Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Mmm. Good memories with this one.
Coole sound, maar vaak veel van hetzelfde
Such a banger and an absolute classic.
I’m a freak on a leash
When the world caught on to post-Grunge hard rock. Peak 90s nu metal from Korn. Great sound, catchiest songs for me are Freak on a Leash, Dead Bodies Everywhere, Children of the Korn, and Reclaim My Place.
V repetitive
"Scatting".
4.25
Is it objectively good... No. Does it have it's issues... Yes. Do I enjoy Nu-Metal... Always! I'm a simple man l, easy 4 for my rock based bias!
“It’s On!” is a good opener, and they keep it going with the next 2 tracks. Starts to get boring from there but when “Justin” comes on don’t be around me bro! I’ll destroy everything around me lol. After that it goes really downhill. Torn between a 3 and a 4 star review. I really only like 4 out of the 14 songs on this album, but they’re so good (especially the break downs) that I’m gonna just give a 4. I see a lot of 1 star reviews and I get it because Korn and heavy music in general ain’t for everybody.
A often engaging, beguiling yet pivotal work for the increasingly popular and despised nu-metal genre of the late 90s, Follow the Leader showcases Korn approaching the peak of their powers, figuring out how to harness their knack for brutal earworm melodies for the mainstream. Things do get a little shaky when the features pop up (most notably on the poorly aged All in the Family) and things do become drawn out and tired by the end but, when it just the band, man... do they fire on all cylinders. Probably not for everyone but there is merit where it can be found. Favorites: It's On!, Freak on a Leash, Got the Life, Dead Bodies Everywhere, B.B.K., Pretty, Reclaim My Place, Justin.
First time hearing a full album of them. I was really not expecting rap in the middle of it. Not bad.
Really enjoyed it, familiar with a lot of the songs but never listened to the album. Headbanging for most of it!
Putting aside my prejudice against Korn from back then, a lot of these songs just rock. The Ice Cube feature is actually an interesting addition. Could have done without Fred Durst though. Gets a little repetitive by the end.
Angsty mid 90s metal. I can smell it from my speakers. Children of the Korn is one of my top 100 songs, so there's that.
Bumped from 3 to 3.5 because Freak on a Leash and Fred Durst are goated
Never was really into Korn and only knew Freak on a leash from this album, but it was concise, interesting and very groovy. 7.5/10 Fave track: Got the Life
Well THIS was a pleasant surprise after weeks of 60s folk rock and foreign artists. Haven’t listened to this album since I owned the CD in high school and oh man does it still rock.
I was admittedly a huge Korn fan in my early teens so it was kinda fun to go back and listen to this for the first time in 20 years. I didn’t expect it to age especially well but upon listening I’d argue it’s the guest tracks that aged the worst. It starts strong with the first 3 tracks with the classic growls and whines of Davis coming out, Freak on a Leash is simply awesome. All in the Family was so bad it was almost funny, could have done without Cameltosis too. It ran a bit long but Korn is their own sound and I get this isn’t for everyone but Davis and crew earned 4 stars from me
Pretty good throughout, but lacks a standout track
Great album but it drags on too long. Really heavy, fun listen for the first 40ish minutes but then it keeps going.
Man the music from Korn is fantastic but the lead singer just kinda sounds like the youngest of the wild thornberries sometimes
Finally an actual decent album!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻
As a big fan of the nu metal scene , I really enjoyed this album There was only one song that I didn't enjoy which was the Fred durst collab but other then that all tracks were really good
Aw yeeeeeeah! This is a proper great album! I fucking love this, total flash backs to being young and foolish! Love it to bits!
I wasn't really into Korn back when this album came out, which is funny because I was a fan of Limp Bizkit, but overall this album rips! It was a nice day yesterday and I enjoyed riding around with the windows down and the system up.
damn i missed korn
I vibe more with the big songs for sure, but I don't dislike the rest of it either
prekky kool, ifk youk ask mke
This woke me up
Definitely over the top at times but these first of tracks are straight bangers
“something takes a part of me” -“🗣🦧👹😵💫😈👿👺👽”
My first concert was KoRn in Amsterdam in 2008. It was amazing and they played a few of this songs too ofcourse. Nostalgia!
Honestly a really strong work, but a few pieces detract from the overall experience enough to lower it for me.
Rock industrial, pesado, guitarrero, con intensidad. Algún corte interesante. No es mi estilo preferido, pero me gusta el aire que desprende
Je suis fou ou j'ai adoré, on dirait que ca me rappelle tellement ma jeunesse. Ca brasse et il y a juste assez d'agressivité ahah. On écoute pas dans le système son avec les enfants . 3.85
Maybe I'm being generous because of nostalgia, this album was formative for me, but while I admit alot of the "nu-metal" I was into is cringe and hard to listen to now I can still throw this on an get into it so that has to count for something.
I don't think I've ever listened to this album in full. I like metal and I like Korn, so +1 here. I'll probably listen to all of their other albums! It just never seemed like a right time, but why tf not?! Either way has some weird rappy bits but overall a solid album.
Hits are good, but the other songs not so much.
One of my first experiences with "heavy" music was this album. Don't quite remember All in the Family being as bad as it was, but still a good album.
Funny, that i got this album, the day, Korn was playing in my City.
This album was way better than I remembered. Back in the day, I disliked this album for not being as good as Life is Peachy and for, I dunno, the rap influence or whatever. It's actually really fun in general though.
Absolutely bangs. Korn wasn't my go-to nu-metal in my teens but I still appreciated them and still very much do. The rap song with Fred Durst is complete garbage but luckily that's the only big stumble for me on this album.
There’s just no one like Korn. FTL holds up as some of their very best work, even with thirteen tracks of silence. 4
I was a metalhead at this point in the 90s and I kinda liked that Korn was heavy, but I also hated that theyv drowned out stuff like Metallica and Alice in Chains. These days it still has an oddly nostalgic sound to it - most of my friends were into nu-metal and Korn being one of the biggest bands I was exposed to it a lot. Plus a few tracks from this were huge radio hits. I listen to it every now and then. It's a bit long but I do have to give it a 4/5. Also, amazing production.
An enjoyable mix of nine inch nails type goth metal, hip hop, bagpipes, weird bleeps, funky bass. A bit too angsty for my tastes, but still enjoyable and good stuff.
Nice
Korn have always been one of those bands where I like a handful of songs, but never really fell for any of their albums. Of course this has Freak On a Leash, amongst a few other hits.
Pretty good! Not as heavy as I expected!
Voi juma! Itse olin Kornin suhteen myöhäisherännäinen ja sen aikaisessa kaveriporukassa tämä oli kovaa kamaa. Jykevä basso ja voimakkaat kompit yhdistettynä ruumishuoneella työskennelleeseen ördäilyyn kykenevään laulajaan sai erektion aikaiseksi teini-ikäisessä nuoressa.
Ehkä yks tai kaks hutia, mut muuten erittäin viihdyttävä
Look, Nu Metal gets a bad rap (ha, pun unintended). And it deserves most of it, being deeply emblematic of the aggressive edginess of the late 90s and the aughts. But damn if it doesn't still go hard at times. 4 stars for the iconic Freak on a Leash
Maybe not the best cross-over around, but a good album still
Was going to give 5 stars except for the noises in the songs that made me worried my car was going to fall apart.
Quite fun! Definitely nostalgic
Korn was one of those metal bands I never really got into because I only liked maybe two of their songs. I never listened to any others except when I did I didn't like them. Hearing them in the context of this album, which I know some of these songs came on in the football locker room, I have more appreciation for them. I really liked Freak on a Leash and the rest kind of just flowed. I still wasn't a fan of some of it, but the ones I liked I really liked. And that's a fantastic album cover too.
Very aggressive, I like it. Favorite track is either Freak on a Leash or Dead Bodies Everywhere.
Yet another classic, though I like Issues best
shouty good
Oh, middle school edginess. I can't hate it. It's unironically cheesy fun.
Stronger in the first half bit still good overall.
3.5 Buen disco, pero le doy las 4 solo por Freak on a Leash
Amazing record. Good mix of metal and some rap parts. Some songs can get really dark while some other songs can be more "fun".
Solo conozxo una cancion y me gusta mucho, no me dio tiempo a escuchar las otras :(
Forgot how much I actually listened to this album when it came out. Few forgotten belters. Opening 3 tracks are all time. Glad I got the chance to go on a journey I never knew I needed.
