i have always found something to love in everything korn has produced. although they have had a few missteps in their 10-album career (not a huge fan of most of "take a look in the mirror"), i have always admired their tendency to flirt with other styles of music and/or sounds, and i think jonathon davis was right in that this time they nailed it. as soon as i heard dubstep music and the possibility of a korn collaboration, i instantly had a feeling that the two styles would compliment each other nicely. after listening to "the path of totality" at least ten times through at this point, i can say my early predictions were indeed the case. this album is atmospheric, heavy, and has many textures. i highly suggest listening to it in headphones, so you can hear all the subtleties in the album. jonathon's vocals are extremely catchy throughout the entire album, just don't look to his lyrics for any higher-learning (not that we ever really did). davis has always been his best a. in the beginning when his tortured emotions were probably more warranted and b. when his lyrics are vague enough that they can really be applicable to many of life's predicaments. it is when he tries to get political (i.e. illuminati) that he fails. korn has never really been a thinking man's metal band to me, so i think they should stay that way (as odd as that may sound). overall this is the best performance JD has given us in a long, long, long time. don't let the other reviewer's distaste for the "lack of growls" fool you. this is the definitive JD singing experience, and there are definitely some fun growls, scat, and bagpipe to be heard (like any korn album should have). the music itself sounds great. it gives me a david fincher/fight club/NIN kind of vibe, only the guitars, bass, and vox twist the vibe to make it also undoubtedly korn. it works out perfectly, and sounds like it comes off effortlessly. songs like "my wall", "chaos is in everything", "kill my mercy", and (my personal favorite) "let's go" are some of the best and catchiest korn songs they have EVER written. this is like turning a new leaf over for these guys. i highly suggest you purchase this album. every song is good (including the special edition ones) in its own right, and the album seems to only get better with repeated listens.
1. chaos lives in everything: 5/5 supposedly about how there is drama everywhere and how you can lose yourself in it if you're not careful. excellent opener that showcases the new metal/electro-hybrid sound. the chorus is really catchy, but the heavy interlude is what kills in this song...no growls? pfft...
2. kill my mercy: 5/5 songs starts with a killer riff before going to a familiar sounding korn verse. the prechorus in this song has one of the best vocal melodies of the entire album (the part where he says something about a fake charade).
3. my wall: 5/5 score alone is for the catchy vocals in both the verse and chorus. that's not even include the drive of the song when it first kicks in.
4. narcisstic cannibal: 5/5 the second single(?) off that album that also has an extremely catchy prechorus/chorus before a choppy breakdown.
5. illuminati: 4/5 this is one of the more mundane songs on the album. the interlude is pretty cool, but the verse can sound redundant and the vocal melody awkward at times. this song is obviously about the illuminati and davis recently watching the movie zeitgeist. i've always found that korn is their best when they try not to get involved in things that i honestly feel are over their head. i guess that is just a personal preference, but i guess if i wanted this fix...i'd listen to something a little more informative.
6. burn the obedient: 4/5 this is the second part of the "two song slump" in the album that seems bogged down by repetition through the song. luckily there is enough variety in the sounds during the song to keep you interested. neither this song or the preceding one are "bad" by any means, just not as good as the other ones on the album.
7. sanctuary: 5/5 i heard this song earlier through the hot topic website (as lame as that sounds), and at first was worried at the awkward sounding verse. this song has actually grown to be one of my favorites on the album. the vocals are awesome throughout the song. davis said this song was about being introverted.
8. let's go: 5/5 my favorite song on the album. it's about the love/hate nature of relationships. this is one of the most fulfilling korn experiences i've had in awhile by now...
9. get up!: 5/5 this is the first song that was recorded for the album (as everyone already probably knows). it goes without saying that this song is killer. it is the reason i was drawn to the entire album in the first place. it was my first verification that the dubstep/korn mesh had succeeded.
10. way too far: 5/5 this song starts off with a lunging beat, before kicking off into a manson-sounding verse. the contrast between the growling in the prechorus and the eerie (beautiful) melody of JD's vocals in the chorus is amazing.
11. bleeding out: 5/5 this album encompasses everything that is this "new" korn. heavily-texture electronic beats, downtuned chugging riffs, and some dark and cool off-key sounding melodies from JD. the chorus reminds me of songs from "see you on the other side" (i actually liked a lot of that album). the interlude features a bagpipe solo from JD. apparently davis has a rat problem and shot one with his gun....WTF? he watched the rat bleed out, and it inspired the title of the track.
12. fuels the comedy: 4/5 the eccentric nature of the vocals in the verse will naturally polarize fans, but luckily there are enough elements of the music to make it a worthy listen either way (especially the interlude). the lyrics during the verse(s) can be pretty hokey, and the chorus is lacking compared to the ones prior to this song.
13. tension: 5/5 this is a really slow and atmospheric song. it reminds me of manson/nin at times and korn from "see you on the other side", but there is an awesome SCAT breakdown in this song that makes the entire special edition purchase worth it. seriously.
All of this and it comes with the entire encounter dvd (korn playing in crop-circles in bakersfield, CA), which sounds great (although it would be nice to have an option to get this in blu-ray for us snobs). it's nice to see them playing old songs like "need to" and "clown" with luzier on the kit. that man is a beast.
i highly recommend this to all of humanity, because i heard that every time someone buys this album a nickelback fan dies.