Follow The Leader

Dos rolas aguantan... si tuviera 15 años

Wie tief kann man Saiteninstrumente stimmen? Korn! Das bratzt Anfangs ganz ordentlich, trägt aber nicht über die ganze Platte und ist schließlich einfach ermüdend. Gerade so 3 Sterne wegen Rumms! und 2-3 guter Songs.

i like korn but that one didnt land as much

Ah... Nu Metal digs

It was ok. Like someone just got a new stomp box.

This is nostalgic for me, even if it's not my favorite Korn album. There's definitely some Korny (har har) lines, but Freak on a Leash still goes hard

Nu-metal's haters and defenders have all had their say, and I can add nothing. Mostly because I listened to it not at all (essentially, let's not talk about Skillet). Don't really like it, and this album is no exception to the rule that I have zero interest in relistening to it. On the other hand, nothing (except maybe the Durst track) is something I find actively bad, so I wouldn't mind if someone wanted to put it on. Certainly wouldn't mock them for it. It's still great that the genre had a short life. Bagpipe points go to Korn and not nu-metal.

Way too long, or how I came to tell my aunt I like Korn now.

Some great tracks but I was always more of a Limp Bizkit fan

2.5/5. It wasn't bad, but it sure wasn't good. Is this what Nu Metal is? It was like metal with some rapping. Very interesting but by no means enjoyable.

This is somewhere between bad and terrible. Mostly it is derivative and uninteresting. Power cords/distortion/pounding drums/guttural vocals. A lot of it is intentionally grunge adjacent. Some of it embraces the metal/rap crossover that was in vogue at the time but largely unsuccessfully. There are a few tracks where the guitar playing approaches “kind of good I guess.” This wasn’t good then and time and distance do it no favors, although I suppose actual distance would help.

It’s crazy to me that nu metal became a thing. At first listen it’s like that’s kind of cool, but then they do the same thing over and over. Nothing of meaning or value comes from this.

I can't remember whether Korn played the Woodstock festival when they did it again in the 90s (didn't look it up so decade could be wrong), but they were made for that sort of testosterone fueled nonsense.

Story time: When I was in year 9 there were two boys I liked. I had a Sanity voucher ... Joel suggested I get Vitalogy, Patrick suggested Follow the Leader. I made the wrong choice of both the boy, and the music. I bought this album. (Joel became a priest and Patrick is now a manager at Tafe 😂 so that explains a lot). Another super cringe worthy thing came out of this album - I did an interpretive dance to one of the tracks for drama class. Omg, the shame 😭 It has its moments, but mostly this is just edgiest of edge lord music. I do still kind a like the tippytappy bass, where it's hardly playing any notes but its more like percussion. Still, this does not deserve a place on the list, and I die a little of bit each time thinking about the intersections of this album with my life. I still have my copy 😂

An otherwise great metal album ruined by Fred Durst's guest appearance. That song along brings down the overall score of this album by a couple points. It can be described as an album with quiet moments, followed by primal loud scream sessions, followed by another quiet moment. Drums are insanely good and the drop-tuned guitar sounds great paired with Davis's weird ass singing intonations. Without "All In The Family" this album sits as a 7-8/10. Because that song is involved at all, it brings the album down to a 5/10 which is unfortunate. It's like the old prank where you drop a packet of salt into the teacher's coffee - it spoils the whole drink.

Don't need much of a relisten. Has some moments where it all comes together but there's a lot of laughable moments too.

I am 100% behind music that speaks to people who feel outcast from society. Bands like this seem to try so hard to reach those outsiders, though, that it reaches a point of self-consciousness, and tips the whole thing into a cynical void. Give me Sabbath any day.

It was alright. Some insane breakdowns and great bass performances, bur overall too edgy to be really enjoyable.

This goes beyond being korny and is just straight up goofy. The sounds on this album do not mesh well and feel like they were haphazardly thrown together.

I don’t hate nu metal but this is not great. Freak On A Leaah is a banger. I remember it being on MTV2 constantly, but the rest is meh at best. His beat boxing or whatever that is comes across as bizarre and, much as I appreciate the use of the bagpipes, they add nothing

Day937 - i know i should like korn and have tried but i just can’t get into it

Never really cared for them. I would probably like this better without the rattling de-tuned bass and the Tasmanian Devil sounds.

eh

An interesting album but didn't make me pay too much attention 2/5

Better than expected ..but too long

I looked forward to listening to this about as much as oral surgery, but Follow the Leader lands on the more bearable end of the nü metal continuum. That's almost exclusively thanks to its riffs. Jonathan Davis' vocals and lyrics are less interesting, but at least he has a POV and earned his angst. Fred Durst, not so much—he remains a vapid bore and godawful rapper. This is definitely not my thing, but I get its adolescent catharsis. Be nice to the weird goth kids, everybody.

I remember listening to this a lot in high school, but I don't think it has aged well.

As nu-metal goes, this wasn’t the worst. But I just was too old to vibe with this.

Overall Rating - 1.61/5 (3.21/10). Foul lyrics, unpleasant, but decent musicianship.

Apparently the album that put 'Nu Metal' into the commercial mainstream - I'm not convinced how thankful I am to Korn for doing that based on today's listen. The rap elements to me are varied in quality - the Ice Cube track is quite an eye opener, whereas the Fred Durst track just seems juvenile at best and bears all the hallmarks of what happened at Woodstock '99. I can't claim to be a fan of where rock was headed at this point having liked Britpop and Radiohead and this music sums up what was wrong with it. There are some ok riffs but really I'm not 'feeling it'.

