truly come to appreciate Leftfield's genius. While a key part to the ambient soundtrack of my formative years, I never appreciated them at the time other than ‘that cool tune that was on' or ‘that tune from Wipeout/ the Guinness advert' which was a shame.

In recent years, I have gotten over my stereotypical metal-head hatred of electronic music, and have embraced the tunes I liked when I was very young (bad techno, trance etc.) and the stuff which added variation to my teenage years (house, dub, jungle and euphoria) as well as developing a more refined taste for intelligent dance music and electronica in parallel to my growing taste for progressive and post-rock. Anyways, this is an awesome tune, which was a collaboration with a certain John Lydon…



Anyone who doesn't know that tune, and thinks they've never heard a Leftfield song is seriously mistaken as the band have provided soundtrack music for a great many adverts, computers games and movies. Most famously is this, the second best Guinness advert ever…



OK, so I don't have much to say about leftfield, other than they are awesome, I didn't appreciate them at the time, and they are one of the most influential electronic acts ever to walk the face of the planet, but I had to break up the Metalness somehow…

Limp Bizkit

What: Much derided Nu-Metal Superstars, turned Come-back Guilty Pleasure
From: Jacksonville, Florida, USA
In the Beginning: Formed in 1994, eventually a friendship with members of Korn caused their demo Metal Aqueducts to be handed to nu-metal production guru, Ross Robinson which led to their first record, 1997's Three Dollar Bill Yall$$$ and a high profile slot of Korn's Family Values tour…
Best Album*: Significant Other (1999), Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavoured Water (2000)
Best Song*: "Counterfeit", "Break Stuff", "Boiler", "Eat You Alive"
Recently...: Following their live reunion in mid 2009, the band entered the studio to record a new record on 24th August…

Yes, I'm a Limp Bizkit fan, my band lists them as an influence, and once upon a time I possessed a Yankees cap, because I was a Bizkit fan. I am not ashamed. OK, I'm ashamed about the last bit, but you're only 18 once, right?

Like a great many people, my knowledge of Limp Bizkit began in 98/99 through the "Nookie" video, probably being played on the (in retrospect, very influential) ITV Chart Show. Being of a lighter tone, but still with some riffs, I soon added Significant Other and Three Dollar Bill Y'All$$$ to by burgeoning CD collection…



I'll admit to a certain hypocrisy in my tastes at the time, as I quite wrongly disparaged System of a Down, entirely based on the way they looked (face paint) and mocked Slipknot for being an evidently commercial money trap (again, largely predicated on their oh-so-marketable look, but also because of their seemingly negative message – more about that when we get round to the letter S) while having no problem liking the (in retrospect) very commercial likes of Limp Bizkit and Blink 182. What can I say, my taste developed in a strange isolation from the standards and traditions I would later discover – for which I am eternally grateful!

In any case, Significant Other was easily one of my most played records through 99-00, and I'm not ashamed to say I tended to stick towards the more direct, rocky tunes like "Break Stuff", "I'm Broke" and the awesomely laid back "Rearranged" as opposed to the more hip-hop orientated stuff towards the end of the album, but I always had a soft spot for "N2Gether Now" and "Show Me What you Got."



While I preferred the slick production and presentation of Significant Other, I also enjoyed the debut album, although not as much and found it to be mostly just what it has often been disparaged as – a poor man's Korn record. That said, "Counterfeit" is a damned fine song, and the cover of George Michael's "Faith" is still a party favourite to this day.



By the time I was moving into my second year at university, the upcoming Limp Bizkit album was listed alongside the Deftones' White Pony and Tool's Lateralus as one of my most anticipated releases. Even at that time, I saw no problem with having such a range between the credible joys and guilty pleasures in my collection.

That record, the improbably titled Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavoured Water did not disappoint, and remains arguably their most polished release. While I have to laugh at Durst's attempts to engage in a bitching fight with the godlike Trent Reznor on "Hot Dog", tunes like "My Generation" and "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" are some of the catchiest rock songs I've ever heard. For me the best song was the single released at the tail end of the album's run, and while "My Generation", "Rollin'" and "My Way" had all been huge hits, this one seems to be mostly forgotten…



…I still think it's easily one of Bizkit's best tunes, along with the much underrated "the One."

A very immature split with long-term guitarist Wes Borland, which was played out far too much through the media and some unwise girly whingeing from both Durst and Wes led to Borland's various solo projects, including the mildly awesome Black Blight Burns…



..which in retrospect is not a bad thing. Bizkit soon found a new guitarist in Mike Smith, and set about recording a new record, but the tide was turning and you could well argue that Chocolate Starfish.. marked the high water point of nu-metal (whatever that means) in terms of commercial viability and their very success started to turn against Limp Bizkit as the tide turned against nu-metal as a whole.

