With original guitarist, Brian ‘Head’ Welch returning from a ten year hiatus, The Paradigm Shift is a mix of the old and new with Korn continuing to incorporate some electro elements into their sound while maintaining a link to their past.
When the band delve into their history on the new album, such as opener ‘Prey For Me’ with its bass-infused groove, it shows that the iconic musicians can still mix it with the best in ‘nu-metal’.
As the album progresses so does the experimentation. The band’s 2011 metal dub-step hybrid album, The Path Of Totality divided long-term fans and it seems that Korn’s LuLu moment has continued on the new release albeit on a smaller scale.
First single, ‘Never Never’ is a metal synthesised mish mash that would have fans of the ‘90s incarnation of the band shaking their heads. ‘Paranoid And Aroused’ and ‘Victimized’ are similarly melded with this industrial riff.
Besides the opener; there are some other gems on this release. ‘Love And Meth’ has Davis in a more natural vocal range returning to a guttural tone as he bellows, “Take me away.”
To the album’s detriment, much of the angst driven lyrics of vocalist Jonathon Davis that were delivered with such ferocity and pain in early Korn albums has mostly dissipated. Instead we have a streamlined version of the band with electro overtures and some mundane breakdowns.
