Reviews (page 3 of 9)
The only song I could relate to was "Reclaim My Place" where the singer is screaming "What the fuck?" over and over. WTF indeed. I could feel brain cells dying as I listened to this noise.
Jonathan! Jonathan. It's Marvin. Your cousin, Marvin Davis. You know that new sound you're looking for? Well, listen to this! [Holds phone up to industrial shredder they use to get rid of Muppets that are no longer popular on Sesame Street] I want to be fair to this album. There are some ideas here to like: they've into a specific sound. There's a deliberate aggression to it (the industrial drums especially sound like a very specific choice) and the song structure attempts to create a loud-soft dynamic with breakdowns and whatever. It seems, at least in part, that they've thought about what they're putting together here. Unfortunately, it sucks.
This heavy stuff just is not for me
Really? One of the worst nu metal album ever made recommended as one of the 1001 albums to absolutely listen in your life? No thanks. I remember, when the singles taken from this album were popular, me and my friends wondering how Korn could fall so low. Not that nu metal is a great genre per se, but this is embarassing: by comparison Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park's records are Beethoven's sonatas. Avoid, don't listen to, and forget it.
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.
Just no.
Nu-metal? I call it poo-metal. Ha ha HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ah ah ha ha ha Haha ha. Ha ha HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ah ah ha ha ha Ha Ha ha HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ah ah ha ha ha Ha Ha ha HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ah ah ha ha ha Ha
"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
4/10 Favorite: Freak On a Leash
Pretty decent nu metal
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 found it annoying at times. Wasn't a fan of the vocals at parts, and also the parts with cleaner production
DEAD BODIES EVERYWHEEEEERRRRREEEEEE
Enjoyed this way more than I expected. Instrumentation is sick, lyrics are edgy, that's korn
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.
Wasn’t expecting to get much from this. And didn’t. Didn’t need to hear this, nu-metal? Very predictable. Best I can think of. Rage, angst, tortured etc etc they maybe feel it's 100% real, maybe. But if you don't like it, it's campy slasher movie posturing, with not so pleasant ideology, cameltosis and the family ones were particularly ugly little turds, generations angry young (turns out not so young) men with guitars to upset your parents at 14yrs. 14 million copies sold?? Really not sure what to make of that. Humanity can be fairly much in the toilet? Still didn't need to hear, particularly some of those ugly little moments, but have now, may have been 2 stars for the music but a particularly dirty time had, and even worst just googled and these "people" were late 20s when they made this not teens, what can you say, 1 Star
The thing about me is I don’t like this music. Not unlistenable but would never listen to it again. That skit in the last track really gave you a sense of how unpleasant they were (assuming that was them).
Loud, aggressive music for teenage boys who have no taste
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.
this sucks
I'm not a fan of the production--the tight drum and this bass sound don't really do it for me. Plus the homophobia, even though it's explained away by the band, is not really good enough. When you put something in the world there needs to be awareness. There are some good touches here and there, so it's a shame.
How did this make the list but Tool and Deftones did not?
6/10
Look its fun but not a whole album, you get the picture very quickly
This is why you should do meth 🌽🌽🌽🌽
1.5
small garbage imho
Gritty riffs, driving beats and some innovative sounds in the mix. I liked it!!!
lyttede ikke rigtig færdig, synes umiddelbart ikke det faldte i min smag. Genbesøg senere
One of the great album of the 90 and certainly worth it to be on this list.
Korn, THE nu metal band of the late 90s, was not in my list of music that would be on this list. That said, this was the album to choose to represent them. Their most famous song is easily Freak on a Leash which is featured on this album. They’re scream-o style, mixing metal instruments with a mixture of hip hop elements, rap segments, and…well…lots of aggressive screaming, draws you in and consumes the mind. Their songs range in messaging from angry to horny, and not much else. Their pairing with Fred Durst is always a reminder that he was, at one point, quite famous. And we have to live with that. Though, the rap battle they have is humorously sophomoric. Nothing like two grown men calling each other goofy names in an aggressive manner. Cynical tone aside, I did enjoy this album. They were very talented, and their style spoke to a younger me, a me filled with all the fixings of adolescence. Namely, angry and horny.
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
Jonathan Davisin ja Fred Durstin dissbattle xd. Metallille lähtee tottakai peukku. Just semmosta mitä odotinkin, semmoista outoa, vähän häiritsevää, poukkoilevaa kamaa. Just mitä Freak On A Leash on. Ei oo lempityyliä, mutta ymmärrän. Parhaat: Freak On A Leash, Seed, B.B.K.
"God I had such a shitty day. Atleast I have this daily ritual that always put a smile on my f--." You can say what you want abouth Korn, they had a unique sound. Just not the best one but sometime, it works. Freak on a leash for exemple is a pretty good song.
Have not listened to this in years, but I doubt I like it now. Issues is better
I assumed I wouldn't like this, but there are some excellent tracks on it. Nice and heavy.
This is the critic's pick for nu-metal, because it's the most palatable. I think there are "better" representations. I don't like the lead singer's idea of "scatting", because it sounds like a meth-head trying to do Cab Calloway. Musically, It's hard and fast and chunky at the right places. The lyrics are crass and big and ego-driven. Not a bad album, but not their best, and not the best of the genre. My Rating: 4/5
Never actually listened to much Korn, or gave this a fair listen until now. It's good, but the memes and jokes almost ruined it for me. They weren't wrong...
I was hoping maybe being so separated from the “nu-metal sux!” era that I’d appreciate this more. & I kinda do. Freak on a Leash into Got the Life is good stuff (I only recently learned the lyric is “God paged me” not “God hates me” & it unlocked just how corny this album is). Hard pressed to give more than 2 stars even if I think Jonathan Davis is a pretty remarkable vocalist. I was warned about All in the Family & the biggest crime about it is just how unfunny it is, not the “edginess.”
Freak on a leash is good but the rest of it was not. Nu-metal has the reputation it deserves
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.
This isn't as bad as I thought it could be, mainly b/c it's well produced & David Silveria (drums) has got authentic funk in his bones, but this's mostly capital K Korny: it doesn't even have the balls to be kampy. Failing to be a bastion of admirable or necessary sincerity, Korn suffers from the same thing that bankrupts Trent Reznor's creative production: it's not remotely an interesting statement lyrically. 'Life sometimes pisses me off / It's never a good trip to me / Every time I reach for love / It's taken away.' Duh & so fucking what. The Cube feature is especially korny, & Durst's moment in the sun is pathologically awful: 'You pumpkin pie, I'll jack off in your eye.' In short, it gets worse & worse, & no amount of raging funk can salvage it.
Segt, störigt
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!
Tröttsamt.
Jag är den första som hävdar att man måste se mer än bara musiken i sig, och sätta sig in i sammanhanget ett album släpptes i. Men när det gäller den här skiten går det bara inte. Det är dåligt. Det finns ingenting att ta med sig här. Bränn alla kopior, sprid askan i mount doom. Tack men nej tack.
I don’t want to be dismissive of entire genres of music, because there’s usually someone doing something worthwhile in any given style, but nu metal might be the exception here. I get that Korn is influential and that’s it’s possible to make an argument for their inclusion on this list, but that doesn’t change that this album is utter garbage. And if this is a high water mark of the genre… I like heavy music and this just sucks. The drop tuned riffs are boring, amateur level playing at best, the drumming brings nothing to it, the vocals are crap. That’s not even getting into the juvenile grievance, the misogyny, the homophobia running through the entire thing. If I can say anything positive about this album is that it’s making me reevaluate my criteria for one-star ratings because this is by far the worst album I’ve come across on here so far.
Aged not so well as Limp Bizkit and Mudvayne did. It’s a cool cringy angsty vibe but the runtime of 1h7m is a little too much. Fred Durst’s feature is also a little meh, although that song’s ending is ironically wholesome
Top 3 nu metal album
This doesn't belong on this list.
Brash and in your face
I understand they may be influential in their sphere, but Korn was in my sister’s rotation during a dark time for both of us and I didn’t enjoy revisiting that time.
Freak on a leash to got the life may be the best two song run in Nu Metal, but the rest of this album is a mix of cringe and boredom
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.
Ahh, Korn. I never thought I’d ever think about Korn again. In a way, I’m embarrassed to be thinking about Korn, and embarrassed to be writing this about Korn. Because I’m a completist, even though I hesitated a few days, I did listen to this, and I was embarrassed throughout the whole thing, even though I had earbuds in. I was embarrassed that somewhere at Spotify, someone could potentially sift through the data to find that not only did I once search for Korn, but I clicked the play button. I’m embarrassed for Korn having once been Korn. I wonder if they think back on the Korn days and feel, well, embarrassed. I can’t say I didn’t know some of these songs already, shitty as it is to say. As a kid, this was a common vibe on the school bus. The kids who traced the veins on their hands with markers would blare this. The kid who pulled his pants all the way down to his ankles to piss at urinals, would blare this. This album, embarrassingly, has taken me back to a corner of my childhood which, humiliating as it is to dwell on, once existed. I don’t like that I was exposed to this, but the sounds took me back, back to the school bus smells, back to the sticky hot rubbery seats, back to the kid who would peak over into your space and gleek on you- that is, for the uninitiated, rain spittle ever so delicately on you when you least expected it. God, how embarrassing.