Stor överraskning hur bra även alla icke-singlar var. Bästa skivan so far
Brought back lots of teen angst memories. Really liked the hip hop collaborations on this album. It kinda loses its lustre towards the end but it opens about as strong as you could expect.
Great album - really took me back to my youth.
Je suis vendu d’avance, j’adore leur style. C’est heavy mais ça me fait méditer. Ils font une recherche incroyable pour les mélodies, aweille la cornemuse!
Still the jam!
this was surprisingly really good
125 albums and we finally get a decent metal band 🤘 This album massively reminds me of university days and "Freak On A Leash" is an undisputed banger 🤘 Some cool guests on this too: Ice Cube, Fred Durst, SlimKid3 from The Pharcyde. That said, it's not my fave metal album. It might not even be my fave Korn album. Still worthy of 4 stars tho. 7.5/10
false
As good as I remember. They can play the shit out of some music!
It aight.
No voy a andar dando explicaciones >:(
Interesting intro to Metal for me. This is apparently "Nu Metal" which is a good entry point to metal for people that are interested. I still feel metal is quite boring in it's composition and melody, but I also thought the same about hip hop until I found good hip hop. This could be the same for metal. Korn is certainly a good intro for me, but I still feel there could be more to be done to make this interesting.
Wild ride, this one is. Some creepy shit, but also good jams
A classic from the 90s that I only just listened to front to back!
Didn't expect to like this but I did. It has a nice grooves some heavy guitar riffs and is innovative. Too long though
Hard rock isn’t entirely my jam, but it was a solid album
Riffs are great. I'm glad they regret some of the content of this album though because it is awful at times. Deserves credit for putting nu metal on the map, whether you like it or not.
meh
interesting stuff
Freak on a Leash = epic Rest is mid with some cool moments
Good album, a little heavy for me at times. They def had their own unique sound. A couple tracks (notably one with Fred Durst) probably wouldn’t be written today.
While I like some of it, All in the family is truly terrible. They should have used self titled, it's a better listen Will I listen to again: 15%
no escuche mucho pero me gusto
Enjoyed it more 20 years ago but I might have been pretending then
I’m giving Korn the lowest 3, the part of me (see: teenage part) that loves Slipknot and SOAD can’t deny that a lot of this record is kind of great. That being said, the edgy lyrics put me well off and every time the vocalist does anything extra I find it very cringy.
Whatever. I can feel myself forgetting this album while I listen to it.
Album 218. Follow The Leader (https://open.spotify.com/album/0gsiszk6JWYwAyGvaTTud4?si=Urc1bhXXQHuv702HjPjlBQ) — Korn (1998) Ratings are low, so I had low expectations. But it's actually okay nu-metal. Yep, I don't have reasons to relisten to it, but it was actually good for a one-time listen. Unexpected to see Ice Cube featured on one song. 3/5 No liked songs
2.5
I wasn't expecting to like this, but it is alright. It feels like Linkin Park, in its production, nu-metal style, and rap-rock, but much harder and dirtier. This has meant that it can be distanced from the artificiality of that band, and elevated further with some great vocals. I appreciate its energy and feel; although lyrically at time it can be immature.
I honestly don’t get all the 1/5 ratings this album gets. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 is obviously very rooted in late-90s nu metal, but compared to a lot of albums from that scene, this one at least has some personality. The mix of heavy riffs, strange textures, and hip-hop influences gives it a more distinctive sound than I expected. It still isn’t fully my thing, though. The album drags in places, and I’m generally not that into the whole nu metal style. But even then, I can at least hear why this became such a big record. It feels more ambitious and musically interesting than a lot of its imitators.
Metal mixed with rap. Interesting stuff. By the end, I was tired of it. 3/5
This was decent. Didn't really love some with the guest artists.
Estuvo bien
Korn were one of the originators of Nu Metal. Say what you will about the genre, but the fact that something so out-there ever became mainstream is remarkable. This album, the band's third, leans a bit more into the hip-hop side of things, unlike their first two, which presented a more unfiltered version of the genre. The album opens in the best possible way with the band's best three-track run of their carreer, including their best ever song "Freak on a Leash". Even the fact that on the CD version the first 12 tracks are all silence contributes to the eerie atmosphere the record is going for. After that however the band fails to keep the momentum by reusing similar ideas throught the whole runtime. The hip-hop tracks with Ice Cube and one of the guys from The Pharcyde simply clash with the creepy Halloween feel the band was going for, and the Fred Durst collab "All in the Family" is just embarrassing. Who the hell thought that was a good idea? Still, for most of the runtime, Korn do what they do best and do it very well, but I'd still recommend either of the first two albums over this one. Key tracks: It's On! Freak on a Leash Got the Life
Nostalgic I am 14 and this is deep vibes
Estas alterações bem ao nível de escola básica
Gostei mais do que esperava, mas mesmo assim não adoro o lado mais rap da coisa
Was actually surprised at this. Not nearly as unlistenable as I imagined in advance. Far from it. The metal rock was not offensive, and the lyrics are sometimes captivating, sometimes humorous. It’s pretty clear they’re having fun and they don’t give a fuck whether you like it or not.It’s not something I’m going to listen to again, but I kind of liked it.
It’s a late 90s classic. Super popular at the time and has gained steady resurgence lately, for the nu-metal genre in general. This album stands out from other releases in the genre. 3.4/5.0
I loved 'Freak on a Leash' as a teenager but I've never listened to the album. It's more of the same and, in my opinion, Jonathan does have a great voice, so I'm giving it three stars.
Korn basically birthed nu metal and they will never properly pay for that. This is something I have not listened through for well over 25 years, which was the proper time to have heard it. This probably isn't Korn's best or most important, but it's definitely the game changer for the band and genre. It's more polished in some ways than their previous stuff, and if you can get over the vocals, there probably is not a more pristine encapsulation of the best of the genre than the first few songs. The vocal thing, BTW, is less about the Boom Dat Da Oom of Freak on a Leash, but more the times that Davis goes whimpering dog vox. This was effective on some of the more emotional bits of their earlier albums, but feels much more forced by this point. Anyway: Got the Life probably is the key track here. It encapsulates a lot of what could be good about the genre: that floppy slap bass, the creeping guitar in the verses and soaring main chorus riff, the ways that hiphop influenced the genre, the abuse and rage and disillusionment that inspired so many of the progenitors of the genre. And sure, the lyrics are way less cool now that i'm older than 20, but i can still remember the way this felt revolutionary. The primal vocal actions of Freak on a Leash or the creepy music box intro of Dead Bodies Everywhere... this was all absolute candy to white suburban kids who didn't have a lot of real problems but were just starting to recognize something uncomfortable around the edges of society, were just starting to realize that all of us, as we grow up, start losing the joy and start hurting in new ways that we do not yet have words to express. Track 5 is where the album starts going off-piste, because while the rap influences make this interesting, the highlights are not great. Ice Cube brings the best he can to what is otherwise a muddy mess. Cameltosis is at least musically effective despite a stupid chorus, but also has almost nothing to do with the rest of the album. And of course, All in the Family aged like raw milk in the sun, and Fred Durst is the Brucellosis. It's cringe even if it wasn't so peppered with casual homophobia. Oh the 90s. Most of the rest? Pretty forgettable, as confirmed by my not remembering most of it despite spinning it heavily in the day. The highlight of the back half is My Gift to You, which brings out the bagpipes, and of course once-hidden track Earache My Eye. The former is a big long plodding emotional ending, something Korn were kind of known for by this point, and it is effective here in ways that even the popular songs dont always reach. The latter is a goofy cheech and chong cover, and works surprisingly well in this idiom. All told, i'd probably give this a light 3* though I think nostalgia is doing a lot of lifting.
