Underground Reviews

Review: Korn – The Serenity of Suffering

By 1994, metal was no longer king; grunge had taken the throne, with Nirvana leading the movement. But a metal revival was brewing within the underground. Gone were flashy guitar solos and radio friendly tracks — in their place were stripped back songs, filled with raw aggression labelled as being ‘too risqué’ for commercial radio, and even MTV, back when they actually played music. At the helm of this metal revival was a five piece group of angst fuelled misfits from Southern California — Korn.

Twenty two years since they burst onto the scene, and Korn is still as popular as ever among metal fans. The rawness of their music is still present in the band’s twelfth album, ‘The Serenity of Suffering’, which was released October 21st via Roadrunner Records.

Right from the opening track ‘Insane’, ‘The Serenity of Suffering’ delivers an intensity in its tracks, even with the addition of Corey Taylor on ‘A Different World’. ‘The Serenity of Suffering’ transports listeners back to 1998, when ‘Follow the Leader’ was taking the world by storm.

‘The Serenity of Suffering’ is the second album to feature original guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch, who returned to the band in 2913 after an eight year hiatus from the group. Standout tracks of the album include ‘Insane’, ‘Rotting in Vain’, ‘A Different World’ (featuring Corey Taylor), ‘Die Yet Another Night’ and ‘When You’re Not There’. ‘The Serenity of Suffering’ further cements Korn’s place within the pages of metal history.

‘The Serenity of Suffering’ is out NOW through Roadrunner Records!

Keep it Underground

Jase L Herbert