Tons of hate, nonsensical vocal sounds, offensive lyrics, extended range guitars, fuckin' bagpipes... unfathomable cheesiness. Fred dust feature and an absurd bonus track lock this in as one of the most ridiculous but hype albums of the era. Unlike much other metal, you can understand the lyrics that are actually words. That's a pro or a con based on who you ask. Half the haters secretly enjoy this shit.
Went in with low expectations since I'm into metal very much at all, but this was.....fine. Much more palatable than Sepultura
I'm no Korn fan really but this one has some highlights. Also lowlights, couple of those, really.
#51/1001 🇺🇸 When i started this project, i vowed to to listen to every track from every album. This is the closest thing that has pushed me to skipping. First of all metal is a genre that i have a lot of time for, secondly i've seen Korn live - from a distance at a festival. This however is a tough listen. Who the hell do these man babies think they are? Childish, misoginistic, homophobic lyrics abound over a soundtrack which could actually be worse. My biggest compliment would be that they are musically proficent. But then there is all the giberish babbling - the singer trying to imply that he is insane perhaps. The absolute nadir is bringing Fred Durst in to trade insults in a rap battle about incest. Best Tracks: 💩 Worst Track: All In The Family.
This probably hits hard as fuck if you're a 13 year old boy and your crush just rejected you.
Only heard Freak On a Leash before and I fucking hate that song. It'd be good if it didn't have that weird beatbox part, it kills the entire vibe. Turns out the rest of the album is just more or less the same, which is to say not too good. And dear god, I think a requirement for joining a numetal band is having below average IQ because why are the lyrics so bad. On one song the lead singer of Korn and Fred Durst just keep calling each other slurs for 5 minutes. I wanted to be generous and give this album a 2 but they pissed me off too much 1/5
This album sucks. I think some bits of it are illegal in the UK now.
Kinda crazy. I like Fred durst feature/the more rappy tracks but idrgaf about the screaming so much
Refuse to believe this has had more influence on music than any Lady Gaga album Oh and then we get a f slur?! Nah fuck this.
Korn emerged at a time I generally listened to the heavier end of music, but never managed to land with me. I had the debut album and promptly gave it away. Listening to this I’m fairly sure my issue is Jonathan Davis’s vocals. Songs like Children of the Korn feel like they are crying out for someone like Mike Patton to get hold of it. The least said of the Fred Durst song the better.
I am once again asking the creators of this generator to explain to me, in words of one syllable, how some albums make it into this. I have heard some truly terrible things as part of the generator, but parts of this might trump the lot. “All In the Family” and “Cameltosis”, in particular, were some of the worst things I’ve ever heard in my life. And the rest wasn’t much better.
Oh... oh dear... Jonathan Davis is an acquired taste as a vocalist. And I have not acquired it. I had only heard Freak on A Leash going into this which I thought was grudgingly ok(ish). Everything else was new to me. I like the guitars on most of the tracks. I like the heaviness. And I didn't hate Ice Cube turning up. As for everything else, I think the low point is Fred Durst turning up (and increasing all the homophobia), but I'm not sure the bagpipes on the next song were much better. This is essentially an irredeemable album for me. At one point I started daydreaming about Faith No More, and how much I'd rather have been listening to them. Just no. 1/5
Not as terrible as expected but lyrically a too doom laden for my liking. Feel like there’s a bit too much death. 2
Nope
Not really a big fan of this music. But they may be one of the best at it. And didn't mind it overall.
I don't care how munch Nu-Metal you try and make my listen to I'm not going to like it. I don't even like the "good" ones, I'm definitely not liking the ones where white guys start beatboxing halfway through the biggest song on the record. Making it well over an hour will not help your case. 2/10. I kinda enjoy the first half of "Freak On A Leash" in a guilty pleasure type of way before previously mentioned beatboxing starts.
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.
dude this album FUCKINGGG RIPPSSSSS. me personally i am a big korn fan so i feel like this will be a biased review but who cares it’s my review. this is a nu metal classic, korn is in their prime by this album and it’s just perfect. i want to talk about the bass, it’s so crunchy and so addicting to listen to. the way each song transitions to each other is so seamless, from its on! to freak on the leash. first of all let’s talk about freak on the leash, it’s so hauntingly good. dare i say it’s kind of a sexy song?? no okay. anyway got the life is good and it gets you up and stuff, i’m a skip to children of the korn and that song just wants me to get up and get active, it’s such a perfect blend between rap and metal hence nu metal but the ice cube feature is so perfect i don’t care what anyone says. i will say ice cube is so perfect for any type of nu metal music. (korn also covered one of his songs “wicked” also with frontman of deftones chino moreno). B.B.K is one helluva song. again the bass is so good it’s rips. it’s the main instrument of the song basically but this songs ur korn song i mean who else can make this song but korn. and the little pitch noise through out the song adds to the grittiness of the song. ima mention the guitar too as it echoes throughout the song, there’s a slight mellow part then it just rips into the most epic guitar you will hear. and then jonathan davis nonsense of words. the drums are also flawless… OF COURSE I HAVE TO MENTION ALL IN THE FAMILY FEATURING LIMP BIZKIT FRONTMAN FRED DURST. it’s so catchy, i love the dynamic both jonathan and fred have in the song. they are just fucking with each other and i love to hear it. but i do wanna talk about how the topics talked in the more serious songs are meant to be taken serious and the lyrics are devastating. it’s dark and jonathan and the band does their thing to partake in the more serious songs. korn are most known for their more darker songs and they tend to get disturbing but it’s poetry in music form. it’s really good, this albums a classic. 10/10
I kinda like Freak on a Leash, though that might just be nostalgia. I don't really like the rest of this album. Especially the song with Fred Durst. Absolutely terrible.
2/5
Classic. No skips. Zero apologies. Caught myself singing the entire thing at work like I was headlining Ozzfest 1999 and my coworkers were just unwilling VIPs. Did they ask for it? No. Did they receive it? Absolutely. This album is: Aggressively nostalgic Emotionally unhinged in the best way Scientifically proven to improve head nodding by 300% If you hear someone softly whispering “boom na da noom na na nema…” in the break room — mind your business. I am not sorry. I will not be quiet. HR can simply Follow the Leader.
KOOOORN!! AAAAAH! EYYYYY! öppe so hets tönt. Zwei mal Heiserkeit
Nenei isch mir zvill. Scho ei tag usegschobe willi ke bock gha han. Hüt dri glosst (besser als denkt) aber gibe glich nur 2x *
Freak On A Leash is a classic, no doubt. The rest of this album is absolute garbage dated edgelord bullshit. The songs with features, in particular, are BAD. The bagpipes on My Gift To You were exciting at first but then I realized, shucks, this song blows too.
Let’s goooooooo lucky day
hurt my head - the main guy's voice is annoying and out of tune. couldnt finish the album
Tem alguma coisa ai por ser ivovador para a época? Sim, mas para mim e muito lixo, muita homofobia e muito machismo. Época atual não podemos normalizar isso. Sobre os arranjos: eles doem os ouvidos.
I was surprised that I liked this Korn album, I almost didn't even listen to it. Who knew I was into nu metal? I really loved the vocals, though I could’ve done without the scatting. I suspect the scatting would grow on me after a few more listens. I even enjoyed the guest vocalists. Solid album overall.
0 stars
This is probably the height of Nu-Metal. First of all the best paЯt of this album... The cover of "Earache My Eye". TuЯning an Alice Bowie (Cheech Marin) song making fun of Sabbath Яiffs and molding it into nu-metal is meta humoЯ at its best. The woЯst part... EveЯything with a guest star, "All in the Family" being the absolute woЯst. (I actually liked Cube's part of "Children of the KoЯn" but the Davis' vocals on that aЯe absolutely annoying.) Which bЯings me to what I Яeally dislike about nu-metal. The vocals aЯe fЯeaking annoying pЯetty much all the time. And definitely in an album that is an houЯ plus in length. What I will say positive about KoЯn is quite frankly, I do like the groove of most of their songs the music behind it for the most part. Especially at the very beginning, the first three songs I think are fine... not great but fine. The only song that I really would highlight on this entire album would be "Justin" which I strangely found absolutely emotional. Afterwards I read into it and I can kind of see why. For the most paЯt this is a betteЯ example of a genЯe that I Яeally don't caЯe for. I totally dislike it, but I don't ubeЯ hate it. Except for that fucking "All in the Family" song. 4.6 ★★
Some ofthe riffs are a bit cool, but the vocals are totally horrendous! 2 stars
I don't like this, and if there were a way to give it negative stars, I would. I don't like the music, vocals, or lyrics. And on top of it, the whole thing is over an hour long and feels like it takes an eternity to listen to. There is nothing redeeming about this. 0.5 stars.
There are some cool Ragey elements to this - some good moody riffs and Reclaim My Place achieves a nice Killing In The Name simplicity towards the end. Album experience is mostly rot though and that’s all because of often crazy horrid vocals from the main dude. It is true that Fred Durst popping up on one song is light relief and Ice Cube for some reason wades in to dilute the muck as well. Main dude just sounds so revolting though like the frilly necked dinosaur that spits poison at Newman in Jurassic Park but instead of poison it’s caca and instead of spitting he’s gargling it. What the effing effage is that vocal breakdown in Freak On A Leash? It’s like a voice should appear just after it saying ‘Charlie says always tell your mummy before you go off somewhere”. Needless to say but album is way too long at 67 minutes. 1.5 stars.
