Customer Reviews

Follow the Leader

5 star:		(676)
4 star:		(167)
3 star:		(73)
2 star:		(49)
1 star:		(163)

 

 

Having been nurtured on good ol' 70's and 80's rock and metal (Aerosmith, Sabbath, Ozzy, Priest, Maiden, etc.), I have to say that when I first heard KoRn, I was COMPLETELY dumbfounded. I had never HEARD anything like it before. The guitar, usually an instrument of MELODY, had become a roaring instrument of percussion. The vocals, in some brilliant passages, becoming the jittering and throbbing rants of a mental patient before receiving his meds. After listening to the CD a few times, thought, I'm genuinely IMPRESSED. KoRn represents a completely NEW genre of music. It's NOT metal, rap, hip-hop, or rock. The best way I can describe it is that it is the most TRIBAL, EMOTIONAL, ANGRY and INNOVATIVE music that I've ever heard. Sure, It's easy to just call it noise. But this is the kind of stuff that represents what music is all about - the naked expression of feeling, emotion, and experience. You might not care for the emotions or experiences communicated on KoRn's CD's, but you have to sit up and take notice. This is REAL. This IS new. And, unfortunately, that RAGE, ESTRANGEMENT, and ANGER effectively communicates how lot of young people are feeling today. Try it a few times. I DARE you...

Korn's break-out 1998 album, "Follow The Leader," is the moment where the Bakersfield Five went from semi-underground underdogs to mainstream MTV heroes. Almost overnight, as soon as "Got the Life" hit, things would never be the same again. Helping to, for better or worse, usher in a new generation of rockers, Korn proved to be both iconic and experimental on their third effort.

With producer Toby Wright (Alice in Chains) taking over from Ross Robinson (who helmed the first two albums), "Follow the Leader" is slighlty less visceral and gritty than the band's previous material. From the groovy, whisper-to-a-scream opener of "It's On!" it's obvious that this is a different kind of Korn, albeit, a funkier and more experimental outfit with the the benefit of experience working with them.

Cuts like "Got the Life" and "Freak on a Leash" prove to be great radio hits, but elsewhere, the band builds on their established sound on the intense "Dead Bodies Everywhere." A song that perhaps could have existed in the Ross Robinson days, "Dead Bodies" is aided by top-notch production which highlights the seething riffs delivered by Munky and Head in it's final breakdown, with frontman Jonathan Davis giving a bone-chilling performance.

Elsewhere, the band embraces the rap-rock movement with some mixed results. "Children of the Korn," a collaboration with Ice Cube, gives the band a bit of credibility, and finds the band meshing almost too easily with their hip-hop influences (which were only briefly present on album's past). "All in the Fmaily," a rap-battle of sorts between Davis and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, on the other hand, plays as amateurish and immature and only goes to slow the momentum down. Thankfully, Tre from the Pharcyde comes to the rescue with "Cameltosis," a cool, chill and dark tune that shows just how potent a combination rap and rock can be when done right.

All in all, "Follow the Leader" proves to be, time and time again, a creative and commercial success. Even if you've heard it's key songs a million times, you just can't help but be left in awe but the sheer sonic madness of it all. Korn are masters at taking the simplest thing and making it fresh (see the sustained riffing of "Justin") and on this album, they prove that you don't have to be guitar virtuosos or lyrical geniuses to be effective. "Follow the Leader" earns its place as a Korn classic, and even beyond the singles, is an album that will prove rewarding to those seeking a fun and fresh rock album.

Let's forget for a second that you saw them a million times on MTV. Forget that they "represent the birth of nu metal" and, with it, all that's wrong with society in this day and time. Forget how it's apparently cool to hate on popular bands that make it big time.
The men of the KoRn have an ability to create a wall of sound kind of effect. 7-string Ibanez guitars, and a loud bass that makes for a secondary drum kit sometimes. And who could forget the uber catchy, constantly changing, tribal drumming by David.
Try to *consciously* listen to any song in this album, and pay attention to what they do in the background. The small sounds, the subtle strumming here, a loud bass line there.. the constant change in rhythm. The breakdowns (yes, breakdowns, emo idiots).
KoRn are as experimental and creative as they get.
They may not be the most talented band in the universe, but they obviously put effort into not sounding repetitive, or boring the listener, and I appreciate that.
Every song in the album is worth a listen, but highlights include "Freak on a leash" (duh), "Seed", "Got the life", and the awesome "Reclaim my place".

Oh, and another thing. Stop comparing them to Megadeth, or Metallica, or any other metal band of their time. They've never tried to sound like them, and that's quite obvious.