Not for me

Freak on a leash is a vibe, the rest is absolute schlock

I forgot to save my review but basically i was listening to this at work and i came to the conclusion that the 90s were the last time that white people were considered cool. nowadays they're the bottom of the coolest pyramid... and i think i said that i liked when ice cube was on the album and fred durst is always fun y'kno. tbh tho the album was really bad i thought. i really thought i was gonna like it

2 This album shouldn’t be here

Best Track - "Children Of The Korn"

For all their flaws, i'll still defend the first two Korn albums as revolutionising metal music. This was the pount where I lost interest, and I stand by that decision. The first album was the angst-ridden scream of a bullied child. This is what happens when the bullied child gets money and starts acting like the bullies that tormented him. Freak on a Leash got heavy radio play, and Got The Life adds a nice disco vibe, but nothing else sticks in the memory - apart for the absolutely awful "all in the family". I can't even bring myself to give it a 3. Let's say a high 2, and they'll be grateful for it.

2.1/5 A couple of good songs but a lot of the songs just had weird instrumentals and odd musical choices. If they just stuck to the straight up nu metal sound I think I'd like them more

I didn’t really like Korn when first came out on the scene. I didn’t/don’t like the vocalist, feels whiny to me in any contexts, but I am a little bit of a fan of the loose, rattley bass tone and some of the drumming….those aspects bring it from a 1 to a 2 star.

1.5. It was a bit intense for me but “All in the Family” really took it down a notch for me and it never recovered.

4/10 I listened to this while enjoying the beautiful train journey from Paignton to Exeter. Although the down-on-their-heel townscapes of Paignton and Newton Abbot could in some ways be suitable for the teeny angst of Korn, for most of the journey the music jarred badly with the sun-dappled sea in the gentle early morning of midsummers day. The skibbidy-ba doo wops were odd. The music wasn't as impenetrable as I feared, but it didn't amount to much more than it's chugga-chug, chugga-chug, chuggady-chugga-chug dropped tuning riffs. No thanks

For the first 3 tracks I really had myself convinced we didn't give Korn enough credit and that we were too fast to throw them out with all the worst nu metal bands. I was contemplating a 4/5 star rating. Riding high! Then the rest of the album happened. Freak on a Leash and Got the Life saved this from a 1 star review at least.

Some music, mostly a bunch of shouting. One track was interesting, "My Gift to You". It had a bagpipe intro that lead into the piece, however the tune went dark then had the typical shouting. Too bad thought there was some hope.

Absolute trash. The Ice cube feature was ok

1.5

2.5

Low 2. The music is interesting, but the lyrics I think we can aspire to a higher quality.

65

jesus christ

a productive album for moving in day! also quite silly

Pas mon style

Niet mijn ding. Ook weer niet mega hard/interessant.

not for me

Gran ejemplo de por qué me gusta esto. Son esas bandas que me daban mucha curiosidad escuchar a ver que onda, pero nunca me mandaba. Hoy lo escuché, me di cuenta que no me gusta, pero con fundamento jajaj. Freak on a leash está buena la verdad, la escucharía, las otras no creo, y menos el disco entero. Me sentí raro escuchandolo en el bondi, como si estuviera ocultando algo.

No apto para todo el mundo, te tiene que gustar el heavy y la música oscura. De lindo no tiene nada, es ruido y una voz del inframundo. Algo me gustó, no sé bien qué pero no suena mal. Hay un tema sacado de contexto que es el de Ice Cube que me gustó el Feat más Rap. Esto se escucha para entrenar y levantar pesado en el gym, no le encuentro otro contexto jaja. No pongo top Picks, me cuesta encontrar 3 canciones outliners, suenan muy parecido muy monótono. All in the Family es el que más me gustó, es más hablado y se escucha claro lo que transmite la letra. “Check you out Punk, yes i know you feel it” muy buenaaaa letra.

This would be a better album if they just don’t sing in it because these lyrics are just not it. Musically, I enjoy the strong and loud music initially but as the album progresses, it started feeling repetitive. I don’t hate it enough to give it a 1 but it isn’t good.

Did not appreciate some of the lyrics (although the band does regret writing while drunk...) but appreciated the screaming while I was working thru spreadsheets

Could not even finish it

I never did like this game.

As a millennial there's a certain level of nostalgia tied to this album as the roots of the Nu-Metal subgenre. Their sound is truly one of a kind. But honestly there's only so many songs on this album that are enjoyable. The songwriting feels too loose in that a lot of the songs don't really go anywhere.

I do actually like the first three tracks. The rest I could take or leave, and All in the Family has got to be in the running for worst song of all time

Maybe my 13 year old self enjoyed this, but was not a fan this time around. “Freak on a Leash” still has one of the coolest music videos, but the rest of the album just doesn’t hold up. Highlights: “Freak on a Leash”

Kad sam bila klinka i u toj nekoj fazi sam ih voljela, pa sam očekivala da će mi ovaj album nakon toliko vremena puno bolje sjesti nego što je. Ne volim kad me počne hvatati anksioznost dok čekam da završi album, nije dobar znak 🤣 ipak zbog nostalgije bit će 2/5, 3/10

I’ve never really loved Korn even though I really was the target age, etc. I remember when everyone got super into them. Overall I’ve generally just found them a bit too weird in an unpleasant way and a lot of their tracks felt too monotonous. Anyway. For this album I can’t say my mind has really been changed. Songs like Children of the Korn or Dead Bodies everywhere sound like something a parody metal band would write and are almost laughable to me. I like a good amount of metal and definitely understand that all metal has a measure of theatrics to it but they seem to me like a group that takes themselves very seriously. Some tracks aren’t bad at all (It’s On!, Freak on a Leash) but overall I’d just really rather listen to most other bands.

