Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's Coming Back Around..., January 6, 2004
For me, "Follow the Leader" is Korn's best album, mostly because of the fearless experimentation and difference on that album, and the mix between metallic KoRn, melodic KoRn, and even rap/metal KoRn. Head & Munky got so many wicked cool sounds out of their guitar, and Fieldy's signature bass sound was very audible and slappy, and Jonathan's lyrics matured and on some tracks were actually funny. However, those things aren't nearly as present on "Take A Look In The Mirror". On their new album, it becomes increasingly obvious that KoRn are trying to go full circle all over again- they had an extremely dark, depressing, self-hating and of course LOUD self-titled debut album, followed by the less self-hating, more angry "Life is Peachy", followed by their experimental "Follow the Leader" album in which they took a lot of emotional chances and changed their sound around in brilliant ways. And just as "Untouchables" was the even-darker equivalent of their debut, "Take A Look In The Mirror" is the new even-angrier version of "Life is Peachy". While "Untouchables" perhaps surpassed the debut as the heaviest and darkest KoRn record to date, TALITM certainly contends to be the angriest and most twisted. One of the very best things about KoRn is that they have been around for almost ten years and have barely changed their sound. The very worst thing about KoRn is that they have been around for almost ten years and have barely changed their sound. Sure, "Right Now" and "Play Me" don't follow the normal Korn formula, but the rest of the album, just like every other KoRn album except FTL, is non-stop anger, self-hate, or various negative emotions. Don't get me wrong, I love KoRn and I really like the CD, but my heart yearns for some difference occasionally. My best hope for this legendary band is that they will continue to follow the pattern, and make their next one another experimental and melodic record more similar to "Follow the Leader". KoRn are the Kings of Nu-Metal, no doubt about it, but if you want something:Just as heavy and hate-filled but more experimental, get Slipknot
More energetic but almost as gloomy, get Linkin park
More fun, melodic and less gloomy, get Limp Bizkit
More crazy and original yet deep-thinking, get System of a Down
More grungy and mystical, get Godsmack
More traditional hard rock, get Audioslave
More mellow and Beautiful, get A Perfect Circle
More intelligent, less self-hating, and rebellious, yet just as heavy, then Tool is definitely for you.
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24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant!, January 17, 2004
Take a Look in the Mirror is brilliant. After very disappointing "Untouchables", Korn is back with their second very best album ( after "Korn" obviously ). The album has 4 masterpieces:
Right Now 7/5 High energy son, very catchy, awesome vocals!
Everything I've known 7/5 "THEN WE FIGHT" line sounds unbelievable.
Did my time 7/5 Awesome song.
Let's do it now 7/5 One of the best Korn songs, "Break you down
Mercy, I cannot allow" sound great!Great songs:
Ya'll Want A Single 6/5
When Will This End 6/5
Deep Inside 5/5
Counting On Me 4.5/5
Here It Comes Again 4/5
Break Some Off 4/5 Absolutely stupid songs
I'm Done 0/5
Play Me (featuring Nas) 0/5 And , yes, the bonus track "One". I'm speechless, I'm a very big fan of Metallica and Korn outdid Metallica here, WOW So don't listen to people who don't like the album. It's an absolute must for a metal fan. Forget about a couple idiotic songs like "I'm done" and you'll get yourself a CD that is worth your every penny. Bravissimo, Korn! 4.8/5
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Has some promise, but.., December 3, 2005
When this album first came out, I hated it. I felt betrayed and I swore off listening to it for literally years before I finally listened to it again. Now that I've listened to it a few more times, I've come to several conclusions; The first is that I was overly harsh on this album when I first listened to it.
The second is that it still pretty much sucks.
The most frustrating part of this album is that in almost every song there is a melody or a riff that could have become a cool song if they would have just spent time on it. Instead, they filled in the blanks with unimaginative overplayed "grooves" and confrontational nu metal lyrics - using the word "f***" no less than three thousand times per song.
The choruses of some of these songs could have made great songs, like the creepy "Break Some Off" and somber "Counting On Me"... but as soon as they tease me with some interesting, they pull it away and put in some generic aggro riff. "Everything I've Known" is one of the best examples of this: 10 seconds of genious pre-chorus surrounded by several minutes of mediocre skippability. No doubt this is a direct result of the album coming out barely a year after Untouchables (a far superior album.) If only they would have taken more time...
That's not to say that the whole album is horrible - Mostly, it's mediocre. Songs like "Deep Inside" and "When Will This End," which is a sort of out of tune attempt to emulate the last track intensity of their other albums ("Daddy," "Kill You," etc.) "Right Now" is another could-have-been song on this album, with a decent (but not particularely imaginative) riff and an energy that makes it the right choice for single. Unfortunately, it's just too hard to ignore the asanine chants of "I f***ing hate you" and "shut up I'll f*** you up." I'm not against cursing but this is very unintelligent use of the f-word. It loses its significance when you throw it around haphazardly like this, and in the end it just causes the song to come off as childish.
There are some really good songs on here as well, though. "Did My Time" actually progresses on Korn's sound. The dramatic dropping-from-the-sky guitar riff and string synth chords are addictive and shows what this album COULD have been had Korn not rushed to get it on shelves as soon as possible. "Here It Comes Again," while having kind of a stupid title, is similar in style to "Did My Time" - this major chord dramaticism is new ground for Korn, unlike so much of this album that tries to sound like the self-titled and ends up just sounding worn out and boring.
"Let's Do This Now" (another brilliant song title) is a really cool song that is aggressive and "old school" without sounding cliche. Even the requisite bagpipe part seems to work alright. "I'm Done" is an Issues-esque emotional ringer with a chorus that ends up sounding oddly similar to Adema's first album.
And then of course there's "Alive." It's a telling sign that this song, which is older than some songs on the self-titled, is probably the best song on this album. I enjoy it but this song, which was on Korn's first demo "Neidermeyer's Mind" and was stripped down to make "Need To," does not belong on this album. It's clearly out of place among all of the uninteresting power chords and stock grooves Korn are pumping out now. That and it was re-written into "Need To" for a reason - "Need To" is a better song, and listening to "Alive" mostly just makes me want to pull this album out and listen to the self-titled instead.
This album is not without total duds, either. "Play Me" is a complete joke. Guest rappers work sometimes - see "Follow the Leader" for several far more interesting and listenable examples. This one, though, is total crap. There isn't a single redeeming riff or rhyme here to make this song worth listening to. Be ready with the skip button. Another is the atrocious "Y'all Want a Single." Aside from a few creative chords thrown in, the riffs are boring and predictable and the lyrics are headache-inducing. There is absolutely no reason to listen to this song whatsoever.
Overall, I've reconsidered my opinion on Mirrors: it is in fact listenable and it has some good songs which I was too angry to notice when it was released. It's still the worst Korn album yet in my opinion. It just doesn't stack up against their other albums which are way, way better than this. The whole thing is rushed - in addition to the half-finished songwriting, the production is mostly cheesey and faux heavy and Jonathan's scream sounds haggard and worn down most of the time. On the upside, David Silveria's drumming is a notch better here than it was on Untouchables.
So, if you're a dedicated Korn fan, or a sentimental completionist like me, you'll probably fine something here to make the purchase worthwhile. But if you're just a casual listener looking for only the best that Korn has to offer, any of Korn's first 5 albums would be a far better choice than this. Buyer beware.
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