On some level, if the 1001 Albums books were going to touch upon nu metal, then Korn, as one of the biggest bands to come out of that genre, was bound to be mentioned. I can see the logic in them picking the album that launched the group into mainstream success, off singles like "Freak on a Leash" and "Got the Life". In fact, there are more enjoyable songs than just those two. The opening run from "It's On!" to "Dead Bodies Everywhere" was some of the most energetic, hard-hitting grooves I heard in a while, buoyed by Fieldy's thick bass slaps, Munky and Brian "Head" Welch's crunchy guitar riffs, David Silveria's pulse-pounding drums, and Jonathan Davis's harsh tenor with such truly guttural scat-singing. That momentum also carries into later cuts like "B.B.K." and "Reclaim My Place", and even with Jon breaking out the bagpipes for "My Gift For You". There are even some heartfelt moments to be found, like the tribute to a fallen fan on "Justin" or the unfeathered beauty Jon saw in his newborn son on "Seed", even if I'm not as into the pitch-shifted vocals during the scat breakdown of that track. There are points where Follow the Leader was on the cusp of being a solid record. But man, we have to talk about the guest features. It is amazing how the only guest collab that I genuinely enjoyed was Cheech Marin sharing the mic with the band for a goofy nu metal rendition of Cheech & Chong's "Earache My Eye", and that was a hidden track. The actual marketed collaborations don't come close to being as fun or listenable as that. "Cameltosis" with Slimkid3 aka Tre of The Pharcyde was underwhelming in highlighting Jon's struggles to find love after being scarred by a previous relationship. "Children of the Korn” with Ice Cube ended up as an ill-conceived rally anthem for Gen X that couldn't bother to blend the rap and metal sides seamlessly. But probably the worst of all is "All in the Family", where Jon has a staged tongue-in-cheek rap battle with Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit that proved awkward for its time and has horribly aged. In fact, the songs with Ice Cube and Fred Durst are littered with Jonathan calling gay slurs in jest. Considering the man was bullied in high school and called such derogatory names, as brought up in earlier records, for him to use those same words like that is just the wrong lesson to take from that experience. Follow the Leader is truly an album of peaks and valleys. I get that this album and its singles put Korn on the map, but not all of it has aged well or feels truly representative of what this band is capable of.
Que ganas de salir a matar zombies
It’s not for me but I can understand that it’s well made
"It's been eight hundred and seventy days, father, Will there be some TOOL soon? A little Blue Album to stave off the chills? Father, please tell me there's a modicum of Neutral Milk coming down the pike to quell my hunger" Father: "Dah-Nah-Nah, Dah-Nah-Nah, Dah-Dah-Daa"
Un toque mas metal, me gusta, sigue sin ser una locura.
No soy fanático del género ni entendedor pleno del idioma. Sólo esperaba tener un día tranquilo, pero escuché este álbum durante el trabajo y sentí un fuerte impulso por golpear a mis colegas e incendiar todo el lugar
It’s a fine album, nothing extraordinary about it, does it deserve the hate. No. Is it the best thing since sliced bread. Also no. Nu metal is kind of a weird genre in itself but whatever floats your boat.
I was totally rocking out to this album in the beginning, and then it started to grate on me about halfway through. It started to all sound the same after a while - angry noise - but since I did enjoy it somewhat, I'll give it a (3).
Pretty solid album
I'm sorry this is so cheesy 😂. Just give me the instrumentals. Bro just couldn't hold it in 😭 (2.5-3).
57/100. It’s a massive record for the genre’s history, but as a front to back listening experience, those low points really drag the whole thing down. The bad tracks are absolutely catastrophic.
"Follow the Leader" firmly adheres to the "loud-quiet-loud" dynamic that serves as the DNA of the nu-metal sub-genre. The "loud" sections consist of heavy, down-tuned "chug-a-chuga" riffs that define the record's weight. The vocals are interesting, featuring a mixture of scatting, heavy breathing, and sudden shifts from a vulnerable whisper to a guttural roar. While the performance is raw, it can feel quite jarring at times. Conversely, the drum sound is thin and rather annoying. The snare has a thin "crack" and the bass drum feels off, as the production prioritises a sharp attack over a deep, resonant low end. It feels as though the drum sound was an afterthought in the mixing process. The songs themselves are well-arranged and performed. A great deal of thought and imagination has clearly gone into the compositions, even if they are not entirely to my taste. However, the nu-metal dynamics are used to the point of being overdone; across thirteen tracks, the formula becomes somewhat wearing. This adds to the feeling of the album being overlong at a 67 minute run-time. The guest appearance by Fred Durst on 'All in the Family' is particularly unsuccessful; his vocal stylings do not suit the track, making the collaboration feel forced and calculated. As for the track-listing - is it thirteen tracks or twenty-five? Or perhaps twenty-six, including the hidden track? I now understand that the first twelve tracks of silence are a tribute to a fan (Justin) who died of cancer. Until I took the time to look up why this was done (I'm not a fan) I just thought this was a clumsy gimmick. That's a nice sentiment. Lastly, the artwork is superb, It was created by Todd McFarlane Entertainment, with McFarlane - the creator of the Spawn comic series - overseeing the project. The cover was pencilled by Greg Capullo and coloured by Brian Haberlin. Three stars. Tracks 1–12: [Silent] (1/5) Track 13: It's On! (3/5) Track 14: Freak on a Leash (3/5) Track 15: Got the Life (3/5) Track 16: Dead Bodies Everywhere (4/5) Track 17: Children of the Korn (feat. Ice Cube) (3/5) Track 18: B.B.K. (3/5) Track 19: Pretty (3/5) Track 20: All in the Family (feat. Fred Durst) (2/5) Track 21: Reclaim My Place (3/5) Track 22: Justin (2/5) Track 23: Seed (3/5) Track 24: Cameltosis (feat. Tre Hardson) (3/5) Track 25: My Gift to You / Earache My Eye (Hidden Track) (3/5) Total - 39 Average - 2.79 282/1001 150/282 albums reviewed were new to me
Pretty interesting, innovative for the time but sounds dated now
At the time I probably thought of myself as too much of a tradionalist to jump on the nu metal thing, so the whole genre passed me by. First time I've heard this, and I've given it a couple of plays today. I get it, and it's decent in places, but that terrible Fred Durst rhyme duel thing can get on the bin! Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit 🫳 ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 264 Already owned : 61 Purchased : 15 To buy list : 1 Nope : 187
Enjoyable and glad it’s on the list to represent alt metal but not my favourite
I didn't love Korn back when they were popular, and I have mostly kinda forgotten about them since. But a few weeks ago, when I listened to Chocolate Starfish by Limp Bizkit, I was pleasantly surprised by how fresh and listenable the album was. When I first started listening to this one, I was hopeful that it would be the same, but I was kinda disappointed. There were a few bright spots, mostly the hit songs (Freak On A Leash, Got the Life), but most of the tracks were just kinda all the same sound with a bunch of really cringey lyrics (eg. Dead Bodies Everywhere... seriously?). The Fred Durst collab/diss track "All in the Family" was pretty terrible. I mean, musically it was fine, but lyrically it was just embarrassing to listen to. I did listen to this album all the way through twice, to see if it got better on the second listen, and it kinda did, but not much. Three stars.
Honestly better than I expected, but imagine being this angry in the 1990s, like the last ok decade in American history? The rappers fit in nicely but the other vocals were pretty brutal. I thought the first word sung was “Korn”. It wasn’t but that would have been pretty funny if it was.
6/10
Look its fun but not a whole album, you get the picture very quickly
Day 15 — Korn — Follow The Leader (1998) Listened: Mar 9, 2026 Genre: Nu-Metal / Alternative Metal / Rap-Metal Vibe: Aggressive, angsty nu-metal being formed with metal and hip-hop being fused Highlights: • Freak On a Leash • Children of the Korn (feat. Ice Cube) • All In the Family (feat. Fred Durst) Impression: Childhood classic and one of my first albums owned. Holds up better than expected as a defining document of the nu-metal era — the hip-hop and metal fusion was genuinely innovative for 1998. Nostalgia aside, the groove and energy still hit. Rating: 2.9/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Probably
It’s fun to revisit Freak On A Leash. It’s crazy how huge that song especially was when it came out and the video was on MTV every hour it seemed. It perhaps hasn’t aged great and this is music I’d pretty much only listen to while working out, but it’s good for that.
Jag gillar mycket av det, men det känns som att det ofta fastnar i någon sorts gröt som inte riktigt tar sig hela vägen.
Var påväg mot ett väldigt högt betyg men känns som kreativiteten slutar flöda nånstans i mitten. Synd!
This doesn't belong on this list.
Brash and in your face
Unclear if for the dumbs or the smarts.
Freak on a Leash is a masterpiece, the rest of the album is a bit samey. Would be better with at least four tracks removed, especially the rap songs.