A throwback for sure. I was a nu-metal kid back in late middle and early high school. This was one of my favorite albums of the era. It's always interesting to revisit it. There's a few songs that didn't age well; however, there's quite a few bangers here as well. It's not for everyone, but strangely enough, it's a comfort album for me.
I used to like this a lot more, though it still managed to get me dancing about as I did the housework. The main thought I get from listening to this again, after many years, is that I really miss my old sound system on which this album sounded much better. I'm now going to spend a bunch of money I don't really have on a sound system I'll hardly ever use, and it's all 1001's fault!
4 stars
I was a fan of Korn’s first album back in middle school, but when this came out, I realized pretty quickly the band just wasn’t my thing. It also hasn’t aged well. Even at the time, I remember losing interest after “Got the Life”—everything that followed felt like a steep drop-off.
This has aged pretty badly. I think that in 2026 no one needs to listen to it anymore. It had its time but that’s it.
Points for originality. And not taking itself too seriously.
Not the worst, but not my cup of tea
I have a headache now lol
I'm thrilled to see nu-metal on this list! Minus one star for that cringey/ gross Fred Durst rap battle.
Well frost my tips; looks like I’m actually going to listen to a Korn album. *70 interminable minutes later* Oh, young people. You really will fall for anything won’t you, you stupid dumb idiots?
Heerlijke nu-metal chaos
Awful. Monotonous drumming, and a sense that whatever they were on about, was bitterly unfair. Not my idea of a fun time.
Possibly the worst album yet. The lyrics are something to behold, going from openly homophobic and misogynistic, to childishly angsty, to unintentionally hilarious I’m-a-white-boy-life-is-so-hard, to screamo-scat. It really is as ridiculous as it sounds. How anyone can want to listen to this drivel for over an hour is beyond me. Guantanamo Bay-ass music for sure. Positives include some decent drumming (pretty rare) and a decent Ice Cube feature on the one semi-listenable track. The other feature, with Fred Durst, is the worst on the album and it is one of the worst songs I’ve had the displeasure of consuming. This is an unredeemable album. 0.5/10, and that is GENEROUS
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
KЯAP
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.
This is the music Focus on the Family and my mom warned me about because if I listened, I would start to worship Satan.
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.
2 3 guzel sakri var gerisi cop averaj nu albumu
No
Starker Gesang (obwohl nicht mein Geschmack) und tolle Grooves. Am besten gefällt mir die weirde Gitarrenarbeit. Aber zu wenig Abwechslung, das Album ist viel zu lang.
High point was the moment after the scatting (??) in Freak on a Leash where he screams "Go!" and the guitars come back in sounding twice as heavy as before. Otherwise this album is very much not my style, not then, not now.
an exercise in ignoring the patina of cringe that built up around korn and their peers. if you can quiet the images of the jnco-draped scene, a lot of it is pretty good
I enjoyed this and then I listened to a few of their others singles after. 3.5. sue me
Krap
I was never a sullen teenage boy with acne, therefore I don't care.
One of the best albums I’ve ever heard
“I hate the world and my parents” in album form. It made me want to pierce my eyebrow and wear mascara to rebel against society. It’s good in places, but in others it’s fucking awful, especially that song with Fred Durst, a 30 year old shouting I hate you for 4 mins is a hard listen. If it’s your genre I am sure it is seminal, for me it’s 4 or 5 good songs among a barrage of self hate filled teenage petulance set to repetitive Nu Metal groves. 2.2
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.
4.5 (70:08, 13 tracks, third album, 1998 ) nu metal Genre defining Never thought I'd give this album a 5 - need to read to understand why: Stylized as FOLLOW the LEADEЯ the band's most commercially successful album (5x Platinum) Singles, "Got the Life" and "Freak on a Leash" both music videos are insanely good. Launched nu metal into mainstream. Super long album probably would have been considered a double album pre-digital. Been meaning to review this forever – I was surprised how much I liked this album. In 1998 I was 28 and the album annoyed me as it was widely embraced by junior-high kids and they annoyed me. Album is insanely dark in places ("Pretty" describes the real-life rape and subsequent death of an 11-month-old by her father. Jon witnessed the mutilation as a mortician recovering her body. The infant’s legs were pushed back and broken. In other places it’s lighthearted fun (i.e. "All in the Family" with Fred Durst). Nu Metal mixing with rap (for example Ice Cube on "Children of the Korn"). I decided to give it a 5 even though Nu Metal isn’t exactly my genre because of its influence on the industry, the music videos popularity (near the end of the MTV era) and Jon’s ability to write deeply personal lyrics about his family, his traumas (as a ‘freak’) but also to make them commercially appealing. The collaborations are insanely good. Justin was written for a deceased 14-year-old fan (they granted a Make-a-Wish and visited him on his deathbed w/ cancer.) "My Gift to You" is about a fantasy to kill his wife to keep her forever and necrophilia (disturbing considering he was a real-life mortician.) Given his occupation "Pretty" is an especially disturbing song for me especially in context with the rest of the lyrics of this album. And then he ends with a lighthearted hidden track “Earache My Eye” which is just them in the studio riffing on Mexican stereotypes, marijuana and the Cheech and Chong song. (Still like Cheech's “Orelay” w/ Fred Durst) Without studying this album, I think I would have given 3.5 as I don’t desire to listen to it all the time. Pretty sure I’d rounded up to 4 for Ice Cube and Fred Durst plus the videos; however, after studying I’m giving one of my rare 5s. Toured with Fred Durst, "The Family Values Tour". The video for "Freak on a Leash" won Best Short Form Music Video A then-unknown Eminem appears as an extra in "Got the Life" music video; he can be seen in a brief close-up during the final seconds. Korn's After-School Special featured guest appearances such as Sugar Ray, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, Steve Vai, 311, and the Pharcyde. Follow the Leader features numerous guest vocalists, including Ice Cube on "Children of the Korn", Tre Hardson (SlimKid3) of the Pharcyde on "Cameltosis" and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst on "All in the Family". The hidden track "Earache My Eye" features comedian Cheech Marin of Cheech & Chong. Jonathan Davis was a real-life mortician and lived in an apartment (like me!) attached to it – many attribute this to his dark lyrics for example "Dead Bodies Everywhere" (generally interpreted as anger at his parents, especially dad, for trying to force him away from music into mortuary science, literally would leave his apart to 'dead bodies' everywhere.) In a 2013 interview, the band revealed that they partied heavily during the production of Follow the Leader, with massive amounts of alcohol, drugs, and women in the studio. Davis explained further, saying that while recording the vocals for "It's On", there were "people getting blowjobs right behind me, there was girls banging each other in front of me, people getting boned in the closet right behind me, it was the craziest shit I've ever seen in my life and I sang that song." The cover art depicts a child hopscotching toward the edge of a cliff and a gathering of kids waiting to follow, The video follows this theme. (Must watch video) Korn toured with the band Limp Bizkit, as well as Ice Cube, Orgy, Incubus, and Rammstein. The album had five singles issued: "All in the Family", "Got the Life", "Freak on a Leash", "Children of the Korn", and "B.B.K." All songs written by Korn except "Earache My Eye" written by Tommy Chong, Gaye Delorme and Richard Marin. All guest appearances feature an extra writing credit by the guest. The album features 25 tracks (a minute of silence for Justin), 12 x 5 seconds each 1. "It's On!" 4:28 2. "Freak on a Leash" 4:15 3. "Got the Life" 3:45 4. "Dead Bodies Everywhere" 4:44 5. "Children of the Korn" (featuring Ice Cube) 3:52 6. "B.B.K." 3:56 7. "Pretty" 4:12 8. "All in the Family" (featuring Fred Durst) 4:48 9. "Reclaim My Place" 4:32 10. "Justin" 4:17 11. "Seed" 5:54 12. "Cameltosis" (featuring Slimkid3) 4:38 13. "My Gift to You" 15:40 (14.) (a hidden track in 13) “Earache My Eye Cheech Marin (and Chong) 6:40 Total length: 70:08 "My Gift to You" ends at 7:16. A hidden track entitled "Earache My Eye", a Cheech & Chong cover, starts at 10:50 after 2 minutes of silence and an interlude that lasts around a minute and 40 seconds. The track itself is around 4 minutes 50 seconds long. On the digital version, the tracks are separated. Jonathan Davis – vocals, bagpipes Head – guitar Munky – guitar, talk box on "Freak on a Leash" and "Dead Bodies Everywhere" Fieldy – bass, vocals on "Earache My Eye" David Silveria – drums Additional vocalists Fred Durst – on "All in the Family" Tre Hardson (SlimKid3) – on "Cameltosis" Ice Cube – on "Children of the Korn" Cheech Marin – on "Earache My Eye"
Appalling. Idiot screeching about how life is unfair ad nauseum. How come the nu metal groups can’t come up with decent riffs?
Ni de coña.