There’s only so many time I can listen to drop A slap bass parts and Jon Davis sounding like Scooby Doo before I get tired

too messy and angsty in a cringe way

Better when I was 14

It makes me want to smash things

Não é a minha cena

284/1089 okay good start, it’s a type of metal that’s accessible enough for me to enjoy pretty easily which i sort of expected from what i’ve heard of them before also this album was released a week after i was born, i guess it must be the album closest in age to me on this list so that’s fun All in the family is ROUGHHH meh this album was okay but it dragged on quite a bit and i’m generally not a huge fan of some of the aggressive types of lyrics etc in here (i think aggression can be well aimed, eg in punk music but this just felt a bit vulgar imo) that said it has some sounds i like and that i find nostalgic so that’s a positive faves: It’s On!, Freak on a Leash 41/100

I liked a few songs but none of them enough to listen to it again, and it's a little TOO intense for me, i believe. And it gets a liiitle repetitive too

I liked Freak on a Leash on highschool, but other than that this is mostly forgettable nu metal. The tracks with Fred Durst and Ice Cube were especially bad. 2/5

I guess this deserves a spot because there was a time when nu metal was huge. And to know your popular music history you should probably at least know what it sounds like. That being said, I lived through nu metal’s popularity and I wasn’t thrilled to have to relive it. This genre just does not appeal to me. I can dig some of the heaviness, it’s not awful for metal instrumentals, and the bass guitar on some songs was cool. Just as a whole I don’t like it.

oh my godddd. jonah was right they CANNOT reclaim. barely limped through this lol

You know what? I did have some fun with this. I can see why this launched nu-metal into ubiquity. I was excited to hear Ice Cube. I hadn’t looked at the tracklist very closely before starting my listen so all the features were surprises. I even got a kick out of Fred Durst! I unironically enjoyed (most of) his verses on “All In the Family”. The Waco lyric had me slapping my knee. It still suffers from a massive runtime, edginess, and some truly bananas misogyny, but it’s harder and not as self-serious as some of its peers. Makes it easier to digest. Consider this a lightly affectionate two stars.

Production is great, I enjoy Freak on a Leash, but man it hasn't aged well at all.

I’ve probably seen Korn live more than any other band despite never listening to an album. In high school all my scumbag friends loved Korn and I’ll never say no to live music. That being said I thought this album was bad. Freak on a Leash is undeniably badass, but All in the Family is where I had to tune out and just let the album exist in the background. Holy fuck what a bad song. I should’ve stopped at Children of the Korn because that was terrible too.

It’s not really my genre. It’s not horrible but it’s just not something I enjoy for the most part. There are similar or adjacent bands that I like (SOAD, Deftones) but overall it’s not something I’m into. The music has an aggressive and depressive nature. The most enjoyable tracks for me are the ones that are more melodic or have some hip hop lyrical delivery.

This was a tough listen. I used to own this album back in High School when I was full of bad decisions and depression, so I know all the songs. The lyrics did not age well. The teenage angst is tangible. Plus, the album is really long! I remember trying to share this with my mom back in High School and she (rightfully) gave it scorn. The longer the album went, the more I disliked it.

Nu-metal? More like ew-metal!

There's a weird thing with numetal where the vocals don't have much variety. There's the standard shouty vocal and there's the higher pitched melodic vocal. Sometimes there's a whispered bit and sometimes there's a grunty bit. The funniest bit is where they sling Vanilla Ice as an insult with zero self awareness.

Bad but not quite *as bad* as I was expecting. I really don't like it when he does the weird scat thing where he sounds like Beavis from Beavis & Butthead. A common thread on all these nu metal albums: they're always too long.

Oh boy, some more edgy shit. I've been listening to my fair share of albums like this lately. I'm assembling pre-written reviews for all of the albums which were removed from later editions of the book, of which just about every single angsty teen boy album has been snubbed. The second Slipknot album was pulled. Limp Bizkit was axed. Linkin park got obliterated. This album is one of very few to have survived, so forgive me for getting my hopes up just a little. I quite like the illustrative style of this album cover, so I'd be getting my hopes up either way. I think I can very safely lock in nu metal as my genre prediction. Here goes. Bleak listen. I had completely checked out of this album by the time the final quarter rolled around - absolutely nothing could get through to me. This music is dull, though I suppose there are moments of competence peeking through. I appreciate the strange, arrhythmic songwriting. It's pretty decent at points. The vocals don't do it for me, however. It sounds like this guy is singing in a hushed, subdued voice because his parents are in the other room. Maybe that's the point - so parents can't make out the lyrics from the other side of the dry wall. The nu metal instrumentals are similarly dull to me. The grungier-sounding instrumentals are generally the more competent offerings, whereas the blown-out, buzzing guitar tracks all blend together into an unsatisfying, unremarkable mush. The hour-ten runtime wasn't as intolerable as some of the other albums of its ilk, though it left a mark on my enjoyment all the same. Overall, this was a boring, if manageable listen. Book time. Set the standard for nu metal. Diversified their sound by adding a "...more sparse and groove-based sound". Ice Cube, Fred Durst and one of the vocalists from Pharcyde appear on here. "So, did this angry, twisted music do anything positive? It certainly made a truckload of money." I've read better closers to these entries, that's for sure. Wikipedia says this album peaked at No. 1 all across the West. The only country to miss out is the UK, where it peaked at No. 5. It's also the band's most successful release and had two popular singles, the music videos for which were banned from MTV after viewers kept requesting that they be played (the network wanted to give air time to other artists). It brought nu metal into the mainstream, received a modest, if polarised reaction from critics and charted all across the West and Europe. As I've said in some of my prior reviews, it's difficult not to view a lot of 90s music as subversive, even if I do get along with this decade of music way better than the ones which came beforehand. Promoting images of squalor, dysfunction and decay through your art is socially corrosive as it normalises such a state of being. Before too long, the people who revel in this music will seek comfort from it and become increasingly complacent with the atrophying state of the West. Obviously, we should try to rehabilitate the individual to extent where it's possible, but having art like this in the mainstream is counterintuitive when viewed through the traditional lens of art and culture (i.e., as a testament to human accomplishment). I don't respect this album, though I won't let personal feelings cloud my judgement. I'm favourable to the music history picks of this list and this music is, fortunately, historically significant. Furthermore, all of the points I've laid out from the book and Wikipedia are solid qualifiers, so I think I can let this one through. I cosign this inclusion