Went in with low expectations since I'm into metal very much at all, but this was.....fine. Much more palatable than Sepultura
I was obsessed with Korn in high school, they were my favorite band and I would bounce around their discography regularly. Follow The Leader was definitely part of the rotation, so I was interested to see how it held up. And I'd say it landed pretty squarely in the same spot for me: there are some pretty good deep cuts on this thing, where Korn is hitting on something more interesting than usual. "Dead Bodies Everywhere" is a great example: the dynamics are more poignant as the song shifts between the eerie quite parts and crushing metal riff of the chorus, all while Jonathan Davis locks into catchy, powerful melodies. And the outro feels very climactic. This was one of my favorites in high school. "Reclaim My Place" is another heater, funky as all hell while hitting super hard. I think Korn is at their best when they're delivering crunchy groove-inspired metal riffs with Davis's vocals soaring over. However, Korn is at their worst when they're making songs like "All In The Family" and "Cameltosis." There are almost too many moments where the lyrics are overly perverse and paint Jonathan Davis as a deeply disturbed, misogynist sex weirdo. I'm sure the guy had a lot he was working through but his handling of the subject matter here was gross in the 90s and it's still gross today. I'd say it was a product of the time but even the time didn't want to buy this... Overall, there are some decent standouts with some bafflingly horrendous filler. Could have been slimmed down.
Points for originality. And not taking itself too seriously.
Not the worst, but not my cup of tea
A totally solid album, it’s heavy early Nu-Metal to the max. It’s in your face, angry & powerful, I enjoyed the album. It had some songs with cool features like Fred Durst & Ice Cube. I thought a cover of Earache My Eye was a particularly cool way to end the album! Would’ve give this album 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4
Grabs you by the neck from the very start. Never a big fan of this genre, always find that it's a knock off of Rage Against the Machine and Nirvana. But this is different to itself, still takes from the two mentioned bands, but they work it to there advanatage! You find yourself nearly headbanging to the album, and the first two tracks are top-class songs, if your into rock music or more than likely watched Kerrang growing up, you would have heard Freak on a Leash before, but it's a classic from that era for a reason! Just a good metal album, that for the likes of me, who isn't into metal, you can get on board with from the start! The flaw of the album is that the lyrics are very much written like an anxiety teenager, they are fairly poor! All in the family, is just a shite song, was the version of Rage Against the Machine and Nirvana, that was just piss poor and killed of the grunge genre for so many years, as songs like this turned it cringe.
Oh hey, middle school memories. The only song I really liked off this album back then was Freak on a Leash, and that hasn’t changed over time.
I enjoyed this and then I listened to a few of their others singles after. 3.5. sue me
I was intrigued to listen to this again as a 41 year old instead of as a 14 year old. First four songs are great, then it has a big drop off and contains some truly dreadful stuff. Loved Korn as a teenager but I'm not going to listen to this again. Except the bangers of course.
Definitely not the smartest music, but kind of a "guilty pleasure" experience.
first listen freak on a leash is great but the rest is just okay
Mostly holds up!
Those hits are bangers but...yeah just as it was when I was in high school this album is generally not for me.
Quintessential nu-metal… for whatever that’s worth
it's on- 4 freak on a leash- 5 got the life- 5. the chorus is good dead bodies everywhere- 4 children of the korn- hi ice cube. 5 bbk- 4 pretty- 4 all in the family- 8 lol. im not sorry, this shit is funny reclaim my place- 4 justin- 4 seed- 4 cameltosis- 4 my gift to you- 4 earache my eye- 4 it's not very good but ngl I can't hate it cause it's just goofy
Ok, litt gøy etter gammalt
Solid album, kind of a mess at times Standout songs: Dead bodies everywhere Children of the Korn
Korn!!!!
It was okay backgrounds music on my drive. I wouldn’t call it hard to listen to though
The features on this album really caught me off guard. But it was fun. I've never really been a huge Korn guy, but every once in a while it's fun.
Just another metal album with some big guest appearances. Some fun songs but am not the biggest fan here. Guess there are some metal hits in here too but I am not familiar with Korn at all.
I hated it until I saw “snort a spaghetti noodle and pull it out of his mouth”. After I read this I definitely become more open minded. I think they can make good music but this is their choice. And they also strongly believe in their music. So out of respect, a good 3 for me.
Probably amazing live in a seedy club with sticky floors, alas, I'm listening to this in my office. Not a bad listen, very teen-angsty. Probably won't come back to it though.
6.5/10 I mean it’s alright, I found myself head banging to some songs & “all in the family” is actually a guilty pleasure, but man I just cannot get into this band like some of my friends do. Favorite song: got the life Least favorite: earache my eye
Hit or miss for me. I liked the ones that were played straight up like It's On! but others were just kind of goofy IMO
Understand the appeal but a bit too angry for me.
Not as good as I thought it would be. I guess I like Korn's hits but not much otherwise.
Lot of low scores at the top of the global rating list.. I thought this was ok, maybe not my choice to listen on the way to Christmas mass (haha) but for that reason I didn’t have a real deep listen.
Gotta be honest I am not in the mood for korn today. So freak on a leash on gonna really need to hit for me for this to rate well. Freak on a leash still hits hard. Not really a big fan of korn but these chunky guitars are hard to say no to. The Fred durst song you can keep. Overall, it worked for me on a day this was the last thing I wanted to hear.
Never been much of a nu metal guy or a Korn fan. Early Greg Capullo art (with Todd McFarlane) on the cover pleases the comic nerd in me. This is decent enough. Music is fine, I like how present the bass is. Not the biggest fan of Jonathan Davis' vocals. Don't need all the weird scatting type stuff. "All in the Family" is a big low point IMO. This is probably a 3.5ish for me but a hair closer to 3 than 4.
Pretty long album, but actually pretty solid! I'd say 2.5 round up.
There is some weird skit stuff on this album that is a waste of time, but the music isn't bad
Aight I'm rating this three out of five but in reality it is more of two-and-a-half kind of album. There is some bright stuff on the record, but some 2/3 of the material feels either monotonous or mediocre, i.e. such that I would not relisten or consider any GOAT. My picks for this one are "Children of the Korn" and "B.B.K." Also, there are parts where the voices are outrightly disgusting to a degree, but I'd consider it part of the group's style.
Estoy mayor para esto, pero estuvo guapo
It's korn!
Is Korn good? No. Is this album good? Also no. Is it weirdly fun sometimes? Oh yeah.
Classic Korn album, not much to say. I enjoyed it and will go back when I have more time and motivation to listen more deeply.
I thought Kori would like this one. It took less than 30 seconds into the first song for him to identify the artist. “Fuck yeah this shit is good. Turn it up.” I told him the album and said he used to own it and has a good story so look forward to that. This wasn’t my favourite but I didn’t mind it.
they were too busy trying to be edgy or funny instead of making better music
gueno, pero no es mi tipo de musica
It's ok
I thought that this album would be too extreme, but it's not that harsh most of the time, it's alright having it in the background and listening to it once every couple of years. I might even go as far as to say that some songs were even enjoyable to listen to.
I don't mind a bit of korn
Так збіглось, що я цього року виріши переслухати всю дискографію Корн. Не слухав класичні альбоми більше ніж 10 років точно. План не вдалось виконати, бо на Антайтлд я вирішив, що мені досить. Одним із головних відкриттів для мене стало, що немає прям супер топового альбому на 5 з 5. Також практично на всіх альбомах, хіба що окрім дебютного, є занадто відчутний розрив між синглами та рештою альбому (на дебютному насправді теж є Blind та все інше, але там концентрований стиль тримає все в тонусі). Тут ця проблема також є. Ще тут є просто ЖАХЛИВІ фіти, я не знаю як можна було так погано це зробити. Навіть в дитинстві фіт з дьорстом викликав почуття потужного крінжу. Тексти місцями просто жах. Мені завжди складно було асоціювати себе з ліричним героєм гурту, але тут іноді взагалі межу фолу переходить. Трошки тепер можна хорошого сказати про альбом. Freak on a Leash. Кандидат на GOAT ню-метал пісню. Досі цей да бууум да да ммм дам та дроп після GO працює як годинник. Але і цей скеттінг на альбомі відверто переюзаний і вже B.B.K. виглядає як самопародіювання. Завжди любив Корнів за ритм-секцію і тут місцями вона на якомусь нереальному рівню по качу, той же Got the Life – класика. Щось трохи запарафінив, але в цілому альбом мені досі ще подобається. Я не думаю, що тут буде декілька альбомів Корну. Я б поставив перший як супер впливовий та знаковий. Цей зараз на 3.5 для мене.