Not my thing
first listen freak on a leash is great but the rest is just okay
Mostly holds up!
tão ruim quanto eu imagina que era! nu metal nunca deveria ter existido
bom eh isso. esses nu metal do fim de 90 achando que tava abalando eh tudo a mesma coisa. uns gemidinho, uns barulho incompreensível do vocalista, os mesmo instrumento, mesmo som, mesma pseudo rebeldia/gritaria. até tentei não dar 1 pq tem umas que são de boa ATÉ O MANO COMEÇAR A FAZER BARULHOS INCOMPREENSÍVEIS. me irrita demais papo reto, muito ruim
Those hits are bangers but...yeah just as it was when I was in high school this album is generally not for me.
Initial thoughts: I expected to hate this, and admittedly I don't. I dont love it either, but on the spectrum from Tool to Limp Bizkit, its a little closer to Tool than I was expecting. "Freak on a Leash" is a goofy song but sort of captures the era, and the music video was a classic. Has some good heavy riffs, Jonathan Davis has a kind of annoying voice/manner. The song with Ice Cube is pretty hilariously bad...the 90s were a weird time. Overall mostly repetitive and was over it by the end of the album...Idk how this band can tell one of their songs from the next.
Some absolutely great tracks early on in the album. I've listened to that one countless times as a teenager so maybe I've already got a connection with it but I think the tracks are well constructed. The second half of the album, after All in the family, is much weaker to me. That track itself marks a shift I think, and Cameltosis seals it as something I wouldn't enjoy listening, particularly with lyrics that feel very outdated to say the least. That said, the first half is a must listen to understand what came later in the 2000s.
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!!!!
I was trying my best. Giving it a fair go. But Jesus H. Corbett this is total drivel. Every one of the videos on YouTube had page after page after page of comments saying how amazing these songs are. Legendary, pioneering, one of the best bands of all time etc. They must all been 7-8 when it was released and thought it was so cool there were “bad words” in it. If the music I liked at that age was utter dogshit, I would be happy to admit it now. Thankfully that is not the case. Grown-ups who still have time for this music need to ask themselves a few serious questions. I was trying my best…then omg, a diss track came on and while those tend to be kinda cringe, in the wrong hands they can go beyond cringe. Korn are the wrong hands. I always try to listen to the whole of each album. No way this time, All In the Family was my limit. If someone wants to tell me that the real gold is in the last 4 songs, don’t bother. I won’t be using up valuable moments of my life on anything like this again. And in that spirit, I’m gonna stop writi
Everything I hate about music in an album
I really do try to give every album on here a shot. This one didn't last long.
so obviously this is not my type of music but sometimes it got kinda lit... lots of shock-factor vibes with the slurs and the song about incest but done a lot better than Eminem!
I can't bring myself to give it a 🌽 since I wasn't annoyed listening to it. I can't give it a 🌽🌽🌽 since I didn't like it. 🌽🌽 it is...I liked Coming Undone back in the day, but this album was not a bountiful harvest🧑🌾🚜.
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.
I liked this more than I expected to. The only issue is that I expected to absolutely hate it. I've never listened to a Korn album but am aware of some of their more infamous qualities. A few of the songs had me groovin, but in all honesty I couldn't get past the thought of how embarrassed I would be if someone somehow heard me listening to this. I don't think I ever have been or ever will be edgy enough to really enjoy something like this. The Ice Cube feature was also insane. Sounded like he was calling from another dimension. 2-2.5
At first I was upset at how absolutely unlistenable this album was, but then I started laughing at it and it made it better. Why Korn didn't credit the Tasmanian Devil on the middle portion of "Seed" is beyond me. I do love a good comic book artist cover -- shoutout Todd McFarlane.
I just really love “Freak on a Leash”
Can appreciate what its trying even if I can't appreciate the outcome why it sits at 2 stars for me.
Korn is one of my favorite bands and I've already gone through their whole discography. Follow The Leader is one of their best albums.
Can't do it
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.
blood for the blood god?
Solid metal/rock... but not my thing anymore.
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.
Wow. An entire album of Korn is… not good. This was really rough to get through. Fred Durst is a terrible rapper. Nu-metal is a terrible genre.
I can’t say this is anything like I was expecting it to be. Between the different styles and being absolutely wild in places, I was completely shocked for most of the listen. That being said, I had to take a couple breaks while listening because I wasn’t enjoying it and the only song I’d be ok with hearing again is Freak on a Leash. Maybe the Ice Cube feature, too.
My friend Angus tried to get me into Korn in middle school. Angus was a pretty wild guy. I remember him best for being able to snort a spaghetti noodle and pull it out of his mouth. He was big into metal, and he burnt me a Korn CD. It was a mixtape of their best songs, and I kinda liked it but I never really got into them. Angus ended up going to a different high school than me where he got heavily involved in heroin. I'm not sure if he dropped out of school or not, but I think he overdosed sometime after school. I didn't expect it at the time, but looking back at it now, snorting spaghetti noodles and listening to Korn were pretty good indicators of a future heroin overdose.
🫣
Great album. Didn’t like it at first but it’s grown on my over the years
This kind of metal is a total 50/50 for me on whether or not I like it. I love bands like System of a Down and Deftones, but I can't stand Limp Bizkit or Three Days Grace. That being said, this is surprisingly good. Maybe it's the guy making the dog sounds that's winning me over, but this album's pretty fun. That being said, All in the Family is awful. Because of course Mr. Bizkit comes onto this album to say the f-slur three times. It's definitely a negative outlier, though. The rest of the album is really good. Freak On a Leash is a classic and there were a few songs I've never heard before that surprised me like My Gift to You and Dead Bodies Everywhere.
Pretty grim lyrics with quite a few slurs thrown in - clearly a very early 2000s attitude to gay people. Better than the Slipknot we've encountered on this list but still just really not our vibe and we were waiting for the end from pretty much the beginning.
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.
Nu metal
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
One of my favorites from middle school and early high school. My taste has grown a lot since then but I still enjoyed this when listening to it again. Yes, the vocals/lyrics can be kinda cringy but I still think they have a place. The instrumentation I still think is really good; I enjoy the clicky bass and how creepy the guitars sound sometimes. I understand this album might be too edgy for most people but I think I'll always have a soft spot for it.
Suprisingly i actually really liked it
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
My 16 year old self loved this. Now it’s kinda cringe
I love heavy metal but Korn has never really clicked with me and listening to this whole album didn't change my mind. The scat-singing, the off-pitch vocals, the hip hop crossovers, the cringey lyrics, the rap song with Fred Durst, even just the name Korn. I just can't help but feel embarrassed listening to this, even though a lot of the instrumentals on the tracks aren't bad.
A horrible and unredeemable trip through the gutter. It is a shame that some musical ability was wasted to produce this.
cool tracks, some didn't age as well as I would have hoped.
OK ME EQUIVOQUE Y PUSE LA REVIEW DE KORN ARRIBA bueno lolazo
love korn
The start of NUbmetal
This started off ok. As a rock and metal lover I really wanted to like it. But it switly went downhill. ...And then somebody got some fucking bagpipes out.
08/01/2026 It took me far too long to get into Korn years ago. But when I gave them the time of day, I realised that they are very talented and unique with what they do. Spotify listeners: 12.6 million
Got the Life ja Freak On a Leash on aivan käsittämättömän kovia biisejä, mutta albumi kokonaisuutena ei iske itelle. 3,5/5.
The whiniest man alive growls incest jokes for an hour.