TANGENT: I guess you could say that nu-metal died around this time, as while there were decent albums to come, and acts who had been known as nu-metal acts continued to produce stunning records, they ended up transcending the genre and those who stuck to the formula did so to diminishing returns.

In any case, I quite like Results May Vary although where it is bad, it is very, very bad, none more so than the ill-advised cover of the Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" – Fred Durst is certainly no Roger Daltrey…

That said, the lead single for the album remains a personal (if very much guilty) favourite, and I will quite happily leap about the dance-floor like a constipated Orangutan if this song is on…



I'll admit that by the time the Unquestionable Truth (Part One) came around, I had become very jaded towards nu-metal in general, and mocked Durst's arrogance in releasing the album with virtually no PR, assuming that the band's status would make it successful. In a stunning example of reading the market wrongly, Bizkit swiftly fell completely out of relevance.

I have to admit, the prospect of a reunited and rejuvenated Bizkit was a serious draw for this year's Download festival (although Faith No More was a bigger draw and in the end, I never went due to lack of funds) and I'd love to see them again, as they were awesome when I saw them at Reading in 2000.

I've grown past the need to reconcile the bands I find fun, with an appreciation for musical quality (although I think Borland's percussive guitar techniques are much underrated by your average metal fan), and I'm at peace with my guilty pleasures. Yes, Fred Durst is an asshole and Bizkit are a commercial rock band. But they are FUN!

Linkin Park

What: Hasbro approved Nu-Metal Superstars
From: Agoura Hills, California, USA
In the Beginning: Originally formed as Xero in the mid nineties, Chester Bennington replaced original vocalist Mark Wakefield to complete the current line-up in 1999. A relationship with Jeff Blue led to a record deal with Warner and the release of their debit record, Hybrid Theory in 2000.
Best Album*: Hybrid Theory (2000), Meteora (2003)
Best Song*: "One Step Closer", "Pushing Me Away", "Faint", "New Divide"
Recently...: "New Divide" released as the single from the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen it movie, and the band are currently beginning work on their fourth studio record, apparently to be a concept album and produced by uber-producer Rick Rubin. The record is due for release in 2010.

I remember hearing word about the hot new band from the states when Linkin Park started their meteoric (pun intended) rise. The word was contradictory, between the breathless superlatives about the future of alternative music, and ‘real' metal snobs decrying the band as being the metal equivalent of Westlife or the Backstreet Boys, manufactured, corporate, soulless and hateful.*

* While I did subscribe to this belief as a credulous 18 year old, I no longer do. The general line of thought was that LP came from nowhere to a massive media push, and sounded a little too slick to be for real, and have grown their skills in the organic ‘old school' manner. IMHO, LP sounded slick from the start as their entire sound was predicated on tight musicianship, an ever present electronic presence (care of Mr Hahn & Mike Shinoda) and some slick production. There is a big difference between having good production from the start, and NEEDING good production to fix your bum notes, which is the hateful pop-crime. LP came out with a well-realised musical vision, and had the good luck to get major label support right from the start – what is so wrong with that?

I took this bad press as read (I was very impressionable once upon a time,) right up until I saw the video for "One Step Closer" and fell in love…



…that riff, those dual vocals, then need to leap around a dance-floor like I've got physical tourettes and I'd just dropped two ecstasy pills…

Anyway, I really liked what I heard, and decided to purchase the album, Hybrid Theory and it sat comfortably in my DiscMan (that's right kids, once upon a time you actually had to carry CDs around with you!) for the next year. Offering yet another taste sensation to a palette which was becoming jaded with groove, thrash, gothic and classic metal, Linkin Park's slick arrangements, electronic beats and samples, mix of rapped and sang vocals, mixed with my beloved chunky guitars fitted a need I had at the time. They still do.



Of course, by the time Meteora came out, the weight of Linkin Park hatred had started to tell on me, and I was HORRIFIED when I couldn't get tickets for the Deftones at the SECC because LP were supporting and all the scene-jumping kiddies had sold it out almost immediately. When Meteora became one of the fastest selling albums in history, I bitched for a month about the commercial influence on alternative music and pouted like a child who's lost his favourite toy.



Then I got over it, bought the record and found great joy in it. The singles from the album are sublime, with "Faint" being wonderfully direct, and one of the coolest videos I've ever seen. "Somewhere I Belong" is a damned good tune, and "Numb" is one of the most succinct ‘you don't understand me' songs I've ever heard – and I've heard a LOT of them… Likewise, "Breaking the Habit", the final single from the album is a wonderful song, with the positive message of taking control of your own life.

Meteora as a whole is a stunningly crafted record, and "Don't Stay", "Hit the Floor" "Easier to Run" would all have been worthy singles, and the album flows from start to finish in a wonderfully organic manner and remains one of a dozen or so albums I tend to listen to as albums rather than cherry picking individual songs for playlists.