Reminds me somewhat of Nine Inch Nails, sometimes in a good way, but not really an album I would choose to listen again
Decent slab of nu metal. Some good highs and dated lows.
I grew up listening to the first four Korn albums a lot but this one is the one I return to the least. I still enjoy some tracks but I don’t listen to the full album much ever. I don’t think it’s their best effort, nor does it age as well as their other albums.
Groupe connu de nom. J'aime bien le nu-metal, et Korn en fait un qui est plutôt pas mal : bonne section rythmique (même si en général j'apprécie plutôt un son de basse plus agressif dans les bas mediums), riffs de guitare intéressants et harmonie parfois originale. Par contre je n'aime pas l'ajout de chant type rap sur certains morceaux, et le scratch ou autres techniques hip-hop m'indiffèrent. Et l'album est un peu trop long. Bonne découverte malgré tout, que j'écouterais probablement de nouveau mais qui ne rejoindra pas ma collection. =>3/5
3.5 some bangers and some w fred durst
a little too much for me I’ll admit
This is an album I know well so an easy write up. I busted out the CD for this one. Korn started in Bakersfield as a young angry garage band, which they prominently had proven on their first two albums. If you have ever been to Bakersfield you realize that it’s justified. What made Korn unique was learning to capitalize on their significant personal trauma and create both personal and hard-as-hell Drop-A tuning music. This album was probably the perfect example of Nu Metal at its most polished. Jonathan Davis was now sober (the only member who was) which made a new dynamics. With songs like Children of the Korn featuring the legendary Ice Cube and All In the Family with protégés Limp Bizkit (never cared for that song), this album definitely combines the metal-rap aesthetic. Freak on a Leash and Got the Life were the MTV favorites and launched Korn as a visual force. But some of the best songs came later, like the deeply personal Seed (…I always hear our HS band teacher screaming “Dynamics…learn Dynamics”) and Justin. Dead Bodies Everywhere also deserves notice. Cameltosis I always thought was unnecessary and detracted from the entire album. Overall, this album is a genre classic, though not my favorite Korn album. For non-metal heads, it deserves respect but I don’t know about a second listen.
Random thoughts: * I seemed to remember this being harder than it really is. I'm not sure why I thought it was harder or if my gauge of what is hard has moved. * Also, I though Korn was more different in the nu-metal genre but listening to this it really does fit right in with Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. I see why they were all grouped together. * I obviously know both Freak on a Leash and Got the Life and expected to like Freak on a Leash the best but I actually liked Got the Life better on this listen. Has this song aged better than Freak? * Overall, the nu-metal sound is cool and very much of the 1999-2003. I have a hard time hearing this sound outside of that time range.
KORRRN!!! Ryan and Rugby team worked security for their concert in WA- got his eye scratched
Nu metal what a time
Enjoyed this, some bits more than others, interesting vocal range and style…. Angry as expected!
Some hits on here but overall feels like a product of its time. Would’ve been a 4-5 when I was 15, closer to a 3 now.
one of their best
It's Korn, some vibes but a lot of cringe
It's alright. They do have their own sound. Just depends on how much you like it
This was a different album than what I usually listen to, but not something I’d listen to again
Perfect representation for the weird 00’s rock-rap ish and 14-year old me loves it.
Gar nicht mal so schlecht. Zum normalen hören zu hart. Für Training eventuell ganz gut.
It's metal music with rap lyrics... Its ok but it doesn't stand out for me.
Hit of nostalgia. Starts of strong and then kind goes downhill. Still a well produced album
Better than I was expecting but it's a lot.
3.2
Un álbum aunque sea mítico, una representación del nu metal de los 2000, es un álbum bastante bastante repetitivo. Freak on a leash es literalmente la main canción del álbum y después de esa, no hay ninguna que digamos, destacable.
It's cock rock. Wasn't a fan at the time, but I can acknowledge its influence.
2.9 Will start by saying I used to absolutely love Korn. But after a cracking debut album and an underrated follow up, this album never stuck well with me. Years later I can reflect on why - children of the Korn and all in the family completely ruin the album. BBK is actually a good song but I'm still too wound up after Children to enjoy it. Same goes for the next couple after Family. - the misogyny ("fucking bitches daily") and homophobia ("you little faggot") leaves a sour taste in the mouth, particularly after they literally had a song on their debut in support of kids getting bullied at school for being a "faggot". - way too fucking long. Should have ended after Seed. - the shitty trend of inserting convo's they had when high at the end of albums. As a kid I thought this was cool but fucking hell they sound like bellends in hindsight. - Earache my eye. Enough said. The only redeeming thing about this album is the first three songs. They should have released those as an EP with BBK and moved on to Untouchables.
A bit dated, but I thought this was a kind of clever album with some interesting music.
You know, we all have guilty pleasures. Down a point for the misogyny and homophobia though.
I'm not too much of a fan of metal, but this was good metal, a lot of my friends quote their growling a bit. I don't think this is anything special, just good. Guitars were pretty killer tho, instrumentally it had it's cool moments
90’s hard grungy / rock
They just don't make them like this anymore. My hotmail address was KoRnTimmie@hotmail.com back in 2002, so I can't give this a one star.. Alright, give it 3 stars for freak on a leash. Mbaaah maam mumm brapapapapap
Korn deed mij rond de eeuwwisseling weinig. Ondanks de stevigheid voelt het altijd wat leeg. Toch kan ik de muziek van Korn niet over één kam scheren. Ondanks de terugkerende grauwen, is er best veel variatie. Vooraf zitten twee nummers gelijk in mijn hoofd en die staan beide op dit album. Freak on a Leash is een nummer met een handtekening, dat vrij toegankelijk is. Ondanks en grom en een (lekker) lage lange bassdrum is het best een rustig en prima opgebouwd nummer. Het tweede nummer dat vooraf in mijn hoofd zit, is één van mijn grote ergernissen. Children of the Korn is wat betreft de muziekstijl best mijn smaak. Een combi tussen rauwe rock en rap. Maar de uitvoering is zo belabberd, dat het eigenlijk een schande voor het genre is. Ook na het opnieuw luisteren blijven deze twee nummers dominant in mijn hoofd. De meeste nummers doen mij weinig. Korn heeft vrij veel geluid, maar toch mist er vaak iets. Dat blijkt ook wel ruim 10 jaar later als de band The Path of Totality uitbrengt. Het bekende Korn-geluid wordt aangevuld met dubstep en ineens voelt het niet meer zo leeg. Dat had ik nodig. 2,5 ster
Cuando tenía 16 era mejor
Better than Coldplay
The album that launched a million chain wallets. As easy as it is to make fun of nu metal, Follow the Leader is pretty good.
You can hate the album. It's messy. It's homophobic. But you can't deny that teens everywhere were relieved to find music that spoke to them. It charted after all and won awards. There's very few Korn songs I keep, even in my music playlist Time Capsule, but Freak on a Leash made it (so did Falling Away from Me from Issues)
They're basically a pop group who think they're quite scary. I used to enjoy the videos that popped up on MTV in the early noughties, but I'm not really captured by any of it now. I still like the very low-tuned bass.
