November 16, 1999 - Issues

Two weeks after my last release and just 15 months after "Follow The Leader", Korn released their fourth album "Issues" on November 16, 1999. Now firmly in the mainstream Korn continue to play nu-metal, but after their last album featured several other guest artists and a more radio-friendly vibe at times, this album sees Korn going back to their roots and it's heaviness is compared to their debut album. I like the sound of that, let's see what the new Korn is all about!

The album begins with a short song called "Dead" and we hear Jonathan Davis play his bagpipes in a strange but very Korn opener. Davis sings a quiet verse overtop and things die a little after a minute in. Up next is the album's biggest single "Falling Away From Me" and one of Munky or Head plays some slow, creepy, and very Korn-sounding guitar. It doesn't take long to turn into a heavy and typical Korn riff that drives a catchy chorus. Davis sings nicely overtop the creepy verse riff and the chorus is solid and heavy. They never really stray from the main drag and while things are still solidly Korn, I think this was a little unexciting as things went on and definitely not their best single. Track 3 is "Trash" and Davis leads a quiet but fast verse with some interesting quiet rapping. The chorus is nice and heavy and Davis sings in his usual solid voice overtop the heavy guitars and bass. They don't stray far from the main riff on this one either, but it's a shorter song and a better verse (in my opinion) so I think it's a much more complete song. The next track is the next in several interludes on this album that are under two minutes long, and this one is called "4U". It's got a creepy vibe similar to the first song as we hear some droning and trippy guitars and a light drum beat by David Silveria. Davis sings a quiet verse to match the mood and it's a solid little creepy interlude that leads right into track 5 "Beg For Me". Silveria plays a nice drum beat and Munky and Head both play some weird and coop guitars that give things a very unique and very Korn vibe to them. Davis sings in a high voice to nicely complete this weird verse and they snap nicely into the heavy chorus with Davis yelling nicely overtop the heavy guitars. There doesn't seem to be any solos or even little instrumental breaks so far on this album, but this was still easily my favourite song so far as I was thoroughly interested the whole way through. Up next is the second single "Make Me Bad" and it's got an interesting and groovy main riff with Fieldy playing some solid bass. We hear some piano in the quiet verse and Davis nicely yells and sings with emotion overtop. He sings a decently catchy chorus overtop some heavier guitars, but it's the verse that sets this one apart. Just these two parts once again, and things are solid, but nothing is really jumping out too much. Track 7 is another interlude titled "It's Gonna Go Away" and Silveria plays a decent drum beat and Munky and Head provide more trippy guitars. Davis sings an echo-y verse overtop and this fits right in with the other short songs on the album. It takes us to the next song "Wake Up" and it has a slow build-up until we reach a repetitive yet still great part as Davis shouts "wake the fuck up"! The verse is quiet but interesting and the chorus is pretty solid and catchy. We also hear the album's first solo and it's pretty simple, bit sounds pretty crazy still and it's quite welcome! This was one of, if not the beat song on the album! The end of it leads into track 9 "Am I Going Crazy" and it's the shortest song on the album at just over a minute and fits along the same lines as the other interludes with Davis singing quietly overtop some strange guitars. Track 9 is "Hey Daddy" and a funky and interesting guitar riff leads the way while Davis sings a high verse that gives things a creepy vibe. The chorus is nice and heavy with some solid bass by Fieldy and after another round there's a quiet and brief new part that doesn't offer much, then it's back to the chorus to predictably jam things out. It's a decent verse and chorus, just a little repetitive. Up next is another single titled "Somebody Someone" and the guitar in the verse is quiet as Davis leads a solid verse. The chorus is slow but nice and heavy and Davis yells nicely in the chorus and sounds pretty heavy. After another round a new faster guitar riff takes us in a new direction and things really awesomely break down into a slow and super heavy riff that you can't help but slam your head along to. It's a great way to end a pretty heavy single, but I'm certainly not complaining! Track 11 is "No Way" and Fieldy plays some cool bass behind some creepy guitars by Munky and Head. Davis sings a slow verse that matches the mood and as usual the chorus is heavier and pretty solid. Davis sounds pretty good the whole way through and this album's theme seems to be stick to the main drag and just play it out, which isn't bad, but it also doesn't leave much room for additional creativity. The next track is "Let's Get This Party Started" and Fieldy keeps the pace with some more cool bass while Davis sings a quiet verse. The guitars pick up as they move to the chorus and Davis sounds great screaming in the chorus, so heavy! They stick to the theme, but I love the heavy chorus enough that this is still a cool song even though it's a little repetitive. Track 13 is the final interlude and it's called "Wish You Could Be Me". It sounds like a weird DJ beat, but it's guitar that is making the weird noises in this short song. Davis sings quickly overtop, and the subject matter is pretty dark, as he ends the song with "at least you could look at me, while you're raping me, you FUCKING PUSSY". That is one way to end a song! Up next is "Counting" and it's got a catchy lead guitar riff that is easy to headbang along to and Davis yells a nice verse overtop. The chorus is similar but a little slower and it's still pretty solid. They actually do stray from the path as Davis sings a really high new part that seems to be setting the stage, but then they just return to the main riff to decently but predictably jam things out. The final song on the album is "Dirty" and like all Korn albums the last song is a long one, but there's always been a bunch of silence and then a bonus song. Fieldy drives things with a great bass riff that is catchy and sounds awesome and Davis sings a solid verse. The chorus is nice and heavy and Davis sounds good yelling here as well. Things sound cool enough that they get a pass for the repetitiveness on this one as there's lots of great bass. Davis sounds pretty good yelling "you dirty little fuck" over and over and this song is a pretty good closer that really ends at 3:45. We then hear static, or white noise for several minutes, but this time there's no bonus song! It just eventually stops and the album ends, what a terrible tease and a waste of my time Korn! Got me I guess!

That is the end of "Issues" and I thought it was a decent but not spectacular Korn album. There is lots of interesting and cool stuff for sure and this isn't a bad album at all, but it lacked enough of the really awesome parts that make Korn so good. I think it's close with their last album (which is not a great thing) but it's slightly better, giving it third place. It's still nowhere close to their debut though and I hope Korn can really bring it in the new milennium!