Taking the rap/rock collaboration which is (apparently) at the heart of the sound one step further, Linkin Park embarked on the Collision Course project with rapper Jay-Z to much abuse from the metal fraternity, but I really enjoy that record, (Jay-Z has always been one of my preferred rappers) and the flow between the chunky guitars, smooth rap lyrics, and Chester's starker choruses is tremendously effective, IMNSHO.



Their next studio album, Minutes to Midnight stepped away from the rap/metal crossover to investigate more conventional song-writing as LP, like the Deftones before them step out of nu-metal's shadow and become their own artist, on their own terms in their own genre. The album isn't a favourite of mine, if only because it didn't offer enough ‘wow' factor to make me give it a second listen when I bought it. It's been on a few times since, and it's certainly very GOOD but lacks some of the fire and hooks that made their first two records FUN.

Such a concern cannot be aimed at their most recent tune, used in the trailers for this summers mega-smash Transformers movie (which disappointed me in the end) as "New Divide" mixes the increased level of production class and technical mastery in the LP ranks with a little of the catchy hooks and breathless Bennington vocals that made their early work more entertaining…



With the band going into record a new record with master producer Rick Rubin, I'm very interested to see what comes of that, and hopefully they'll bring their next live show through my home town…



Mick wins the prize for most awesomely answering a question posed in last week's column with Peter Gabriel had 3 self titled albums in a row.

You are quite correct Sir, if you close

The wonderfully named Propagandhi had this to offer Please don't compare Bruce Springsteen to The Killers as there is no comparison.

I like both bands but how the hell is "Are we Human or are we Dancer" good lyrical craftsmanship?

The Boss is a living legend. He has no peers.

"Slainte"?



There is a comparison, in that the Killers used similar song-writing mores and tropes on Sam's Town to the classic American songwriters, such as Springsteen. It's like saying Trivium attempted to replica Metallica's style – they did, they admitted it – it doesn't mean to say that they are as good, influential or important.

I'll admit, Human is not the best example of good lyrical craftsmanship, but you have to admit, it IS catchy…



Lastly, ‘Slainte' is a Celtic drinking toast – here is what Wikipedia has to say…

Sláinte or Sláinte Mhath is commonly used as a drinking toast in Ireland and Scotland. Sláinte/Sláinte Mhaith is the Irish spelling; in Scottish Gaelic, it is spelled Slàinte/Slàinte Mhath. Sometimes it is corrupted into "Slanj" which is quite close to the original pronunciation. It means literally "Good Health" - slàinte translates vaguely as health in Gaelic. "Mhath" (pron. "vaa") is the lenited form of "math" (pron. "maa").[1]


It's my slight nod to my ancestral culture by way of wishing my readers well as we part for the week, kindly do not mock my good intentions and culture with your ignorance.

skinead_bufty contributed with No matter how many times people play me Killswitch (like at least 3 times a week it goes on spotify at work) I just can't seem to get into them. Weezer have 3 self titled albums so I think that trumps them for now.
Dethklok rule btw. Nice one!

As ever, what you find fun is entirely up to yourself. Unfortunately, you come in second to Mike by being too damned slow to answer my question.


Hdj360 said Hey Chris great column this week. Speaking on the vampire subject are you looking forward to that new CW show Vampire Diaries?
As for next weeks column how about some Lamb of God and Linkin Park?


Well I provided lots of Linkin Park, and a little Lamb of God, happy? Being in the UK, I haven't heard anything about Vampire Diaries, but it'll surely appear on FIVE some time next year, and I'll let you know what I think then.

Lastly, Lev came up with Follow the Leader was the first heavy album I bought. These days the metal collection extends to everything from Arch Enemy and Slayer to Meshuggah and Nightwish, but I too will always have a soft spot for Korn. And I agree with most things you said, but I can't agree with Untitled having no redeemable qualities. A bit harsh, don't you think? For me, it is one of their better albums and continues the change of direction (softer songs with more variety and wider scope to the lyrics) which began with See You On the Other Side. To each their own, as you say Chris, but I think I really dig Untitled.

Btw, you should have done H.I.M for H. Always a curious band for me.

As you say, to each their own. Korn have just become increasingly unpalatable to me, but if you find your kicks in Untitled, then all power and health to you.

H.I.M. were considered for the ‘H is for…' column, but I decided I had relatively little to say about them, apart from the fact that I like them, despite their popularity with a certain breed of emo-kid. I've always enjoyed them for some background music, soft-rock with a side order of sleaze, (and occasionally riffs), although I'd never regard them as a favourite. Hence I went with the run down of ‘Heroes' instead.

In any case, to try and make up for it, here is a wee video…




Slainte,
Chris Crowing

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