This album was designed in a lab to help you max out on the squat rack Best Song: Children of the Korn Rating: 5.5/10 Stars: 2/5
Starts as 4/5 ends as a 3/2
Aw, shit, is it nu metal time again? Y'know, nu metal gets a bad rap as a soundtrack for angry white boys getting mad at their parents taking away their Xbox — and it's not an unearned reputation. Besides Linkin Park, I struggle to think of any nu metal band that I could say wouldn't fit that stereotype to at least some degree. It's an angry genre, but it's also an incredibly juvenile genre. And, sure, angry white boys need their music, too, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to like it. Though, with that said... It's still metal. Or metal enough, at least. As I've said many times before, I'm not particularly discerning about metal. You give me loud guitar riffs and some pounding drums, more often than not I'm a happy girlie. Even the shittiest nu metal could probably satisfy me, assuming the guitars were crunchy enough and I could ignore the lyrics. This, I think, is where Korn comes in. Now, I wouldn't call them a shitty band — far from it. In the pantheon of nu metal, I'm pretty sure they're up there in the ranks (if you ignore their Skrillex co-production, anyway). It's just that, for my money, they generally don't do anything to really embarrass themselves and get in the way of the lyrics. There's some exceptions in spots, of course, but if you're coming to this just for some late 90's nu metal, you're probably gonna be more than satisfied. But let's talk about those exceptions. For one, the lyrics, for the most part, are fine. **For the most part** — we'll get there. But it's about what I'd expect from nu metal: a lot of angsty songs complaining about their parents or high school bullies. It's something I'd probably wouldn't mind too much if I wasn't aware that they'd go on to spend the rest of their career complaining about their high school bullies. Like, guys, at a point... You **can** write about other stuff, y'know; there's some songs with darker subject matter mixed in here. You hear "My Gift To You"? Take it as a character song and not Davis singing his literal thoughts and it's some intriguing "Kim" shit. But I guess **I** wouldn't wanna write those songs all the time, **and** the angst sells better, so... Then there's Johnathan Davis as a vocalist. I'm largely fine with him, between his yelling and his somewhat melodic groaning. From what I've sampled, it's pretty unique in nu metal, and I have no issues with it. Except for his scatting. Yes, of course: the scatting. The BOOM DAH BAH UMMM BAH MAH EE MAH and BUUY SUMTHIN AH MAH EE MAH OOOO. I think he's trying to be menacing with his scatting... But it's just goofy as hell. And I kinda love it for that, and I enjoy scatting along, but, like... Goodness me, you're not Limp Bizkit. I am supposed to be taking you seriously, and Davis turning into a cartoon gremlin and bouncing around yelling out nonsense isn't helping. You've got an otherwise respectable-ish-type vocalist! He's not Fred Durst! Speaking of Durst... Look, I wanna take the time here to admit, maybe I was too hard on CHOCOLATE STARFISH in my review of it. Don't get me wrong, it's a **bad** album. It hasn't earned its reputation for nothing. But looking back on it, being painfully aware of the existence of RESULTS MAY VARY and the shit on it like "Eat You Alive"... Like, CHOCOLATE STARFISH is just funny. I gave that thing a 1, but honestly, I shoulda bumped it to a 2, just for how much enjoyment I get out it, between the honestly good instrumentals and just getting a laugh out of Fred Durst shitting things up. Seriously, as if I don't get a kick out of imitating his dumb voice. But then there's Fred Durst's guest appearance on this album. And, y'know, on the features, they're largely fine. Ice Cube is fine — y'know, good enough that I wouldn't introduce him as "the star of WAR OF THE WORLDS '25." Slimkid3 is sure there. And I do enjoy Cheech showing up on the hidden track cover of his and his partner's "Earache My Eye". With "All In The Family", though — y'know, I don't mean to spend so much time focusing on it, 'coz I get what the point of it was supposed to be. It's a song where Davis and Durst shittalk each other back and forth. Y'know, some disses between friends. "Oh, you like Winger and you got dumb rhymes." That kind of shit. I get that But it's just fuckin' lame. Like, seriously lame as fuck If there's anything on this album I'd honestly call embarassing, and honestly drags the whole thing down a point, it's this song. Neither of them have good disses, when they're not just calling each other homophobic slurs, and Fred doesn't even have the funny whine in his voice yet. And then, despite the slurs being flung around, oh ho, the song ends with them changing the "I hate you and you hate me" lyric in the chorus to "I love you and I'll buttfuck you" — harr-harr-harr! So fuckin' funny! Yeah, no wonder Davis would later disown the song and call it the worst thing Korn's ever done. It's a pretty big mark on an album that I otherwise think is perfectly fine, at least by nu metal standards. It's no HYBRID THEORY, but it sure ain't CHOCOLATE STARFISH (as much as I said I'd give that some benefit for entertainment value). Like, I'unno. I don't dislike it by any stretch, but I wouldn't tell you I was wowed by it — especially when a few songs probably coulda been cut (for pacing reasons, I mean; not just for being "All In The Family"). The part of my brain that's an angsty teen-ager enjoyed this, and metal to me is still metal at the end of the day... But, eh, there's metal I'd go to first before following this album's lead. (BAH DOOM BAH DAH OOOOM DAAHM AAH EEE MAH.)
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump down to a 3, though I did honestly enjoy a solid chunk of this. If you like nu-metal, you’re gonna fuck with the production on this a lot. All the general tropes of the genre are here, and in terms of the energy it all brings, it will evoke a sort of 1998 mosh pit of overblown guitar, wacky bass & percussion booming in your ear. From solely an instrumental standpoint, I don’t think I have anything really major to complain about for the album. Lyrically, I think the only obvious super duper miss here is “All in the Family” – Fred Durst has not honed his songwriting at all (and frankly, I’m not sure he ever really did), nor has he trained his voice to go into its goofier tone that made “Chocolate Starfish” a fun listen regardless of how mediocre most of the tracks are on that album. It’s a juvenile back & forth that’s too edgy even by the Springer-y standards of 1998, it’s aged terribly, and it’s not even a witty rap battle by the standards of fucking Supa Hot Fire. “Boom Bam Bop Badabap Boom Pow” is probably a better line than anything Fred Durst or Jonathan Davis wrote here. Speaking of “boom bam bop badabap boom pow”, it’s time to talk about the vocals, which are ultimately fine – Jonathan’s voice doesn’t lend itself to a very musical tone, so he relies a lot more on grittier, heavier, moodier stuff to try and enhance the instrumentation. Generally, it works well enough, but there are moments where he sticks out in a bad way, specifically on the multitude of times he does his weird scatting bit throughout the album. It’s jarring as hell, it never really works, and it sounds more like the Tasmanian Devil thrown into a spin cycle in a recording booth. I want to quickly touch on the torture porn of “My Gift to You”, which is far more digestible if you treat it like he’s playing a character consumed by his demons. Honestly, the mood of that track sets it apart in a cool way for me, as the eerie atmosphere the instrumentation builds around the track is kind of incredible. It’s totally fucked up to a sickening degree, but they at least know it. They’re not making it into any kind of pleasure except his own sick twisted fantasy. I would deeply advise against following any of Jonathan’s deeper, darker, cruel, rape-y fantasies in that track, but if you can accept it as a character of sorts, its perverse nature is fascinating, and his vocals feel almost primally sub-human. Overall, I liked about 9 of the tracks here (10 if you include Cheech Marin’s very goofy bonus gift), but I didn’t like the entire album experience that much. It’s a bit bloated due to CD length, it rounds the bases on its tracks a number of times, and the overall nu metal style feels a bit repetitive even after 45 minutes, let alone 67. Since this album takes itself far more seriously than “Chocolate Starfish” did, and doesn’t really have the same charisma behind it as “Hybrid Theory” does, it just ends up as sort of an average metal album draped in nu metal production. It’s totally fine, and an enjoyable listen if you love the production, but as a whole experience, I think it’s a 3.5 that I just can’t bump up to a 4, hence a 3. Always skip “All in the Family”, at the very least.
ooh rah babopdumalamama growl ooh rah babopdumalamama
This album reminds me my teenage years. The first half of the album containing the hits from Korn is amazing, the songs, the lyrics, the transitions. The second half of the album the quality decreases and becomes something repetitive and songs that for me felt like fillers.
Decent, but got a bit tired of the angst by the end
Hell yea Korn with a K
interesting, so 2000's
I saw Korn at a festival once and thought "what the fuck is this" and walked on by I was only familiar with Freak On A Leash. The rest was decent instrumentally. Liked the guitars - vocals not so much Album was also way too long but it was better than a lot of stuff I've listened to on here. Giving it an alright rating 3 ⭐️
Very interesting sound - bit too juvenile in places, or tackles subject matter that is too much for them but a-side is hit after hit and the vocal performance is incredible. Weak 3 but I would be interested to hear more
Some great tracks on here (freak on a leash, got the life) but also some truly awful ones ( all in the family ). There are better Korn albums and honestly surprised they didn't go with the self titled debut with it being the 'first nu metal' album in effect. Very mixed album.
I was a fan of Korn back in the day but I have not really listened in the last 20 years. They certainly have a unique style and probably merit their place in this list but I would question whether I'd choose this album or one of their debut or Life is Peachy. Having listened again, I don't really see the appeal for me these days but nonetheless, a decent album that was of its time.
The year was 1998. For a brief moment, Joey wore all black and baggy pants. But that lasted only for a few days. Still listened to this album and other Korn albums a ton over the next few years. I can jam to it on occasion.