This was the first CD I bought from KoRn a few weeks after it was released. Words cannot describe how truly amazing this album is. This is a must for everyone to own whether you are a KoRn fan or not. KoRn hit big making platinum with this CD and listening to it will sure explain why! It's remarkable. The band has matured since their self-titled debut album back in 1994. KoRn's experimental mixture from different genres of music are absolutely stunning. Besides sticking to Heavy Metal, KoRn play around in Hip-hop, funk, rap, and Disco music. Particularly in songs such as "Got the Life", "Children of the KoRn" with Icq Cube, and "All in the Family" with Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst. In my opinion, none of the tracks were boring. Head and Munky's guitar riffs; David and Fieldy's heavy drum, bass hits; and Jon's stunning vocals all manage to keep you far far away from the stop button on the stereo. The dark, eerie stories about Jon's life in each song leave a big impact at the end for everyone. In fact, they are so intense that "All in the Family" helps give out some comical-relief that can give out a few good laughs. If you are unfamiliar with KoRn or do not own any pf their CDs, then I recommend buying this CD first. You'll be as stunned as I was! It's brilliant! Go stick into the shopping cart!

Lets get this up front right away--Follow the Leader is my least favorite album by Korn besides See You On The Other Side, I dont like the hip-hop thing, and too me its hard too distuinguish one song from another. With that said, its a step-up from Life is Peachy. The funny thing is I can't decide if I like LIP more, even though I know its inconsistant, LIP has some truley spectacular songs on it. Now you may be wondering why I am giving this album 4e stars when im criticizing it; It is all a matter of taste, I dont like the feel the album has to it, even though I know that it is more origional and has more consistancy than Life is Peachy, so its a better album. I would still take Good God over Got the Life, however:). Follow the leader is what propelled Korn to the mainstream, and made them true rock stars on the steam of Freak on a Leash and Got the Life, so I guess I have a lot to thank for this album. Anyways, lets go to the track listing:

1 Its On!: 8/10 A good start to a good album, I will be honest and say I dont really understand what this song is about.

2 Freak on a Leash: 9/10 I do not think that this song is overrated, its about how Korn feels like a freak on a leash to the record companies, using their pain and screwed up feelings to make money. Besides that, its one hell of a catchy song.

3 Got the Life: 8/10 I would give this song a lower rating, but I know its a good song. Its about how Korn already has it made, and I think it has something to do with selling out. I usually skip this one, but im probably in the minority.

4 Dead Bodies Everywhere: 8/10 for some reason I kept skipping this song, until a little bit ago I started listening to it. Its a really great song, even though the whole problems with stepmom were covered fully in Kill You on Life is Peachy. Takes a little while to get going, but the chorous is great.

5 Children of the Korn: 5/10 A great name, but I hate the song, MORE RAP!! UGGGHHH! I would say first dud of the album, but it seems to be a popular song, so they must have done something right.

6 BBK: 7/10 Not really a memorable song, but not bad, the chorous is all right.

7 Pretty: 8/10 A really disturbing song, maybe their most disturbing since daddy, because this actually happened. I wont really go into detail because im sure its already been covered. Makes you think what is wrong with this world. About the lyrics, the verse is hard to hear or get into, but I dont think they made this song to be catchy.

8 All in the Family: 5/10 The first time I listened to it I laughed a little, but it really gets old, as I am sure it will for all of you.

9 Reclaim my Place: 8/10 I may be in the minority, but I like this song, I can't really pinpoint really what, maybe its the bridge. hmmm

10 Justin: 6/10 Other than All in the Family, the first real dud of the album, I can't get into this song at all. The beginning is cool though, F*ck all that BULLSH*T!!

11 Seed: 9/10 Like Dead Bodies Everywhere, it took me awhile to actually listen to this song, but once I did I couldn't stop listening to it. The chorous is great, as are the guitars, which are really origional here.

12 Cameltosis: 4/10 Third dud, I can't get into this song at all, and I have tried. (thats my rule, if you dont like a song, listen to it 4 or 5 times to see if it grows on you). Another hiphop origion song that I hate.

