A quarter of a century since their inception, California’s Korn have put out 12 (!!!) full-length albums, helped put bands like Limp Bizkit on the map, and more or less defined the genre that would eventually become nu-metal. Though vocalist Jonathan Davis doesn’t necessarily consider the band nu-metal, the fact remains that they directly inspired the crop of bands that would come later, including Limp Bizkit, Coal Chamber, and Soulfly.
12 albums into their career, though, where do all of their albums truly rank? Most purists would likely list their 1994 self-titled album and 1998’s Follow The Leader, and while those two are certainly important milestones, there’s also Issues, Life Is Peachy, and the polarizing The Path Of Totality – not to mention their newer material as well. Follow below, as we briefly rank all 12 of their albums, from worst to best. It’s important to note that even Korn’s lesser albums end up having at least a few good songs, though they do suffer from quite a bit of filler, too. Still, the band remains a groundbreaking and driving force in metal today, and even their lesser-ranked albums deserve a listen.
#12: Untitled (2007)
Korn’s 2007 untitled album might be their weakest, but there’s a few standouts here – tracks that come out of left-field like the electronic-based “Starting Over” and the more straightforward “Evolution” have hooks that drive an album that wasn’t too well-received by their fanbase. It’s also an album that foreshadowed the band’s recent efforts – namely 2013’s The Paradigm Shift.
#11: Korn III: Remember Who You Are (2010)
No Pro Tools. No frills. A “back to basics” approach. Famously marked by vocalist Jonathan Davis as something that “might have been the biggest mistake we ever made as a band”, the band’s first material in years with producer Ross Robinson evoked similar emotions as their classic first two albums. Even making this album was a big risk, but Korn III ultimately is not a bad effort. Standout tracks include the classic-sounding “Oildale (Leave Me Alone)” and “Let The Guilt Go” – one of the band’s best tracks to date.
#10: See You On The Other Side (2005)
Boasting one of the most hilarious music videos of all time in “Twisted Transistor”, 2005’s See You On The Other Side was Korn’s first album without Brian “Head” Welch. And while the album isn’t really among the band’s best efforts, there are some standout tracks here. The pummeling guitar riffs and vocal hooks of “Liar” and the shiny production courtesy of The Matrix really make the album stand up well. Of all the albums Korn has released over the years, this one may be the most misunderstood. Plus, it had “Coming Undone”, which was an absolute smash hit.
#9: The Path Of Totality (2011)
Korn’s dubstep reinvention on The Path Of Totality was something nobody was expecting. Even at the time, merging electronic music and heavy rock/metal wasn’t a novel thing, but dubstep and drum n’ bass influences? That certainly was. “Narcisstic Cannibal” is probably the best up-tempo track here with a hook-laden chorus, and the band would keep some of these “Kornstep” influences on their next record – just subdued enough to not take away from the music. If nothing else, an interesting experiment that got fans and non-fans talking.
#8: Take A Look In The Mirror (2003)
The chinks in Korn’s armor may have started to show on this album, but Take A Look In The Mirror is still an album that has some standout tracks (“Right Now”, “Alive”), as well as interesting, more atmospheric songs (the highly underrated “Everything I’ve Known”). The Nas feature on “Play Me” is pretty good, and there are plenty of crunchy, tasty riffs to go around.
#7: Untouchables (2002)
Even at its lowest points, Korn’s Untouchables still had an interesting and wild production story. One of the last metal albums to be thrown a ton of money to produce, the album has some really solid tracks in the form of the pounding album opener “Here To Stay” (arguably one of the band’s best opening tracks), the atmospheric and ambient “Hollow Life”, and the highly engaging “No One’s There”. Lyrically it may not be the band’s most interesting effort, but musically and production-wise? It’s one of their best – and most polarizing.
#6: The Paradigm Shift (2013)
The Paradigm Shift is the album that truly heralded Korn’s modern comeback. Album opener “Prey For Me” signaled that the modern reinvention of Korn was close to complete. Filled with a fantastic chorus and tasteful electronics, it’s the perfect album opener here. While tracks like “Never Never” take a minute to get acclimated to (there’s basically nothing like it in the Korn catalogue), and the album might be a bit too polished for some, there is quality songwriting all around – probably due to Brian “Head” Welch rejoining the band.
#5: Life Is Peachy (1996)
Angry and focused, Life Is Peachy is Korn’s most uncommercial effort. Displaying arguably their most hip-hop influence, it’s full of funk-influenced, bass-driven tracks like “Chi” and “Good God”. It’s not an album that has obvious singles, but it sure is full of cool guitar effects – “Porno Creep” being a good example.
#4: The Serenity Of Suffering (2016)
Korn’s best album since Issues, I don’t think too many people were expecting this sort of brilliance out of them. TSOS follows a similar template as Untouchables thanks to a shiny, polished production, but make no mistake, there is plenty of anger in Jonathan Davis’ voice. On the verge of exploding for about 30 seconds during “Black Is The Soul”, when he finally does, the payoff is 100% worth it. Other songs like “A Different World” (which features Corey Taylor) and “Take Me” rank among the most creative Korn material in over a decade.
The polished songs and atmosphere truly serve Korn well here. Plenty of songs here show that the band is clearly not finished – not by a long shot.
#3: Follow The Leader (1998)
One of a few albums responsible for launching nu-metal into the mainstream consciousness, Follow The Leader is generally considered part of the classic Korn triumvirate, along with the next 2 albums on our list. It’s obvious why songs like “Got The Life” and “Freak On A Leash” became huge hits, but underrated tracks like “B.B.K.” and “Pretty” crunch with menacing and catchy tones just the same. Vital, really.
#2: Issues (1999)
Korn’s 4th album is a dark, dense affair. The follow-up to Follow The Leader was released at a time where metal bands were selling hundreds of thousands of albums a week, Issues contains both some of the band’s best loved songs in “Falling Away From Me” and “Make Me Bad”, as well as underrated gems like “Trash” and the unsettling “Hey Daddy”. Also, “Beg For Me” is a highly dynamic and near-iconic song that doesn’t get talked about much. The vocals of Jonathan Davis were clearly inspired here, and it might easily be the band’s best album, if not for…
#1: Korn (1994)
Nu-metal’s true initiation and arguable apogee, Korn’s self-titled debut album is the stuff of legends. Void of any track that would truly be considered weak, it’s filled with bleak, dense, soul-crushing songs like “Ball Tongue” and shocking album closer “Daddy” that are truly remarkable. There is no fake emotion in the voice of Jonathan Davis. Korn is one of the darkest records ever put to tape. That’s not even mentioning classic songs like “Shoots And Ladders” and of course, “Blind”. It also made producer Ross Robinson a star.
How would you rank every Korn album? It’s an interesting debate. Sound off in the comments!