Very top heavy album
The soundtrack of adolescence. Not really very good, but interesting and nostalgic.
Was into this and then I heard scat boxing ONE STAR
Korn is interesting. IMO the King of Nu Metal...certainly one of the most sincere. This album is not as good as their first two, but still a worthwhile listen in general. 3.5/5
I was looking forward to this after Abbey Road, as stylistically it suits my personal tastes more. While the instrumental side of things was exactly what I would have wanted, I will admit that vocally I am not as sold on the style. While the popular portions of rhythmic repetitions of syllables were interesting, it wasn't enough to push the album any higher than 3/5.
People out here giving Steely Dan 5's and Korn 1's are showing their age and their thrash taste. My album yesterday was Abbey Road. Safe to say this won't be another 5 but if you can't appreciate Freak on a Leash I pity you. Limp Bizkit had more an influence on me than Korn but they are still groundbreakers when it comes to nu metal. I haven't listened to this album much. I like it. It's a bit repetitive and overly long but I can definitely see how teenagers filled with piss and vinegar would love this. 3/5.
This album helped me through some dark times in my youth but as time has gone on and I listen back more objectively I’d say this one isn’t my favorite Korn album, that’d be their self titled debut, but still it hit hard when it came out so for that reason I’d give it a 3.5.
In my opinion, this was their last good album. Their first was the best. There was nothing like it, and they could never recreate that raw emotion. That being said, this got several spins back in the day. It has better production. This takes me back to senior year. I saw them a couple times the year before this came out, and they killed it live. Really, listening to this makes me want to listen to their first album. This is still pretty good. It just feels like it has a commercialized darkness, instead of the truly terrifying darkness of the first album. Regardless, this has some bangers, and I'll give this a 3.5.
Ripper
Not a big fan. Came at the time of a new sound and meaning. Always changing and evolving, but still has roots.
2 ok songs
Can’t deny its influence, but for me this is the least good of their first four albums
This band have found a way to create a unique and quirky sound, they are easily distinguishable from the others and that's a great thing. That said, their vibe doesn't have much appeal to me and their album are way too long winded.
This record was all the rage freshman year of high school. The first three tracks remain legitimate bangers, but after that the quality drops precipitously, bottoming out in the truly abysmal “All In The Family” which is one of the very worst products of Western Culture, though emblematic of the late 90s.
I know Korn--and this album in particular--was big in the nu-metal scene for a while, but that doesn't really mean that they needed to be included in this collection, especially since the project also includes Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park (and apparently System of a Down), and inexplicably *doesn't* include Disturbed. Although to be fair to Korn, I'd have probably included them before Limp Bizkit, as Korn at least seems to have more ambitions than Fred Durst's outfit; that's not saying much, though (and pretty funny that Durst appears on "All in the family"). It's always felt to me that Korn tried to outdo Rage Against the Machine, except they lacked the messages or focus (or talent) of RAGM. As for the music itself, it's about what you'd expect from Korn, and I've always been impressed by Jonathan Davis' distinct growls and guttural sounds, so it's not all power chord, pounding drums and overloaded distortion. I enjoyed seeing the videos for both of their singles, "Freak on a leash" (especially the Todd McFarlane animation) and "Got the life", and I'm struck by just how profoundly *ugly* the band members are (and how SoCal with the dreads and baggy shorts). I also liked it that Ice Cube featured on one of their tracks, plus of course Cheech on the musical part of the hidden track quasi-cover of "Earache my eye". Overall, though, it starts off pretty strong with the first five songs or so, and then tails off pretty quickly; it definitely could have been about half or a third as long and not suffered at all (and in turn prevented a lot of suffering for a large number of this project's listeners, I suspect).
New to Korn, and I enjoyed this a lot more than I though I would--more interesting and stranger than I expected. I believe I might actually listen to this again.
I liked Freak on a Leash and Got the Life I found the rest pretty tedious. It has a same ish quality that is wearing.
I was looking at the reviews to get an idea of what people thought and it seems like it's a you either love it or hate it situation. Well that's not the case for me. I like the angry energy and the darkness - it does seem a bit aimless though. I cannot tell you what this guys stand for, and they seem to shout random statements that seem to hide a lot of meaning but really don't. Not the kind of album I was going to pay too much attention to anyway so it doesn't massively bother me. Just aggressively mediocre
Edgy, camp, and pretty fun. The best songs were in the first half, though
I think we are collectively more kind to Korn Follow the Leader than we need to be, and it's entirely because of "Freak on a Leash" and maybe "Got the Life". The rest ranges from pretty ok ("It's On!", "Justin") to downright terrible ("All in the Family"). No amount of detuned bass or hip-hop features can save the album from it's edgy tendencies and truly bad songwriting. Follow the Leader barely scrapes by with a 3. I finally understand why our parents worried about us.
I always thought that stylizing "R" as "Я" is kind weird. Like, it's an actual letter in some languages, so it just looks strange. People like to shit on nu metal, but honestly, that fact that this is not the most complex, innovative, or serious music doesn't mean it's unlistenable. This album is fine. It's not the greatest thing in the world, but at least, it's not boring and has some great riffs. I like the guitar tone in this one, which is a bit deal to me personally. That being said, All In the Family is the worst song I heard in a while. Not only because of the constant use of slurs, but also because it's instrumentally, lyrically, and vocally terrible. Vocals as a whole in this album are just not good. I usually don't care about them, but here... No, just no. They actively make the songs worse. Bro can't sing, but he tries very hard, which makes it worse. But aside from that, the riffs carry the songs. They’re not exceptional but good enough to keep me somewhat engaged. But what’s with nu metal bands making albums over an hour long?
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. It really works for what it is. Especially liked the guest star tracks with Ice T and Fred Durst. That "rap battle" between Durst and Davis is hilarious. Also really liked Davos' demonic "scatting" or whatever that is. Bombastic and ridiculous and it gets more tedious as it progresses.
I'm on the fence about this album. There are are some great tracks on here. Got The Life and Dead Bodies Everywhere are both great. There are some stinkers on here. It's On isn't great, Children of the Korn is pretty bad, and All In the Family is just a train wreck. Korn was the fuckin shit in the 90s. This album is on the better half of their discography, but there are better. If I were to pick one Korn album for this list, it would be their first one. This one is kind of a joke now in retrospect. It was a pleasant surprise to come up on this list, but a once through is plenty. It's a 3.5 for me, but I'm rounding down simply because of Fred Durst.
Wasn't terrible.
30 years ago this would have sounded great. Now its a little hard on the ears!
2.9 - I actually thought I was gonna like this but I found it pretty cringe in places. I don’t have the nostalgia of listening to this as a kid. Some parts were cool, but just not mind blowing at all
This was a good listen. I dabbled in Korn but never got stuck in so was great to come back to the album.
Very angry, without a huge amount of direction.
This was a 2 until I heard Earache My Eye.
Better than I anticipated. Some similarities with Killing Joke but became quite samey as the album wore on
Great cover. An interesting album. I've learned something again. I wasn't familiar with Nu Metal. I like some of the approaches on the album. In some places the music sounds like Faith No More (probably no coincidence), in other places I recognize Rammstein (Neue Deutsche Härte) or Linkin Park. Nevertheless, the band has a lot of originality. Overall, I find the music exhausting. Beforehand, I thought that I would get through the album quickly and only play a few tracks. And now I've listened to it in its entirety. Maybe I should give the album another chance when I'm in the right mood. 3/5
As far as Nu-Metal goes, this album was the epicentre of it all.
generally dislike metal but this is pretty good. 3.5
A combination of iconic and awesome songs with those which should be well forgotten.
More eclectic than I expected. Masterful execution of effects.
Korn nicht unbedingt meins 3.5/5 fav Freak on a leash
Bin ned so ne crazy Korn Fan Top: Freak on a leash
Nu Metal is what you get when you mix Rap with Heavy Metal. It's OK, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🧗♀️👧🚸 Production: 👊💥🔊 Music: 👦❤️😳⌛🤫🎧⁉️🤷♂️🔊😎🔥 Rating: 🌾🌾🌾(🌾)/5
3/5
Not my genre, but it was pretty good.
Not a lot of range here... I lived through when this was possible. I thought my parents objected to the transgressive aspects I imagined. Maybe they objected because it's actually kinda boring.