Pretty horrible album saved by that 30 seconds in Freak on a Leash which is stupid but great
Tiresome and hateful. It was a struggle to finish it. Not actively horrible, but cliched, lazy and pandering to spotty, lonely teenage boys who thought that Baywatch was "art", and that swearing was "cool"
Follow the Leader Artist: Korn Released: August 18, 1998 Label: Immortal / Epic Producers: Steve Thompson, Toby Wright, Korn -------------------------------------------------- 1. Lyrical Landscape -------------------------------------------------- Jonathan Davis wrote almost everything in a windowless North-Hollywood rehearsal room while battling methadone withdrawal and the first panic attacks of his life. The result is a diary that is less “I hate my parents” and more “I hate what is inside my head.” • Body-horror as self-talk – “Dead Bodies Everywhere” turns a family pool party into a Cannibal-Corpse tableau; the bodies are metaphorical (old selves) but the nausea is real. • Technology vs. identity – “Freak on a Leash” uses the music-video metaphor of a bullet flying through beauty to ask who actually pulls the trigger when media eats its stars. • Generational betrayal – “Children of the Korn” (feat. Ice Cube) is not a hip-hop cameo, it’s a custody battle: the parents who grew up on Cube are now the cops Cube used to rage against. • Suicide as spectator sport – “Pretty” is sung from the POV of a 14-year-old girl live-streaming her own overdose; the lyric never resolves, it just ends on the line “Are you watching?” Davis still uses scat-porn vowels and playground taunts, but the syllables are now clipped, sampled and reversed—he is literally speaking in the voice of the record that is sampling him. It is the first Korn record where the lyrics feel like they are being data-mined while you listen. -------------------------------------------------- 2. Musical DNA -------------------------------------------------- Tuning: A-D-G-C-F-A-D (7-string, 15–70 gauge) but Fieldy tunes his 5-string bass so low the low-B is slack enough to slap against the pickup—creating the trademark “click” that is not percussion but subtractive bass. Drums: David Silveria tracks to a click only once—on “It’s On”—then disables it. Every other song is tempo-mapped to his natural heartbeat spike (96–104 BPM) which is why the grooves feel like panic attacks rather than mosh calls. Guitars: • Munky & Head run every rhythm through either a DigiTech Whammy (set to –1 octave, no dry signal) or an old Eventide H3000 reversed 400 ms. There is no “clean” guitar on the album; even the supposed clean intro of “Justin” is a distorted signal with the treble EQ band completely killed. • “Seed” and “BBK” are built on 3-note cells that loop every 5 beats, creating a 5-over-4 polyrhythm that never resolves—your ear waits for a down-beat that is mathematically designed never to arrive. Vocals: • Davis double-tracks every scream through a toy Panasonic cassette recorder, then flies that back into the SSL console 15 ms early. The result is a chorus of Davises that arrive before the main vocal—like the thought you hear before you think it. • “Earache My Eye” is not a cover, it’s a hostile takeover: Cheech Marin’s original vocal is time-stretched 26 % slower, then harmonized with Davis at –7 cents to make the comedy sample sound demonically sad. -------------------------------------------------- 3. Production Architecture -------------------------------------------------- Studio: NRG Recording, North Hollywood (the same room where Dre mixed The Chronic). Console: SSL 4000 G+ with 52 channels of outboard. Budget: $1.8 million (1998 dollars), the most expensive nu-metal record until Linkin Park’s Meteora. Key Moves: 1. No re-amping. Every guitar tone is the exact amp (Mesa Dual Rec + Bogner Fish pre) that you hear; microphones (SM57 + Royer 121) were never moved once the sound was printed. The idea was to make the record feel like a snapshot, not a collage. 2. Vocal mic = Brauner VM-1 tube, gain-staged so hot that Davis’ whispered lines clip the converters—turning intimacy into distortion without a pedal. 3. Fieldy’s bass is split into 4 bands: sub (<80 Hz) is mono, low-mid (80–200 Hz) is stereo-widened, high-mid is sent through a distorted Ampeg SVT, and everything above 2 kHz is muted—creating a bass sound that is simultaneously wider and thinner than anything on rock radio. 4. Toby Wright spends three days cutting 2 000 individual snare hits from David Silveria’s takes, then re-assembles them so that every snare lands exactly on the grid while the kick and cymbals stay human—an early manual version of what we now call “sample-replacement.” The effect is subtle: the kit feels tight but not robotic. -------------------------------------------------- 4. Thematic Coherence -------------------------------------------------- The album is a circle: • Opening track “It’s On” starts with a backwards child’s laugh that is the same laugh at the end of hidden track “Michael & Geri.” • The laugh is sampled from a 1975 public-service film about latchkey kids—Korn are literally looping the sound of abandoned children to talk about abandoned children. • Every interlude (there are 5) is built from the same 3-note guitar motif slowed down 800 %—the motif is the “seed” that grows into every riff on the record. The album is therefore a fractal: the big picture is the small picture, repeated until it feels huge. -------------------------------------------------- 5. Cultural Influence -------------------------------------------------- Quantitative: • Debuted at #1 on Billboard 200 (first heavy record to do so since Metallica’s black album). • 5× Platinum (5.9 million US, 14 million world). • “Freak on a Leash” MTV video of the year 1999—turned animation house Bullet-time into a mainstream aesthetic two months before The Matrix. Qualitative: • Invented the “radio edit with DJ scratch intro” template still used by everyone from Linkin Park to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal.” • Normalised 7-string guitars on Top-40 radio; before Follow the Leader only Steve Vai nerds owned them. • Popularised the idea of the rap-rock “feature” as cultural exchange rather than novelty (Cube, Nas, Pharcyde) paving the way for Collision Course and the 2000s mash-up era. • The click-bass + no-guitar-chorus production recipe is still the default setting in Logic Pro’s “Modern Rock” patch. -------------------------------------------------- 6. Pros & Cons (2024 ears) -------------------------------------------------- PROS 1. Still the most sonically expensive-sounding nu-metal record ever made—every frequency is intentional. 2. Songwriting economy: 14 proper songs, zero fat, every hook under 4:30. 3. First heavy album to treat rap as equal partner, not comic relief. 4. Production innovations (reverse-vocal ghosts, 5-over-4 loops, manual sample replacement) are now standard but still feel fresh because they were done with tape and ears, not plugins. 5. Emotional core hasn’t dated—social-media anxiety, parental burnout, teen self-harm are bigger issues now than in 1998. CONS 1. Interludes / skits (“Sean Olsen,” “Earache My Eye”) are 90-second inside jokes that kill vinyl side-flow; streaming makes them un-skippable annoyances. 2. Lyric imagery is so specific to Davis’ methadone hallucinations that it can feel voyeuristic rather than relatable. 3. Fieldy’s bass tone—revolutionary then—now sounds like a broken subwoofer in a Honda Civic; the click dates the record harder than the rap features. 4. Album is mastered to –6 dB RMS (hot for 1998, nuclear for 2024); digital clipping is audible on earbuds. 5. Spawned a thousand terrible imitators who copied the clothes, the tuning and the guests but missed the compositional rigor—so the record carries cultural guilt-by-association. -------------------------------------------------- Bottom line Follow the Leader is the last moment when nu-metal was still an experiment, before it became a costume. It is a $2 million panic attack that accidentally invented 21st-century rock production. The lyrics are too personal to become universal, yet the sound design is so precise that every modern heavy record is still answering the questions it asked.
It's good
Not my thing
Kind of meh. The vocals and instrumentation is kind of weird. Favourite Track(s): Freak on a Leash, Got the Life, Children of the Korn Least Favourite Track(s): Seed, My Gift to You
A few weeks ago, for some reason I can’t recall, I ended up reading all about Korn’s first album and listening to it. It gave me more understanding of the pain and personal circumstances of the band members that led them to make such ugly music. Opened my mind a bit. Now I get this album today, and just a few songs in, I’m throwing out all of that open-minded understanding. This shit sucks.
*Aggressive Jonathan Davis noises* Freak On a Leash is good, the rest is kinda whatever unless you're really into nu-metal
Why are the drums so high in the mix and dry? The singer sounds like he's always on the brink of something, taking a shit, I'm not sure, but its like some affected stressed growl. This is just not my vibe. From a musical standpoint, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of melody or strong musicianship. This music stresses me out.
I love Korn, I really do. But this album is one of the biggest misses on the list. I don't blame people for thinking that nu metal is just some cringe music teenagers were listening to if all they are exposed to is this and Limp Bizkit. Korn's self titled, Issues, Life Is Peachy, and even Take a Look in the Mirror would all have been far better choices to repesent the band than this. Those are all fantastic albums that represent Korn and nu metal as a whole so well and really showcase what the genre is actually capable of. But instead, we are left with this. To give credit where credit is due, there are still a good number of really good tracks on this album, but it's just so bloated with cringy lyrics, entire sections that are completely forgettable, and of course how could I forget the song featuring Jonathan Davis and Fred Durst doing a rap battle about incest, truly one of the worst Korn songs out there.
Hey kids! Let’s write music about white boys who hate their dads! Hey kids! Let’s write music for incels to fantasise about shooting their year 8 science teacher to! Hey kids! Let’s add ice cube so we don’t sound so white! Hey kids! Let’s add Fred Durst so we don’t sound too black! Fuck this turgid shite 1/5
5 stars for being the most ridiculous hour of music I've ever listened to.
Understand the appeal but a bit too angry for me.
HORRIBLE not to my liking at all!
I remember when this came out. One of those times where you hear a couple of catchy tracks on the radio, buy the CD, then are pissed off because the rest doesn't hold up.
Other than the more ubiquitous radio played singles from this album, my only connection to this band at the time was discovering the lead singer being a bagpiper. I wasn’t a fan of this album then, and upon relistening now…man…it’s still not good. There is a lot of filler and some even more wince inducing songs. What’s more surprising is this peaked at #1 on the Billboard charts. Let that sink in.
Oof… a humbling reminder of what some of us thought passed as good music for a brief time. This was rough!
I am very torn on this one. Could be part nostalgia since this came out when I was 16 or 17. It was great when big rock could still have a broad impact (singles didn’t chart but album was top 200). And props to them, the sound is very unique and heavy with the 7 string guitars and that rattling bass. Boom chack a brrrr. But man, I wasn’t the biggest fan back in the day and this wears after a while. 2.5 and I could round either way but I’m going down.
I was ready to risk it all and rate this a 3* based on Freak on a Leash and Got the Life...but there are some truly atrocious tracks on this album. None more so than the All in the Family collab with Fred Durst. 2.5/5
I think their sound is decent. I always liked Freak On a Leash, but the bridge is really weird. That kind of sound happens more often on this album and then there's also the rap on a few songs, which I'm not fond of. That drags the album down to a 2.
Not as good as I thought it would be. I guess I like Korn's hits but not much otherwise.
Pros: - Pre-chorus on Freak on a Leash is pretty catchy - It's not jazz Cons: Everything else
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.
Feel like it says something about the human condition that no group in history had it better than white American dudes in the 90s, and all a large portion of us wanted to do was be mad and listen to bands like Korn and break stuff. Anyway, this album sucks. The only redemptive feature was the song with Fred Durst is one of the more unintentionally funny songs out there
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.
I dislike this SO much
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.