13 My Gift to You: 8/10 Well, Korn had to fall short on a closing song eventually, and I think this is it. He cries a little like in Daddy and Kill You, but for the first time it doesn't really feel genuine. Still not that bad a closer, but it left me feeling disapointed for the first time on a closer. But, like all Korns albums so far, they have a hidden track/tracks, Earache my Eye, which I guess I will give a 7/10, kind of funny, there is also a few minute interview with Davis, talking about cigarettes/weed? Kind of a weird way to end it, but you can never blame Korn for being unorigional:)

Out of all Korn's albums, I have listened to this one the least, except for SYOTOS, and it will probably stay that way. This may have broken ground for Korn and allowed them to delve into newer stuff, but it wasn't pleasant for me. One thing, no matter what the taste is, Munky and Head start with the same-sounding riff on almost every song!!!! That is mostly absent from their other albums, and is really annoying here, especially if you have the songs mixed up. Recommended

This was Korn's first CD that I bought and after hearing it once, I was rather disappointed. I only at first liked "Freak on a Leash" and "Got the Life" and I found the rest all disgusting. I couldn't stand that profanity on "All in the Family" and the other tracks were to me just the same to me. But then I started listening to it again. I realized that there is much more to their heavy rock sound and wailing lyrics. There's were styles that they tried, like the disco-ed "Got the Life" and the hip hop "Children of the Korn". And "All in the Family" is actually one of my favorites on the album now. It reminds me of two people spending hours and hours making fun of each other. And "Dead Bodies Everywhere", "It's On", "My Gift to You", and "B.B.K." all add to the different experience that the first album provides. Try it out. You might find it to be junk at first, but with a little patience, however, it will surely grow on you.

This is the kind of CD which comes out very rarely. The kind of CD which all of the garage bands try to sound like. Artists like Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Misfits, Mr.Bungle, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Sex Pistols, and Green Day are among the elite group who have done this. All of these bands as well as korn create this buzz for a reason and it isn't because they know how to attract an audience, the music is truly innovative and revolutionary.

I have noticed there are many reviews claiming this CD is nothing more then "the backstreet boys with guitars" , "made so angst teenagers will feel accepted and hardcore" or "guys who picked up instruments and made noise". Now Follow The Leader may not have profound lyrics, technical guitar solos, or vocals about death or fantasy books, but it does have a great blend of guitar, drums, bass, and vocals as well as combining many genres of music into one sound that works.

On Follow The Leader Korn manages to take the commotion of heavy guitars, the funk of hip hop, the intoxication of industrial, and the emotion of Emo and create one excellent sound. The creativity on this album is amazing. The sound will both excite and upset you. vocalist Jon Davis sings mostly about his troubled childhood, while it may not provide many different subjects for listeners to enjoy it captures what children(and abused adults) have had to endure for years and helps them deal with it.

If you are looking for the loudest, fastest music or complexity this cd may not be for you. I would recommend looking into "speed/thrash metal", "progressive" and other genres... "Nu-Metal" is a genre which shares little in common with what is consider "true" Metal. usually the biggest similarity is how loud the music is. Metal is based around guitar, yet Korn and Nu-Metal in general are not. There are no guitar solo's, most songs are made up of power chords, and guitar is only a piece of the puzzle. Korn's sound is about the whole band, upon listening to this album you should see that they rely on the whole band to be creative and it shows.

This third CD of the quintuplet which is Korn has many songs with a sound that is worthy of a party. With most hard rock the need to dance (not mosh) is low, with this CD you want to groove.

Songs which feature other artists provide a nice blend of sound on this album and allow nearly any young music fan to enjoy this cd. The collaborations include: "Children Of The Korn" with rapper ice cube, "All In the family" with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, "Cameltoesis" with Tre Hardson of The Pharcyde, and the secret track "earache in my eye" which features Cheech Marin of the Cheech and Chong movies and covers a song from one of the movies.

To me korn is like the Metallica of Nu-Metal/ Alt metal. They started off with a very loud sound that was popular underground, but not accepted in the mainstream and then had one breakthrough album which was suitable for the radio. Korns was "follow the leader" and Metallicas was the black album. many fans of Follow The Leaderstarted enjoying Korns older albums and claiming them better as did fans of the black album. Both still make some good music, but it is not the same as when they started.

This cd is not the same as "Korn" and "Life As Peachy" and some may like it less because they have made a few songs that will provide the radio support they needed to get attention by making some quieter songs. The complexity has been turned up and you can see how Korn's artistry has improved. The vocals no longer sound like Davis is struggling, the guitar is not as repetitive, the bass is clearly more present, and the drummer is right beside them. If you have ever heard Korn and were interested or have ever been told about Korn this cd is worthy of your collection. Right now 80% of the hard rock you hear on TV or the radio is inspired by korn and much of it is just an attempt to be Korn. 5 stars for innovation.