2.5 - ok

I can maybe at least respect the effort and artistry applied here, it's obviously well thought out and professionally made. It just isn't a sound I enjoy hearing much of. A couple songs here and there will do it for me, but 67 minutes in a row is way too many. I was fully over it by the time All In the Family started. I listened to the whole thing anyway because I committed to it, but it really only got worse. 1.7/5

The two big songs are pretty good: Freak on a Leash and Got the Life. The rest of the songs don't have those good melodies/hooks, just a lot of downtempo rock and anger, which I'm not into, so it pulls the album down for me.

When I had it kind of turned down, I could hear the pop metal catchiness in the rhythms of the vocals and instruments. But the minute you turn it up enough to hear the lyrics, it drops off a cliff. No one with a fully developed pre-frontal cortex could like this.

Outside of SOAD, I'm not a fan of NuMetal generally and this was one of the bands that influenced that take. So this is a good opportunity to see if a couple of decades behind us both will change my mind. Freak on a Leash has some force behind it, but still makes me want to roll my eyes. I realize that I was not the target audience of this. Got the Life, is a pretty good song ruined by a video that makes me want to sneer and click next. It kind of goes down hill fro there.

This heavy stuff just is not for me

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

4/10 Favorite: Freak On a Leash

I found it annoying at times. Wasn't a fan of the vocals at parts, and also the parts with cleaner production

this sucks

1.5

small garbage imho

lyttede ikke rigtig færdig, synes umiddelbart ikke det faldte i min smag. Genbesøg senere

"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 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

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

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

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

I'm no Korn fan really but this one has some highlights. Also lowlights, couple of those, really.

Kinda crazy. I like Fred durst feature/the more rappy tracks but idrgaf about the screaming so much

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

2/5

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 *

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.

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 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!

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.

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?

2 3 guzel sakri var gerisi cop averaj nu albumu

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.

“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

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.

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🧑‍🌾🚜.

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

Can appreciate what its trying even if I can't appreciate the outcome why it sits at 2 stars for me.

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.

Solid metal/rock... but not my thing anymore.

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.

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.

Nu metal

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.

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

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.

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"

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

*Aggressive Jonathan Davis noises* Freak On a Leash is good, the rest is kinda whatever unless you're really into nu-metal

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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

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

I guess I'm just too old for this... Standout Tracks: All the ones where Johnny does the funny beatboxing thing IDK Score: E

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.

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.

Probably would have been happy with this if I'd heard it 35 years ago - but I'm just not angry enough these days.

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.

Rakim>>>>Korn. I can appreciate the energy and feel like they are definitely a vibe just not one for me

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.

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.

Sexist misogynist bullshit for incels.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I knew Freak on a Leash of course which is alright but I always stayed away from Korn because they were like the band version of a Spencer’s. Also associated them with Limp Biskit which I dislike… oh good Fred Durst is on here. Honestly I liked the rhythm section, especially how dirty that bass sounds, and the aggressive parts. On a whole though the rapping portions and influences are just terrible. I got excited to hear an actual rapper when Ice Cube came on but good lord that Fred Durst song really lived up to the expectations I had (even if I think it’s intentionally poking fun that song still sucked) I don’t think Korn will ever really be for me and that’s ok (2.5/5)

Nu metal - nostalgic cringe.

Solid numetal, edgy, abrasive, and at times very fun. Freak on a leash always a good time.

C'était bien nul.

2 Aged horribly

I never really could stomach Korn. Their groovy and accessible sound was huge for propelling the nu-metal genre (and metal in general) into the mainstream, which is a good or bad thing depending on who you are. I just think there was far better and more interesting things happening in metal at this time.

Not a fan, couldn't actually get through it, vocals are annoying lyrics are cringe inducing, riffs are nothing special

2 out of 5. I was both excited and a little scared to listen to this album again. I haven't played this in over 20 years, since middle school, and forgot how this one sounds. It doesn't hold up, but the bass playing is easily my favorite part of this whole album.

It’s important for all the 40 year olds with kids to remember how incredibly moody and angsty we all were. I forgot how much “woe-is-me” nu-metal l/alt rock there was!!! Were we actually the worst? Also ice cube - wtf?? Giving it a 2 because it is layered, has creativity and a tune. Not my fav but no way the worst on this list

Oof. I already know there’s only so much time I’ll be willing to waste on this one. Funny thing, Korn’s debut record released right at the right time for me to gravitate toward it. I even enjoyed Life is Peachy quite a bit. Of course, I was 16 at the time, and full of angst. By the time Follow the Leader came out, I had well and truly grown out of their sound and I’m not sure that I’ve listened to Korn since. And revisiting the band for this record makes me think I’ve made the right call for the last 27 years. This record truly sucks. I now understand what some of my buddies already understood what took me almost 3 decades to really see: Korn, while spearheading a whole new (at the time) genre of metal, probably shouldn't have. Because it's lame, and it sucks, and my friends were right to make fun of me. I’m tapping out 3 tracks in. I just can’t do it. 2/5

Pretty strong start - I forgot how good ‘Got the life’ was. the bass tone and guitar riffs are honestly pretty sick throughout, I can see why it spawned an entire genre. But holy shit some of the lyrics are cringe and did not age well at all. All in the family makes me wanna kms

My freak off-leash 💯 💪

The dumpster kids unite over this album. As a critical listener I appreciate what nu metal did for music. But Korn is far from my favorite in the genre. Thematically the sludgey guitars and demonic vocals make this a unique standout from the genre that definitely imprinted in on music for generations to follow. You don't have to be a fan to appreciate. Middle of the road album, I don't love or like more than the hit(s) freak on a leash. But still think this was important for metal and music in a whole.