This is me in grade nine, baby! The bass player Feildy is awesome
I was never a Kornhead, but this was pretty good - really interesting take on the nu-metal genre of the 90s. They're really good at writing these eerie yet catchy tracks. The last track with the bagpipes was a weird one, and the Cheech and Chong cover caught me by surprise. Overall this was really good and I'd listen again and check out more of their discography.
There is some weird skit stuff on this album that is a waste of time, but the music isn't bad
Pulled out my CD and threw it in. Forgot how profane it is. I listened to this so much when it came out.
Lacks authenticity....I don't believe them and sense the lyrics and music were designed by an industry VP intended in to catch sales from Linkin Park
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
3.5/10 Lyrics are shit and the scatting is awful, but unfortunately I enjoy the music enough to not give it the rating it probably deserves.
Not for me
Loved it when i was 16, it’s aged like mill
Back in the day, we all listened to some Korn. My roommate in college was actually his cousin, so he says. Not my vibe any longer.
The sound of rage discovering a budget, a microphone, and zero intention of calming down. Rating: 4.6/5 Short Review: This album is pure late-90s psychic pressure — ugly, loud, juvenile, and brutally effective. Follow the Leader took Korn out of the shadows and shoved them straight into the mainstream without sanding off the edges. It’s chaotic, groove-heavy, and emotionally unfiltered, full of songs that feel like they were written during a nervous breakdown and recorded five minutes later. Is it subtle? No. Is it sophisticated? Also no. Does it work anyway? Unfortunately, yes. Favorite Track: Freak on a Leash
Not my cuppa.
Dead bodies everywhere at sunrise on the bus. Thought I was nearly finished with album but was only on 4th song.
It's korn!
There's not much to say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's pretty damning that when you look through the reviews, all the lengthy, verbose reviews are 1 star and the first 5 star reviews you see are just "nice, it's Korn"... But in the interest of evening things out, providing some balance - playing "Korn's advocate" as it were - Here are some positives from this album: - "Freak On A Leash" is genuinely, unironically great. - There are two whole tracks that don't have an explicit tag on Spotify, and are therefore suitable to subject my children to. (I'm a good Dad though, so I won't be doing this) - Nu-Metal was an innovation as a genre. Not so much this album specifically, but Nu-Metal as a whole... - I don't have to listen to this album ever again. 1/5 I wish "Twist" was on this album YU NA RRUGH EE AH NN DA NN DA BRRRR...
1001 Albums Vol. 0018: Follow The Leader ============================================================ Introduction: Well, we're going directly from one of my favorite albums of all time to one that I can say without a doubt will get the lowest score from me yet. I'll go ahead and say something that a lot of people don't agree with: Nu Metal is not an objectively bad genre. Deftones and System of a Down, if you can even classify SOAD as Nu Metal, proved that to us. That being said, Nu Metal is objectively hard to make anything good out of. The good stuff is very far and few compared to other genres. Korn actually made something that I would consider good...back in 1994. Their debut album is good. I will die on that hill. It was influential, unique at the time, and is still one of the most raw albums ever made to this day. There was still a lot wrong with that album, yet the good still really outweighed the bad. Unfortunately, Korn would never be able to live up to the standard of their first album ever again. That's where this album, Follow The Leader, comes in. By this point, nu metal artists had begun to shift away from the early anger and angst of the genre. Nu Metal had become mainstream and they began to lean more into a style that would keep that attention of a wider audience. Of course, you did have artists such as Slipknot still carrying that early Nu Metal angst around this time but that's besides the point. Nu Metal had become mainstream, and that's where some of the problems with this particular album come in. This album, released in 1998 by Korn, leans much more into a "cool kid" and pop-like style than their previous albums. This is especially true on songs that feature other artists. I know this because I've already listened to a bit of this album. I won't lie, there was a brief period of time where I thought that this album was actually pretty good. That said, I literally hadn't even listened to half of the songs on it. Looking back too, I actually can see why I was generally wrong about that sentiment as well. There is one song on this album that I look back on fondly, I'm sure you know what it is, but most of what I heard I look back on and question why I ever found it good. Now, despite all of this, the album would release to general critical and huge commercial success. It would go on the charts, singles would go on the charts, and critics would talk positively about it as well. This would give me hope, but then I remember everything I've heard from this album so far and most of that goes away. I'll go ahead and say it, the score on this site for this particular album is valid. It's not too low nor too high. Rare case where I actually agree with the people of this site. Anyway, with all of that said, let's just get this hour-long album out of the way. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 1: It's On! Score: 8/10 Track 2: Freak On a Leash Score: 9/10 Track 3: Got the Life Score: 9/10 Track 4: Dead Bodies Everywhere Score: 7/10 Track 5: Children of the Korn Score: 4/10 Track 6: B.B.K. Score: 6/10 Track 7: Pretty Score: 5/10 Track 8: All In the Family Score: 2/10 Track 9: Reclaim My Place Score: 5/10 Track 10: Justin Score: 6/10 Track 11: Seed Score: 6/10 Track 12: Cameltosis Score: 4/10 Track 13: My Gift to You Score: 6/10 Track 14: Earache My Eye Score: 2/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Conclusion: This...this was a really rough one. I mean, it was really, REALLY rough. It actually started out pretty damn good but then just completely fell off after that. Completely. It's not the worst thing of all time by a longshot, but it's one of those scenarios where the bad outweighs the good. I'm sure everyone on here is aware of why, but I'll go into it anyway because that's what I do. To start, the music on this album is actually...pretty decent throughout most of the album. There are a few songs where the music is exceptional as well. While some might consider it lazy, the groovy guitars, the almost middle-eastern feel at times, the wavy sounds which I have no idea what the hell is making, and so on form some pretty decent and somewhat interesting sounds. For the most part, it's not great, but it's still interesting and unique. Admittedly, the music does get extremely repetitive and predictable in a lot of the songs, especially in the second half, but it's still generally decent throughout. The same level of quality cannot be said about pretty much everything else about this album. Every single gripe that people generally have about Nu Metal is present on this album. The whole Rap Rock vibe wasn't as present as I remember it being in this album. It's definitely there, but not to the extent that you would find with other Nu Metal artists at the time. Korn's iconic angst and anger are also present on this album...while some may consider this a good thing, I do not. Yes, it helps the album feel more unique, but it also feels as if Korn is trying to blend something that gives off "cool kid" or "rebellious teenager" vibes with some of the very dark and serious topics of their older works. It didn't work out as well as they thought it would. It could have been a lot worse, but this kind of blend was pretty much doomed from the start so that's not saying much. This kind of adaptation to the genre while still keeping what makes you original does deserve a bit of credit though. It's good that Korn kept their image and lyrics the way that they always had instead of changing their theme completely for the sake of money. Good on them for that. Despite that, the lyrics on this album are only good at best. I will say that Korn does Nu Metal lyrics a lot better than other artists in the same genre, however The first few songs are actually pretty good, but it kinda falls off after that.This is especially present with the...collab songs. To give another compliment to Korn, these songs that involved other artists were easily the worst on the album besides the hidden song that didn't need to be on there. Nevertheless, they still suck...terribly. All In the Family literally has to be up there for one of the worst songs of all time. The other two are just so odd and so experimental in all the wrong ways...and they have horrible lyrics too. Yeah, the collab songs shouldn't have been on this album. As for the songs Korn solely wrote, their lyrics are better, a lot better...but that's not saying much in the first place. The lyrics are decently written and are vaguely up to interpretation. They have a core theme about inner pain, loneliness, hate, and so on. They're good. Not great. This isn't helped at all by the forced anger present in Davis's voice throughout most of the album. Notice how the highest rated songs had genuine singing without any of the added bluff of anger to it. Yeah, the anger is very clearly forced and that's not a good thing at all. Maybe your band might become a bit more personable to some fans, but you sound completely fake to others. A lot of songs could have gotten a higher rating from me had this not been a theme consistent throughout the entire album. With that said, there are a few more things I want to mention. Freak On a Leash and Got the Life are great. It's a shame that the entire album couldn't have lived up to the quality these two songs presented. Pretty is a song that I almost find to be...almost disrespectful in a sense. It's not that I find myself disgusted by it, it's just that...you should always handle such sensitive and graphic topics with extreme care and respect. Making a song about such a dark, depressing, and horrible event just feels...odd. It's not even Davis that it happened to either like in Daddy. That's different. The horrible thing happened directly to him. He was affected by it. He should have the right to create a song about it if he wants to. Pretty just feels a bit disrespectful since it was about someone else completely. Alright, that's all I have to say about Pretty. Finally, Justin is a pretty sweet song. It's the meaning it was even written in the first place that I gave it a six instead of a five. It's nice. Anyway, with all that said, this album is...actually kinda bad. Like I said, it had its shining moments, but that was literally a moment in terms of the album's length. It's not good. It's not something that I like. It's unfortunate, I like to always see the positives in music but the negatives are so glaringly obvious here that I can't help but criticize more than praise. With all that said, this is definitely the worst album I've generated so far...worst by quite a bit actually. Sorry to say it, but the junk seems to finally be revealing itself. ============================================================ Follow The Leader Score: 5/10 Song Average: 5.6/10
Really sexy
I grew up listening never listening to the full album. Korn is very unique and they bring a lot energy to this album. They let you know right away ITS ON!