No cóż. Nie jestem fanką metalu, ten gniew mnie czasem przeraża, ale tu było dobrze, niektóre kawałki nawet mi siadły. Ale… po co te kilkuminutowe mówione wstawki? Nigdy tego nie zrozumiem, zawsze mnie to wybija i irytuje. Obniżam o jeden punkt za takie właśnie zapychacze, których nie pojmuję. Dodatkowo same utwory też mogłyby być krótsze. Zdelegalizować ośmiominutowe rąbanki proszę. 6.5/10
Hyvä albumi kornia
Korn has always been one of those bands that I've never knew how to feel about, so on YouTube's 20th birthday, I fired up this album. It was okay. I like the outlandish, and unique spins on Rock(or should I call it Nu Metal), but it became repetetive, and it's tough to enjoy thoroughly for over an hour. Favorite Track: "Freak On A Leash".
Good metal, and I've tried multiple times to get into Korn; however, I can never really get over the angsty/weird side of Jonathan Davis' vocals that are present in a lot of tracks.
There's a handful of mosh worthy songs on here. They got in early on that 2000s metal sound. Really not my favorite genre.
-…well. some of this was shockingly bad. like genuinely painful to sit through. that rap battle with Fred Durst.. oh god -there were definitely a few good songs I think. they were best when they were trying to sound like Soundgarden. it’s nothing brilliant but i suppose I’ve heard worse and I can appreciate the aesthetics -Favorites are It’s On! and Got The Life
Yeah you guys are just haters. It’s not a good album but it’s still a pretty fun album and the two biggest songs are good. I also think All In The Family NEEDS to be included solely because of when they randomly just start saying gay stuff at the end. Like dude that’s funny come on
I love freak on a leash. Besides that the album was good but nothing to write home about
I like Korn, but it was really their first two albums that I thought were so much better. Other than singles this just seems like filler, also All in the Family is so bad and hard to listen to.
I thought I had reached a point where I give good scores to anything remotely hard in this list, but this was actually not good. 2.5 rounded up. Stand-out: Pretty
I enjoyed more than I expected.
For the metal head in all of us.
I didn't expect to like or enjoy Korn, but I sure did. Are they great? No, but their influence and presence in nu metal cannot be discredited. Plus, the songs on Follow the Leader are catchy and go so hard. Unexpectedly, they had bagpipes in a song? Somehow that makes sense for Korn. That being said, boy oh boy is this album dated. I sure could've gone without the slurs. I also think Korn could have expanded and not relied on the same sound, but honestly I do enjoy the distorted, uneasy vibe throughout the album.
Like they’re following RATM, NIN and Soundgarden but sounds engineered rather than heartfelt 3.1
Highlights - Freak On a Leash - Got the Life
Creepy. Some really interesting guitar tones and effects. Aside from the standard downtuned nu-metal guitars, the flangers choruses wahs and leslie effects are really cool. Some songs just work in my opinion and some just don't at all (the limp bizkit guy one which is actually second hand embarrassing and fun to laugh at). Its also not overproduced like the Linkin park was which is good. The lyrics are pretty bad and over-edgy and the singing is weird but gets ok as you get used to it, definitely fits the atmosphere of the instrumentals tonally thought. Some of the rap crossovers work better than others (the pharcyde guy one is the best, the ice cube on is ok) Favourite songs: its on!, got the life, dead bodies everywhere m B.B.K., pretty, Justin, Cameltosis and the Ice Cube one kind of. Overall around 6/10 (quite close to 7 ig)
A very cohesive sound, just not a sound I like
I don't need to check the reviews to know this album will have divided opinions. I understand why. The vocals, lyrical content, and it hasn't aged too well has it. Yet they created a unique sound all their own, which changed and influenced the music that followed. I find that amusing given the title of the album. It's the sort of innovation you just don't get anymore. I haven't come across any rock bands with an innovative sound in the past decade, and hardly any this century.
Yes. Umm.... yes. Finally something different!
I liked this more than I thought I would. I wasn't expecting Ice Cube to make a guest appearance that's for sure.
Very much not my jam, but I jammed to it none the less. Pretty catchy hooks all through it. Reminded me of Spinal Tap or the Blues Brothers, where they meant to be a joke and parody of their genre, but they still produced solid music in the process. I don't know that they meant to be a joke. I sort of hope they meant to be a joke? I mean, they are a joke, right?
I really like a lot of the songs, but there's so much shit in between.. Most of the songs featuring other artists are pretty cringy. +1 for bagpipes
Enjoyed this more than Slipknot's self titled album which I had a week or so ago from the randomiser. In my head they were basically the same band but Korn are a bit more Nu Metal, I hear some indications of how they might have influenced the likes of Linkin Park. The vocals are slightly less screamy than Slipknot and there are some decent hooks. I basically considered them the same band until now, but I prefer Korn This album rocks but it's too long and sounds a bit samey so I can't go higher than 3*
This album was a lot, there were definitely times I started to like it but overall it's really not my thing. I respect it though. Wouldn't relisten
I don't usually listen to stuff like this but I gave it a try and found it be tolerable to the point that I'm up to Track 10 and still headbanging. I've heard a lot worse.
The music and instruments are decent but the lyrics are some of the cringiest shit I’ve heard. Like an immature 12 year old boy’s idea of how to be edgy and cool
i don’t think i’ve ever listened to an album as inconsistent as this one
liked it. will listen to more
i’d be lying if i said Freak on a Leash wasn’t one of my favorite songs 🤷♀️ most of this album was pretty tiring though.
Meh.
I’m a sucker for nü metal, truly, but after sitting with Follow the Leader, I can’t let my nostalgia for the genre overall win out when this album just isn’t all that great. Now, I’ll say this– if you ONLY listen to this for the music and avoid the lyrics, you’re going to enjoy Follow the Leader a lot more. The production is immaculate, making it a pretty digestible metal record, even for non-metal fans. More impress, though, are the compositions. Korn is a band filled with excellent musicians. Truly, there are riffs and drum fills and bass lines that blow my mind on this record. (Minus the bagpipes for bagpipes’ sake on “My Gift to You.”) And there’s also some pretty great songs on here, too. I would argue that “Freak on a Leash” is maybe the best song in the entire genre’s history, and it still holds up nearly 30 years later, even without the visuals of the music video. I’d also give it up to the songs “Got the Life” and “Seed,” which feel aligned with the rest of Korn’s general output across their other records. The issue here, though, is the lyrical content. If you’ve listened to the Korn records that came before this, that might sound insane, but the topics covered in these songs are…banal, and that’s me being kind. Again, not every song, but Jesus Christ, you start to read some of them, and it’s oddly just filled with teen angst, which is weird for a band who started off talking about childhood trauma in a very real and honest way. That isn’t the case here. These lyrics mostly feel like a bratty teenager writing in a notebook after he got grounded for throwing a house party while his parents were on a honeymoon in Hawaii and now he can’t go to homecoming. The first cracks come on the rap-forward songs. I want to give Ice Cube the benefit of the doubt on “Children of the Korn,” despite that god-awful beat, but the rest of the song sucks. It’s just not as bad as “Cameltosis,” where Slimkid 3 ruins an already weird track. But the Achilles Heel is “All in the Family,” featuring Fred Durst. Now, I adore Limp Bizkit, but even I have to admit that this is lyrically juvenile, despite the music around it being good. The fact that Jonathan Davis sinks to the immaturity of Durst is mind boggling. But then you look at the rest of the record, and you start to realize that Davis isn’t saying anything with any depth here, either. Even “Freak on a Leash” is just about getting laid. Most of this record is nearly nonsensical, even. I think “Pretty” and “Seed” come the closest to having a message, but even the former is too vague to stay with me. Meanwhile, you have empty songs like “B.B.K” or “Justin,” or even downright offensive “joke” songs like “Earache My Eye,” which are just intolerable by today’s standards. Again, this is so weird, because Korn’s debut is filled with great songs that have great musicianship AND good, heartfelt, meaningful lyrics. It’s not perfect (see: “Shoots and Ladders”), and I do think the gritty production on that record makes it a rougher listen, but you’re basically getting the same impact of Korn, just with actual substance. On Follow the Leader, while it may sound cleaner and may have sold better, you’re getting a watered down, sugar-pill version of Korn. That sugar-pill might taste better when you swallow it, but the effect is a placebo. And that placebo only got worse after Follow the Leader. After sitting with this one for a few days, I had to accept that I can’t stand behind a placebo, even if it sounds good on the surface. Listen to their s/t debut instead.