Not sure I’ve ever listened to this album in full despite being a pretty big Korn fan in middle school. “Freak on a Leash” and “Got the Life” are perfect nü metal songs that stand out from the pack. Several other songs play with the same ideas. Others are nothing but immature, misogynistic, homophobia-laced diss tracks. Will stick with the singles on this one!

A lot of hate for this album on here, and I'm not here to defend it and say "y'all just don't understand it's genius" or whatever. Davis has a unique voice that's honestly very hard to listen to for a whole album, but for a metal album from the late 90s, this album did a lot to influence so many other bands and is actually pretty interesting overall. "All In The Family" certainly didn't age well...

This is like if Limp Bizkit didn't suck as much

Can't believe I listened to over an hour of Korn. Not really my thing, but if you like it, enjoy it.

The great Steven Wilson in one of his Album Years podcasts once said that everyone should own at least one Korn album. I remember this because at the time I had never heard of Korn. As his and my musical tastes seem to coincide (if not obviously his great musicality) I did stream a few Korn tracks but was largely unimpressed. Then I get this album on the list so considered by the 1001 Gods good enough to be on it. Again I’m unimpressed. Not an all out stinker as there are some good great guitar sounds going on but the vocals let it down. This is a common thing to my ears when I hear heavy metal singers. Seems that they are communicating in Klingon instead of the Kings English (nearly put Queen there) Striking album cover in an horrific way. Little kids playing hopscotch to oblivion? 2/5 20/10/25

Not as unpleasant as I feared. Some songs I even listened to the whole way through without having to exercise much self control. But still not my scene and struggling to understand the appeal. The voice!!

Not the worst thing I’ve ever heard, but definitely don’t feel I had to listen to it in this lifetime

Aside from the singles this album is 100% nu metal cringe. From the lyrics to the rapping, I honestly have no idea how this album made it on this list

not for me

Damn. I remember when I first got this album it seemed like a huge step forward. but now I find it hard to listen to a complete song, IMO I think Jonathan Davis' vocals just did not age that well.

Not my favorite.

One banger, the rest is a bit meh.

I've never been a fan of Korn, so this review is quite biased. The vocals and the bass both just sound terrible to me.

I dislike Korn. Quite a lot. They’re brand of metal is so slow sounding and annoying, also it’s bad

There are parts that are okay, but I really don't like most of it. 2 stars or D+.

Nierda!!!! Ese bajo no me dejó escuchar si alguien cantaba o se quejaba. Increíble que había gente que no movía sus ojos al parecer. Tortura.

Forgettable.

Nja, visst tuff rock men för mycket beat framför melodi för min smak, sången blir också jobbig.

I have nostalgia for Freak on a Leash, but the rest of the album is hard to listen to...

никогда корн не нравились - хоть и, будем объективны, у них есть свой стилек. ну и фит с айс кьюбом ужасен.

Freak on a leash and Got the Life 💞

What a rubbish metal album, seriously, I can't find much of this album to like. His voice is just creepy and doesn't suit the bland backing band that can't get anything right. Also, the homophobia and misogyny are present throughout the whole album, which is just gross. Why is this band so popular is something I can't understand.

A particular type of person likes screaming metal. It’s not me

This was difficult listen. I didn't really like this kind of music back in the 90's and early 00's and it looks like I still don't.

"Freak on a leash is such banger, wonder why i haven't listen to more of their music?" "...Oh" Everything kinda sounds like a lesser version to me. The vocal quirks get a bit tiresome for me. Almost sounds like the guy from Police academy joined a metal band. It is iconic from the era, I'll give it that and freak on a leash is actually pretty good. But as a whole it wasn't for me (even though I remember seeing them in concert once)

Bored half way through, a couple of decent riffs but I found the vocals very annoying, I can't stand Fieldy's bass style some of the tracks with guest rappers are absolutely cringe worthy. It's also way, way too long. Shit.

I will always be down with Got the Life, but this was never my bag.

Meh - long, pretty samey, I like metal genre but got a bit bored of this

Look, Nu Metal has every right to be on this list - I had fun with the Slipknot offering some time ago - and you can't spell Nu Metal without Kor—... wait. U Metal. Well, I guess you can, mostly? Cool, because this album is kinda shit. Their "Life is Peachy" had a spot in my Music I Listened To history, but only because it was new and musically interesting enough, then, to outweigh how (purposefully?) unpleasant and nasty it felt, the edgelording of it all. But the latter is pretty much all that's left, now and today. I found myself nodding along here and there for a bit, the track with Ice Cube could have been on that "Judgment Night" soundtrack (iykyk), but I do not need this today. Or ever again. Where's "White Pony"?

This is one of those bands who were incredibly unique when they came out but, 30 years later, just feels really corny to me (sorry, couldn't help it). I can still get into some of the songs but for the most it all just blends together.