But I actually kinda like this album, I find some of the songs here catchy and the angry vocals only enhance the mood. Granted, I hate nu-metal and all of its simplicity and annoyance, and to be honest I hate Korn, but this is somehow different from their other releases. Jonathan Davis sounds like a tortured soul here, not a complete fake like in their self titled and especially 'See you on the Other Side'. Songs like 'Reclaim my Place', 'Dead Bodies Everywhere' and especially 'Freak on a Leash' make me think twice about saying that Korn has absolutely no potential. Everything just seems to fall into place here, and I like what the band has done on this album. The only track I hate is 'All in the Family' with Fred Durst, because lets face it, anything with Fred Durst is s**t. I think 'Children of the Korn' though, is a very cool song with the duet with Ice Cube (back when he was good). Although a lot of the songs have to do with self loathing and a "f**k me" type of attitude, this still gets a solid 3 stars from me. However, unless you like nu-metal and metalcore, do not get Korn's other albums, as they are not even close to being up to par with this one. And in my opinion, this is Korn's only shining moment. This may have been a surprise to some of you, and with that being said, Im finished with this review.

August 18th 1998 a day that true KoRn fans remember well, I am sure all of the fans who bought this album like myself on that day remember exactly what store we bought it from. Now at the age of 21 looking back at this album I am still as enthralled as I was 7 years ago when I was 14. They took what was great about the Debut album and what was good about Life is Peachy (and YES it is good) put it together and makes one of the most defineing rock albums in the last 20 years and the album that truley usherd in the Nu-Metal genre. So if you looking for the the album that spawned a hundred copy cat bands pick up this album...what are you still reading for GO GET THE ALBUM

Very few bands, (at least before this cd) had ever tried to vary their sound beyond what they knew people liked. But on this cd Korn has done a very good job of mixing a variety of styles. And I believe they diserve all the success they got.

Tracks 1-12 are blank, I dont know why they did this, but the music starts on track 13.

13, Its on: The openening song. The song starts with a low buzzing which then fades into soft drums and then the guitars. After it builds and builds Jonathan starts singing, and this is a great song to start the album with. The chorus is very catchy. 8/10.

14, Freak on a Leash: The first song flows seamlessly into this one, the second single and a great song. The first half of the song has the catchy rhythims and singing that the first song had, but then the vocals break down into gibberish and then mix it with the recognizable vocals. Without hearing the song one would assume that using gibberish in a song would sound bad, but Korn took a very unique sound and made it great. 9/10.

15, Got the life: The first single and most popular song from this cd. A popish disco tune that is very fun to dance to. 9/10.

16, Dead Bodies everywhere: After the very lound grooves of Got the life, the cd slows down to the deep base and piano tunes of this song. Its a decent song that shades on the somewhat darker side of the band. 7/10.

17, Children of the Korn: The first rap fusion song on the cd. Jonathan serves mainly as a backup singer here while Ice Cube sings most of the song including the chorus. Mixes the very gloom vocals of Davis with a angry sound of Ice Cube quite nice. 7/10.

18, BBK: At first this almost has the same dance vibe as Got the life. But then this song becomes more gloomy and sad. But maintains the same fast beats and catchy chorus. 8/10.

19, Pretty: Very dark and angry song. The chorus has the angry voice of davis mixed with mournful wails of head in the background. 9/10.

20, All in the family: The second rap cd. After the brooding song pretty, the cd gets a more comedic tone with Jonathan Davis and Fred Durst having a rap battle. Overall I wouldn't say the vocals are too good, but the beat is very catchy and the lyrics are funny. 7/10.

21, reclaim my place: Angry song about teen angst, has the same catchy tones found in the first song but with a more sad overtone. 7/10.

22, Justin: Long and emotional song about death. The band visited a boy dying of cancer who wanted to meet them before he died, and this song resulted. Jonathan almost seems to cry in the chorus. 9/10.

23, Seed: A song about fame. Tells about the hardships of the rock lifestyle and homesickness. 7/10.

24, Cameltosis: The thrid rap song on the cd. This song is very mellow and dark. The smooth rapping is matched by an almost sadistic sounding chorus from davis. The instrumental beats here are very hypnotic, sets up the final song perfect. 9/10.

25, My Gift to you: The long and epic sounding closer. This is a seven minute ballad about necrophilia stemming largly from Jonathans x-wife. Long, dark, and haunting. A great end to the album. 10/10.

There is a hidden track about 4 or five minute's after my gift to you called earache in my eye. It involves about two minuets of talking between cheech from cheech and chong, and I think the other band members. They then play some instrumentals while cheech sings a pot head hippy song about money. Its pretty funny on its own, but drags on for too long and you probably wont be in the mood for it after the song before it. 6/10.

Well thats it, this cd has pop dance rhythims, rap songs, dark/angry songs, catchy choruses, and even song with gibberish and bagpipes. Perfect for someone looking for a diverse sounding album or a genre mixer.