This isn't something I was into when it came out and I was like 14 (prime target audience for this record I would imagine) but I'm interested to listen to it today to see how it has held up. I would assume it hasn't really (spoiler, not well). I kind of feel like the whole Nu Metal genre garnered its fans in a very short timespan and doesn't really appeal to anyone who wasn't there at the time. First song my immediate thought was 'jesus were Jonathan Davis's vocals always such shit?' I totally get why the appeal to angsty teen boys was so strong. Thank god I'm not an angsty teen boy anymore. Although I do have to admit that I quite enjoy Freak On a Leash. So the music isn't too bad. I actually enjoyed some of the guitar parts, though the tone is super brittle and oversaturated. Some great drums in there too, although they largely suffer from terrible sound as well. It seems like a lot of the Nu Metal bands from this time were in the studio asking themselves 'How do we make this record sound as shitty as possible?' and this album is certainly one of those. The vocals and the lyrics are just terrible. Some super juvenile and ridiculous lyrics and blatant homophobia are kind of hard to get past. I mean I suppose this album belongs on the list because it is a good example of this genre. And why the genre was short-lived. 2/5
Is Korn good? No. Is this album good? Also no. Is it weirdly fun sometimes? Oh yeah.
poopy music
I thank god that my friends who might have otherwise gotten into KORN were old enough to have already gotten into Nine Inch Nails and TOOL by the time they came around. Cuz this is awful. I’m also pissed that they ruined that Cheech & Chong bit.
The music was interesting and good at times, and then things really went off the rails around the ice cube and Fred Durst Songs. The album deals with a lot of abuse themes?
so fuckin sick. bangers everywhere. all time group. ‘it’s on’, ‘freak on a leash’, ‘dead bodies everywhere’ and ‘seed’ were standouts among an album that fully throughout kicks ass
I guess I'm just too old for this... Standout Tracks: All the ones where Johnny does the funny beatboxing thing IDK Score: E
This album perfectly exemplifies the phrase "it's not a phase, mom, it's who I am". I appreciate the novelty of this, they use a lot of sounds that I've never heard in music before. And there are certainly lots of bits and baubles that keep my attention. But yeah don't get me wrong, this album is not at all an enjoyable listen and I am excited for it to be over so I can cleanse my ears.
Another 90s metal band I could not get into as a teenager but I enjoyed most of this album (didn’t care for the Ice Cube collab). Solid album!
Jonathan Davis seems like he would be really lame to hangout with...but this album is pretty good. Even though he tries to rap a couple times lol.
Never heard Korn before and what a surprise! helped me to focus at work and i had a little TBT moment back from my childhood. I remembered dead bodies everywhere from mtv! what a moment! 5 stars!
This kind of music makes me feel stressed and that's not why I listen to music. Not an enjoyable experience.
Nü Metal? What's wrong with Öld Metal? Another one of those "someone did something bad so that someone later could expand on it more tastefully" entries.
Yuck
God, nu-metal... mijn meest gehate genre. Limp Bizkit en Linkin Park zijn misschien wel mijn minst favoriete bands, of tenminste ze maken absoluut aanspraak op die titel. Korn ken ik dan weer minder goed, volgens mij was dat wel iets minder "Hey we proberen ook te rappen op deze jankende gitaren" en iets meer normale metal. Pfoe, children of the korn is echt een taai nummer om doorheen te komen zeg. Wat een bagger. Zelfs de Ice Cube feature kan daar niet veel meer aan veranderen. Jezus fucking christus, Nu-metal is echt het allerslechtste genre ooit gemaakt. Ik ben ook geen fan van Punk, maar daar zit tenminste nog iets van een boodschap achter, dit is 99% gewoon boze knulletjes die nooit uit de puberteit zijn geraakt. Album duurt ook ruim een uur, heb alsjeblieft medelijden zeg... Ik merk dat ik dit album ook echt slecht trek, als in na een aantal nummers neem ik een vrijwillige pauze om even niet dat continue geschreeuw te horen. Echt elk nummer is vrijwel hetzelfde, een muur van gitaren en beukende drums enzo en dat is prima, maar niet voor ruim een uur met af en toe een schreeuwende zanger met echt de allerallerallerslechtste lyrics die ooit op papier zijn gezet. "Who the fuck you think you're talking to? ME!" "My dick is bigger then yours!" Het is allemaal echt niveau middelbareschoolplein, prima, die hebben ook muziek nodig. Maar gewoon het besef dat deze gasten allemaal in de 20 waren destijds. Blijkbaar waren ze allemaal high van de coke en andere drugs en was het grootste deel van de band vooral seks aan het hebben toen het album werd opgenomen. Weet je? Ik begrijp het meteen, je hoort dat niemand daadwerkelijk bezig was met muziek maken en dat dit vooral een soort coke fueled rage record was. Niets positiefs? Eh, ik vind de cover ergens wel geinig gedaan. FAVO:
My first Korn album. Yeah, not for me. Great video!
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.
This album came out the year I was born and one of my friends used to call me Korn, so I guess I feel a connection to it. I don't think I liked it that much because my favourite tracks were the three that featured other artists so I clearly liked when the band sounded less like what they normally sound like. The track with Ice Cube was my favourite on the album. Of the nu metal albums on the list so far, I think Linkin Park is better. I'll give this 4/10.
When I was in grade 5 or 6 we went camping as a family somewhere in Manitoba. Likely hecla or birds hill park. But I’m not certain. I remember running around and biking around this campground and this group of young adults had a stereo playing music all weekend. They didn’t have much selection so they kept playing this one popular artist at the time. Having the song stuck in my head. I mockingly sang along and my mom thought I loved this song. So later that year for Christmas, she went shopping for gifts at a bunch of music stores trying to figure out this song. Singing it to the staff until she finds someone that recognizes it. My mom I’m sure very excited buys this CD from the store and wraps it up for me to open Christmas Day. When I unwrapped it, I wasn’t sure who the artist was and didn’t recognize the track list either. So I played the music either way and overall it wasn’t really my thing. Since I was mocking the music in the summer and not enjoying it. Later that year my sisters friend Michelle is flipping through my music collection and she sees the album my mom bought for me. She was so excited to play it. Then I mentioned that I didn’t really like it and she offered to trade some music for it. So in the end, I traded for her brothers scratched CD of Follow the Leader by Korn. I was so psyched to have some music I was into at the time. Even if the CD was in rough shape. I played that album a ton and it likely was one of my first metal/numetal albums of many. My mom was quite disappointed I traded her gift for Korn. Especially with all the work she had put into finding that other CD. But one way or another I think the fact that it lead to me getting this album was way better. I doubt I could have purchased it myself being a minor at the time. Since it likely was rated parental advisory. But I played that album so many times and thoroughly enjoyed this throwback. The album is so gritty and dark and at the early end of their genre. The bass and drums really shine through imo and it brings back many good memories.
Picture this, Korn performing this album as the opener for a T Swift concert. Hip hop meets Heavy Metal meets Grunge? Is that what they call Nu Metal? Sign me up either way.. So, Freak On a Leash, I really love this song. If you haven't seen the music video, PLEASE go and watch it, it's absolutely nuts, worth the watch. In terms of the songs the interludes balance the more hardcore sounding stuff, and the tension they build and then release with a pungent GO, so good... makes me want to punch a mailbox and kick a trash can over. Much respect to Jonathon Davis for the metal scatting too. The other songs don't amount to what this song does, but there are some other head banging moments. The opening bars for Reclaim My Place, and Justin are awesome. Sometimes you just want to scream 'What the FUCK' and 'FUCK all this BULLSHIT", then drop into some thunderous metal chords on the G tar. These songs do that. Its great, it scratches that inner childish delinquent. Anyways, I get why people wouldn't like this, its dark in its themes, grungy, abrasive, angry, and edgy. But if you over look some of those things, indulge a little bit, bang your head a little bit, you're in for a good time. Album art is great too, ties in with the music video for Freak on a Leash which is cool. Love to see they commissioned some 2D animation for it. Album gets a 7.5/10. Freak on a leash gets a 9/10.
they were too busy trying to be edgy or funny instead of making better music
Have you ever seen someone wear something that just doesn't fit their personality or aesthetic?? Like they are trying to force it, resulting in a cringe outcome? That is exactly what this feels like, mixed with a man trying to peacock and say shocking things to assert his dominance. This was just bad. It fell flat, but it did give me a good giggle every now and then.
Something Takes A Part Of Me 1001 Albums Generator 175 (12/3/2025) I don't want to do this right now... This week started out so good, I finished my Master's class with an A and got to relisten to Rubber Soul. Now I'm spending over $1000 on car repairs and all I have to show for it is this lousy Korn album. Look at this fucking thing. Look at the stupid, edgy album cover. Take it in. You're gonna be looking at it for over an hour. This list's metal choices piss me off. Death, TOOL, Deftones, Opeth, and Gojira, just to name a few obvious ones (not to mention personal favorites like Deathspell Omega, Blood Incantation, and Between The Buried And Me), are all omitted. Luckily, we have room for Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and Kid FUCKING Rock. Anyway, honestly the first few songs on Follow The Leader made me think this might not be so bad. Follow The Leader is unfortunately a classic and Got The Life was surprisingly good too, but much like the children on the cover, the album falls off a cliff around Children of the Korn and never comes back. Every time Jonathan Davis does that retarded thing with his voice (you know the thing), I die. All In the Family is so dumb and I'm laughing at it, not with it, but it makes total sense that this is the song that Fred Durst is on. I guess it's a "strong 1", since the first 4 songs are "technically" alright, but I'm just kinda pissed off that I had to listen to this. Favs: Freak On A Leash Got The Life Dead Bodies Everywhere Least Fav: All In The Family
gueno, pero no es mi tipo de musica
Certified Metal Mince
It's ok
Great jams for the angsty days. All In the Family is a vibe.