Korns not really my thing A lot of sounds

A lot of yelling and screaming. Enjoy

The most interesting thing about this album is the reviews on this website. Mostly because they have the same tone I would imagine parents had when this album came out. Idk why we need to jump to, "this album is evil and will corrupt the mind" when it is just try hard edgy metal. Some of the sounds I like. A general creepy atmosphere that is pretty unique. But it all sounds samey by the end and the aforementioned try hard edgy lyrics are cringe. But it is not corrupting or the end of the world.

Not a fan, very familiar with this band and not even one of their songs has made it into my library

Nu-metal Bun de spalat vasele si curatat frigiderul

just not my jam, but interesting listen nonetheless

4/10

A whole lot of annoying noise, that is repetitive and boring.

Follow The Leader is Korn's most well know album by a long shot, this and Issues have somehow managed to stand the test of time and still be some of the most streamed Nu-Metal projects 25 years after it came out. Personally I think this album is a lot messier than Life Is Peachy as it truly is yet another mixed bag of songs ranging from actually great to embarassingly bad. As much as I wish this was on the quality level of Life Is Peachy, it simply is not, it feels a lot less interesting and consistent especially now that their formula is running a bit dry here for me. The first 4 tracks were actually pretty cool, but after that I just didn't really care or connect to the album, it just flowed by with some decent bits and some very bad bits in between. Korn's bit of being gross and sad is really starting to fade fast as their music doesn't really have much going for it other than that, and even Limp Bizkit had something to look forward to as they did try to make solid music for part of their career.

I mean...

Nu metal, electronic, rap, homophobic lyrics, BTE Freak on a Leash BBK Pretty

Ah, Korn. To paraphrase one of their quotes from the wiki, Korn is a dumb name, but the music makes it cool. I definitely thought Korn was pretty cool 20ish years ago, so it's interesting to listen to dive into one of their albums now. Not sure I really can say I feel the same way I used to. Stylistically, the music is pretty intriguing. I know that it is considered a metal/nu metal album, but it actually felt more like a heavy style of funk/jazz/reggae at times. Some hip hop aspects too. There are a lot of unique movements and choices being made to create the songs, usually showing up in the rhythm. The vocals have a gritty, impactful quality that really adds to the whole package. Lyrically, though, it's often rough. Plenty of inflammatory language and outdated ideas, a lot of them seemingly homophobic/misogynistic. I found it the worst on All in the Family, which was exacerbated by the appearance of Fred Durst to offer his unwanted input. I can't tell if its supposed to be an indictment, or some type of confrontation/denial of their own feelings. Whatever personal strife is included is a bit hard to decipher, which is true for most of the tracks. Really, there are only a couple songs here I would say I actually like. Freak on a Leash is still pretty good to me, and Got the Life is close to it. I think I tuned out a bit after All in the Family, as that was a put off. I can't say much for the later half of the album as a result. But, that also means it wasn't strong enough to bring me back in. The album was too long to not have more strong songs than it did. To rank it here, I can't put it very high. There are a few good tracks and interesting music choices, but the album mostly is unimpressive. Parts were downright bad. While I'll probably revisit the tracks I liked, I don't see myself listening to the whole thing again. Overall: 2.25/5

2 // some true butt rock. this smells like sweat, in just the worst way. worst part about it: can't truly it's terrible, it's definitely iconic.

Starts very strong with some great songs but goes down hill fast and just becomes a noisy slog

The older I get the less I enjoy listening to harder rock music. I was never into Korn anyway. So, from a musical perspective, I didn't really care for this album. I do like Brian "Head" Welch's story, which can be read in his book "Save Me From Myself". An amazing redemptive story!

I have problems digesting this.

This made me question the meaning of life too. But mostly in the sense of pondering 'how have I come to listen to Korn in 2025?'. It's poor fare from start to finish, although not absolutely without any merit at all. Like almost all nu metal, you have to hand it to the drummer and vaguely respect the guitar.

In a nutshell: oh, it's on alright. It was very hard to not compare Jonathan's vocals to Trent Reznor. All in all, I agree with critics - it's a landmark nu metal album. Overall: 4/10

No me interesan nada.

Not my genre, the first songs are very repetitive.

Industrial rock/rap.

This about matched my usual experience with Korn, at first I'm interested and wondering if it's for me after all, by the end I'm cringing and waiting for someone to explain to them how badly it's going.

Rating: 1.7 Freak on a Leash is a great, foundational nu-metal song but everything else was borderline unlistenable. Some of the lyrics were very very bad and the album seemed very unfocused, especially in the second half which seems to be a common problem with albums on this list.

Just because an album is a must-listen means it's a good album. Take in consideration "Follow The Leader" by Korn - an album that calls out to all of the disgruntled angry underachievers. From a musicality point, there is nothing original or worthy of influence for future bands. I say this as a metal head and rap fan from the early 80s that saw what the originators of this sound were trying to accomplish, this wasn't it. 2/5

No thank you, not terrible but really not enjoyable, especially for its bloated run time. This reminds me of Linkin park which is a negative comparison in my view, the best part was the feature from Ice cube as at least it sounded a bit like an Ice Cube song with Korn as the feature, the rest of it was mostly cringe nu metal with the vocalist making the most annoying noises ever with his goofy beatbox he does for some reason, his voice wasn’t terrible though, kind of sounded a bit like the dude from helloween but not as good, but he barely used that vocal inflection anyway. The instrumentation was nice sometimes which is the most positive thing I can say about this album, but it was mostly boring, annoying and too long, it wasn’t unbearable to finish but I will definitely never listen to it again, it also had some blatantly homophobic lyrics which were definitely just not needed. Favourites I basically mentioned were the songs with the hip hop features (other than Fred durst but the fact he’s a feature says everything), overall, 3/10.

This was brutally difficult to get through

Ъъъъ не

A lot of the same, sometimes the same is freaking weird, not really my favorite nu-metal nor the most exciting Haha, they can't spell the letter R

Uff. So viel aufgetragene Möchtegern-Härte. Ein paar bekannte eingängige Titel, aber maximal Fremdscham bei manchen Passagen.

I liked this album when I was in middle school. Didn't really hit the same listening to it today. 2/5

I’ve never been a fan of Korn. Blame it on my age when they blew up. I was in college and my musical tastes were snobbish to say the least. Listening to this album as I now approach 50 a few things are clear: 1. There are a few bangers (“Freak on a Leash” and “Got the Life” in particular) 2. I still can’t take Jonathan Davis’s vocals when they get that “rat-ta-ya” sort of way. 3. While I appreciate that this album is a classic within the nu-metal genre I still don’t enjoy it in its entirety

A couple of times this made me laugh at just how stupid it was. This seems purely for teenage boys in the 90s. That being said, a couple songs were actually kinda cool. Got the Life saved this from a one-star.

This is the kind of shit that made me hate music of the 90s as a whole.

Nu metal all seems a bit try hard for me

Not as good as their first album

Boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma Da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma

I think this is probably the last Korn album I bought. Issues came out in 99 and I'd moved and life had changed a lot. I think I liked the big singles at the time, but my taste was changing away from nu-metal. Retrospectively, it's jarring, abrasive. Which, look, the late 90s were.

4/10

Often sonically interesting, but so lyrically abysmal at points that I could barely make it through one listen, not two, like I normally do for albums I’ve never heard.

Freak On A Leash brought me back to my ten year old self, shredding those weird off kilter riffs on guitar hero and attempting to sing along to the raving meth-addled madness. A decent track still, and I dont hate a lot of the album instrumentally, the drums in particular are impressive. But over an hour of this guy snarling nonsense at me definitely got old. Ice Cube feature was unexpected, what an awful song, and ditto for the Fred Durst one, hilariously bad and the worst song on the album. Pretty Korny, pretty shitty, but not quite as bad as I expected i guess

Not my cup of tea, a bit too hard and noisy.

Hits fun, mostly nostalgia left

Good singles, lots of filler, and Fred Durst sucks.

There are a couple of genre defining songs on this album. That doesn't really make up for the rest of it though. The song with Fred Durst is one of the worst things I've heard in years, almost an insult to music as an art form. The playing is okay, but each song sounds similar and the album really drags. 2/5 Won't listen again

May be the ticket for some, not my itch scratcher. Giving one past baseline because of the instrumentation

I was curious to hear this album for probably the first time since high school; as a young metal fan back then I didn't have a lot of respect for nu-metal but hung out with plenty of its fans. There is a certain heavy appeal in 'It's On!' and 'Got the Life' that elevate Korn above some of its contemporaries like Limp Bizkit (Fred Durst's appearance on this album marks its worst low point song 'All in the Family'). Ultimately, this is pretty terrible, juvenile stuff, it's hard to imagine anyone but an angry teenager liking it.

There are some interesting ideas here but I can’t stand the nu-metal sound, so I mostly cringed my way through it. I’m wondering if on later albums, once everyone had gotten over the shit nu metal sound, if Korn managed to be alright!??

Musically repetitive with little variation, honestly garbage. There's 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 screaming — the album was not intelligible. Sounds like a pack of angry German men barking. And to the guy in my History class who wears a denim jacket with the Korn logo stitched on: your music taste? Satisfactory at best.

Super front loaded album where the biggest best songs are the first couple then Fred Durst shows up and it all goes to shit. 4/10

I hate to compare the two, but at least Chocolate Starfish was fun at times.

Not in the mood for this. Not sure I get the hype.

Its on: Musically it's actually really good. super well produced, interesting sounds, catchy. Lyrics are fine, vocals aren't that great Freak on a leash: Absolute classic - again, vocals are ok but much better on this track than first track. Drums are a little hollow Got the life: Intro was meh, and drums are meh, overall kinda meh but again production is great. definitely don't love it though Children of the korn is awful. I mean the album is definitely unique and musically interesting, but maybe a little to "midwest edgy" for me and kinda juvenile and not in the way I appreciate

Korn's music is what you get if you forget to tell a teenage mic-yeller band that they suck and they keep practicing. They eventually get good at making really shitty music.

Freak On A Leash is listenable, but one, maybe two, songs is all I need from Korn for a while. As an album though, it's exactly what I imagine a performative edgy kid from the late '90s and early 2000s latches onto for no reason other than they think offending people is cool. What even was "All In The Family"? There's a very samey energy all the way through.

Schrott, wenn man keine Nostalgieaktien drin hat.

Dry. It’s dry. The lead singers underwhelming capability to deliver memorable vocals (outside of the beastly adlibs on “Freak On A Leash”) and the bands just passable compositions left me wanting more. “Children Of The Corn” has a fun Ice Cube feature in concept, but wow it was clunky. And the Fred Durst feature?? That was a phoned in stinker with verses that sounded like a bad imitation of Beck’s “Loser”. There’s some recurring sound/recording technique here, I’m not sure if it’s the zipping of the guitar strings, some sort of wood/rim hits, or both, but they wayyy overdid it in the mix for most of these songs. I don’t think I’ll remember a single hook in this project, which is sad. I was ready to be captivated like I was for the Slipknot album we had not too long ago. Instead, Follow The Leader just blended altogether. 2/5. Anyways, using this time to remember that Korn made a full dubstep album at the advent of the genre’s blowing up in America with a crazy producer features list. Additionally, the Korn lead singer was apart of Killbot, which had some real early 2010’s dubstep bangers of its own. The guy knew ball.