Didn't really know what to expect here, I'd avoided the Nu Metal world in favour of twee Scottish indie pop music in the late 90s (shout out to B&S, the polar opposite of Korn). This is bad. So bad even the good songs are bad. Bad bad bad. OK - the guitar work is impressive, but I could just get that from any decent metal band. It's like the worst bits of hop hop and ansgsty metal combined. 1 star and may God have mercy on your souls.
Probably would have been happy with this if I'd heard it 35 years ago - but I'm just not angry enough these days.
some great guitars vocal a bit naff in places, 2 tracks were just downright awful. Enjoyed it a lot overall but couldnt shake the feeling Corey Taylor would have done it better
I was never into Korn, even though I was on that whole scene. Dig the heavy guitar and general sound but even at the time it felt a bit rarrr I'm 13 and edgy, ooh creepy psycho vocal. Not a favourite but happy to listen to it. I got a bit bored of it towards the end. Some really good tracks but they need to be listened to in isolation, not at over an hour at a time.
yesterday I got possibly the best album ever made, today I got this steaming pile of crap. This things sold over 5 million copies? Man that’s bleak.
Not my genre but I have heard "Freak on a Leash" a few times. Lots of shouty metal and some sweary rap. Good angry people. I am not angry people generally.
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
Rakim>>>>Korn. I can appreciate the energy and feel like they are definitely a vibe just not one for me
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.
Можливо не настільки гарний реліз як їхній дебютник, але все одно один з найкращих альбомів у дискографії корн. Добре пам'ятаю як купив його на касеті, коли був десь у 8-му класі, мабуть, і мені ця музика здавалась дуже важкою, особливо пісні типу Reclaim My Place. Також відмічу My Gift To You, атмосферна та емоційна пісня.
Reminds me somewhat of Nine Inch Nails, sometimes in a good way, but not really an album I would choose to listen again
This was a good album. Freak on a Leash was the only song I really knew from the album, although I'm sure I've heard others. My expectations were higher and it kind of let me down. Also, it's a little too long. Davis's vocals are impressive and show real talent despite not really hitting notes ever. Everything feels intentional, which is something I will always appreciate.
Words cannot truly describe my emotions listening to this album. My gosh. First, let's address the elephant in the room, Fred Durst. Now that he's addressed, let's get onto the album. Awful. Just awful. I thought I liked nu metal. I thought I liked Freak on a Leash. I have never listened to it with a critical eye and honestly it's just not very good. Then, flop after flop and this album is just boring at best and the worst sounds you've ever let grace your ears at worst. The best part of this album is Slimkid3 and Ice Cube. I don't even like hip hop that much. Who let this album reach the public? That has to be against some federal law. The guitarist is really good though.
Why the gratuitous homophobia? Were they delusional enough to think they would develop an unwanted gay fan base? No, probably just an attempt to look tough, like a toddler screaming fuck.
Decent slab of nu metal. Some good highs and dated lows.
Korn is bad for the digestion, both going in and coming out. It doesn’t help that it sounds like Jonathan Davis is singing while sitting on the can. If it was 60 minutes shorter I might give it a charity star because of this tidbit from the Wikipedia: “According to Wright, Robinson went to extreme lengths to agitate Davis in the vocal booth, including punching him in the back repeatedly.” Call the mandatory minimum 1-star I’m required to select the charity star.
One hour and seven minutes of Korn is quite a lot of Korn
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
Korn never landed with me when I was an angry youth. More of a Bizkit guy. I think I liked irreverence more than dead serious angst. Korn’s first one is compelling and I think it’s a cool relic in a fucked way, though I’m not too drawn to listen to it. I just appreciate it from a distance. This one is… ok. It’s dumb as hell and too serious and too dated in a bad way, but it’s got moments that really rock and I’m nothing if not a guy who seeks moments that really rock.
Dope
Not my jam.
This wasn't as bad as I was expecting, the odd more experimental bit that popped up as an intro, and the appearance at one point of Ice Cube were surprises. But ultimately this is a shouty heavy rock / metal album that mostly does the same thing throughout (as far as I got anyway) . Not my thing, so bailed after Ice Cube had done his thing.
I could listen to this again. I wouldn't rate it a must listen, but I enjoyed it.
Sexist misogynist bullshit for incels.
3.5 some bangers and some w fred durst
If I could give this garbage 0 stars I would
Previous review "Shocked to see so many 1s. I listened to this album a lot throughout my mid teens. I still like it now. I prefer Limp Bizkit, but they're a great band that jilted a generation." Not worthy of a "1". It got a string of 5s throughout 2023 and 2024, but then dropped to a 4 for quite a while. Still sad to see so many 1s, but still a 5 for me, of course.
First time listening to a Korn album in full and it's about as I would've expected. At times its kinda fun but a lot of the time its just annoying. Certainly better than Bizkit but that's a pretty low bar isn't it? Favorite track: Got the Life 2.5/5
a little too much for me I’ll admit
I've been into various styles of heavy music since the late 80s. I like some nu-metal, just not Korn. They're heavy, but not death metal heavy. I don't like their groove. I don't like the riffs. I especially don't like the voice. I saw them live and I hated it. Listening to this album again, I feel exactly the same. They were an important band for sure, and they're not bad enough for 1 star, but I don't like them.
Really not my cup of tea. 1/5
Cookie Monster screams about how his daddy and the females hate him. The sound of the band is actually not bad—often, they’re quite talented. I guess it may be my best-sounding 1/5. What an ignominious honor. Best song: Freak on a Leash
Ugh this is one of those situations where I liked this because of those around me. Jonathan Davis cannot sing. This is more of a trauma dump over anything else. They're very much nu-metal wall of sound. I don't know how they de-tuned their basses so much that they do that slap slap noise they do. It's more of a percussion instrument than stringed.
Well... I've never liked nu-metal. Korn... Maybe it's the worst band in this genre
I can think of no better way to start off the workweek than with some late 90s nu-metal. Too bad I don't have a Monster energy drink and Slim Jims on hand to set the mood. Freak On a Leash is one of those songs that can teleport me back to a specific point of childhood. I remember thinking the whole song was so weird, bordering on creepy -- particularly the whole non-verbal breakdown. Gotta say its a jam that has held up pretty well over time. Got the Life has similarly held up quite well. I mean, sure it sounds very late 90s in its angst and "get your boogie on," but damn if it isn't fun. Sounds like my man's bass string could fall off with how rattly it sounds. Dead Bodies Everywhere plays like a boomers impersonation of metal music. Like the lyrics and everything sound like a straight caricature. Can safely say I wasn't expecting to run into Ice Cube on this record. What a weird crossover. Pretty awful results... All In the Family is another weird crossover with Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst that has aged like milk. Not to suggest that it wasn't already rancid when it was first released. Never was a huge Korn fan and listening to this straight through did nothing to convince me. The radio hits are solid, but otherwise, this is incredibly spotty. I'd find moments where I actually kind of enjoyed parts of a song but then they'd shift direction into something paper thin and awful (thinking of Pretty in specific). Then there are the shit stains that were All in the Family, and Children of the Korn, Dead Bodies Everywhere. And if that wasn't bad enough, they were kind enough to smear it in our faces with closer Earache My Eye. Gotta say, I have little love for this one. A 2 feels generous, but a 1 feels unnecessarily cruel given there are a few "decent" tracks and a number of enjoyable enough riffs. So 2 it is.
Korn is da bomb - Carly Hamill, pencil on drywall, 2003 Great energy. Not sure how to describe the bass sound, but it sounds like the strings are super loose which I like. Definitely heard some Limp Bizkit adjacency to it, then Fred Durst came on a track lol. Overall really nice metal with great production on top to give it a uniqueness without being cheesy.
Can't say I have ever listened to a full Korn album but the songs I do know are absolute bangers. On this album this include Freak on a Leash and Got the Life, both get me going. Rest of the album has the most 1998 nu-metal sounds I have ever heard. The cameos by Ice Cube and Fred Durst were also quite disappointing. Will only be keeping the 2 songs above in my memory and flushing the rest out.
Freak on a Leash is a BANGER. Man there is some stuff that I can really get into, and then other parts it just sounds like Donnie from the Wild Thornberry's just making nonsense noises over nu-metal. Seed was especially bad with this one. Was excited to see the features and they kinda sucked. While I don't think this necessarily was dogshit, it's definitely just not good minus a couple songs. The nu-metal aspect got me into some songs but that was mostly it.
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.
Dreadul. My bowels sing sweeter tunes.
pretty good
Liking Korn was very uncool in high school when this came out, since it basically meant you were a total asshole. It still means that, but that's not totally Korn's fault, and there is some genuine artistry on this album. It's just hard to hear it without thinking about the Children of the Korn. Definitely one big notch over the Juggalos, but still bad news.
KORRRN!!! Ryan and Rugby team worked security for their concert in WA- got his eye scratched