Nah.

I could appreciate parts of it.

Usually, I enjoy metal and longer albums. I didn't mind the instruments, but I strongly disliked the vocals

2.5 rounding down

I hated this less than I expected!

Far far far too long. Its not a genre I'm a huge fan of. Its a bit messy and uninspiring and drags quite a bit because of the length but its decent enough One listen is enough lad 2/5

I was doing ok with this until those last couple songs. Terrible ending to an already not great time.

Too long and not good. Couple songs aren’t horrible. 2

As heavy as you imagine it to be.

Kind of disappointing. Maybe it’s just dated? Like the Fred Durst song is cringe, some tracks like Got the Life are skippable, and even the Ice Cube song is just ok. Freak on a Leash is still great tho.

Nu Metal really doesn't stand the test of time, and under the modern gaze a lot of this is downright reprehensible. I was never a Korn fan, so I didn't come in here with the cloud of youthful nostalgia, but this just didn't sit right with me at all... Lots of stuff to talk to my therapist about though.

Maybe for thee but not for me

The two hit songs made this worth listening to. The rest of the album was meh.

Some great riffs here. Really interesting sound. The vocals haven’t age well and make this album a tough listen. I’d rather listen to an instrumental version of this album. Highlights: It’s On, Got the Life, Pretty

Ugh, All in the Family is musically intriguing but I think we've got a little too much of the Eminem shock value shit. I guess some of the music here works. I like the guitars and instrumentation (I mean, it's nothing to write home about, but listening while I work, it's kinda neat). But we may be at some of the worst, most irritating lyrics of the whole thing thus far. 2 stars.

Almost brought down to a 1 by the last track but at least the drums were fun

I tend to like metal but this is pretty generic and lacks what I want from a metal album. Just emo garbage.

Has some hits but there are so many better options from the era. Anything system of a down put out smokes this.

I will admit Freak On A Leash is a good song. After that, it's just noise, angst and misplaced anger that the late 90s was filled with but really didn't add up to much. Also, a Fred Durst cameo? Really? Ugh!

got the life is fantastic and the rest of the album just blows

Meh…

Short of the two singles, this is aggressive dribble. I really loved those singles as a kid, so I’m kind of shocked at the quality of the rest. The songs with Ice Cube and Fred Durst are absolute garbage. The guitar work and bass blasting are key enjoyables, but the screaming vocals can get tired. Nu metal was a brief renaissance. Glad it didn’t go any further.

Pros: for a heavy and heavily distorted album the production is really crisp and clear, so much so that you can actually hear every word. Cons: for a heavy and heavily distorted album the production is really crisp and clear, so much so that you can actually hear every word.

Wegweisendes Album für das Genre des Nu-Metal. Trotz der innovativen Produktion und einigen denkwürdigen Tracks ist es zu polarisierend. Es fehlt vielen Songs an Tiefgang und musikalischer Reife. Der experimentelle Ansatz der Band, hat sich nicht positiv auf die Qualität des Weks ausgewirkt.

I probably should not but I put Korn in with Limp Bizkit and all that nu-metal stuff that we should all be ashamed of. Maybe I should not lump Korn in with the others but there is a "duet" with Fred Durst, so you know... If we include Korn, then I think we don't need Korn or pretty much any other nu-metal band. Save my ears. Korn jaywalked so that Limp Bizkit could run us over with a car. Reclaim My Place would certainly have a place on a Limp Bizkit album. I think what disappoints me the most is not that I do not enjoy this music but the fact the songs are long. I can handle an album I don't love, yet when I have to listen for 70 minutes I tend to become a bit more hostile towards the music.

made it like one song in, not my vibe

I can appreciate the music but the lyrics (ie using the f slur) are pretty childish. I did like the track with Ice Cube tho. Shrug

As I think back on Korn's career, this definitely seems to be the album that put them on the map. A lot of people really seem to hate and discount nu metal. I for one have always enjoyed it. Here's what I will say: based on what nu metal I know, I have never found most nu metal artists to be particularly good album artists. They drop one, maybe a few good tracks per album, and the rest is pretty much filler. They're ultimately measured by their singles, and when you try to look at them through the lens of album artists, they quickly fall apart. All that said, Korn was never my favorite (or among my favorite) nu metal acts, but I have long recognized their contributions to the genre and their distinct recognition factor even within the genre. This album really sees them harness that signature Korn sound. I head bopped along to the majority of this album, so there was a baseline enjoyment, but honestly, so much of this sounded the same. I couldn't have told you where most tracks ended and others began, save for a couple of the more well known songs on the album. So yeah, probably around a 2.5 for me overall, but I don't really feel inspired to round up.

I can appreciate the musicianship, but not a fan for the genre

This fits right in with the 90s NIN, Linkin Park, Marylin Manson scene. I did not get into any of this genre at the time but have come around on LP and NIN...still not Manson and Korn. The album started out alright but quickly deteriorated. John Davis must have been bullied a lot. Was into the gothic, vampire sound of the music but not his weird ad lib possessed sounds. Worst track which should be removed is "All in the Family." I get that it is knock on rap beef but good god it's fucking terrible (and homoerotic). Sounds like the whole thing was produced by the Zoolander Evil DJ. Not following the leader here...2.05.

Nu Metal as a genre commonly gets picked on (deservedly). As much as it tries to have edge or attitude something about it comes off as lame. Korn is a perfect example of this. While they had/have somewhat of a following there's a certain lameness associated with them. Follow The Leader is a pretty ridiculous album and not one that I enjoyed much on the listen. The best thing I can say about this album is that it transported me completely back to the time of its release. 1.87 stars

Didn’t necessarily hate it but generally sounds like angry depressed man were given instruments