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FEATURE MUSIC

What we thought of REQUIEM (out now): drum rims – or is it spiders scuttling out of a bathtub? – the latest album from Korn soon emphasises the two pillars on which the band’s enduring clout rests: their mastery of dynamics, and the nasal necromancy of Jonathan Davis’s voice. Requiem is the 14th album from the Californian nu-metal pioneers, and though it’s certainly ‘heavy metal’, that tag belies the band’s deft hand when it comes to contrasting light, shadow, and colour. The arc of each song is skillfully crafted, harmonies pop up like vampiric fairies, and the experience and conviction behind Davis’s vibrato is magic. Requiem sounds like hellhounds’ breath at the windows of your mind, then expertly flips the glass to reveal the hound in the mirror; a fantastic effort from veterans who remain crammed with vitality. ZKR Opening with the eerie clickety-tick of sticks on

FEATURE

RE-KOLLECTING YOUR EARS FOR KORN

Requiem Mass by Korn is out Feb 3 via Loma Vista.

T he staunchly devoted Korn faithful have now had a full year to mull over Requiem (2022), the latest innovation in the band’s transpiring

In saying this, the base level of visceral and claustrophobic desperation with which these songs are performed can at times feel challenging. But as Davis elucidates on the album opener, we must “break apart the pain [to] start the healing.”

musical odyssey – and one that sees Jonathan Davis venture farther into lightness than has ever felt possible for him before. Requiem Mass is a companion piece to

What prevails is a renewed sense of purpose for the precious, fleeting phenomenon [of] human experience

There is a tormented quality to his outcries, augmented by the band’s playing, which is designed to engulf us in the throes of inner turmoil ( Lost in the Grandeur , and Hopeless and Beaten ), as well as convey

cathartic sonic experience Requiem , comprising five live adaptations of the songs that best defined the critically acclaimed recording, captured as part of an intimate ceremony at the Hollywood United Methodist Church. The tracks selected to feature on Requiem Mass are clearly informed by themes of personal trauma, yet ultimately give way to peace and acceptance; it's a notable divergence from Korn’s back catalogue, which is characteristically devoid of such hopefulness.

an abiding pessimism ( Worst Is on its Way ). Fundamentally though, what prevails is a renewed sense of purpose for the precious, fleeting phenomenon that is the human experience – “And I just want to see what the future holds” ( Let the Dark Do the Rest ). Alex Burgess

WET LEG Wet Leg

WA: FEB 20 | VIC: FEB 24 -25 QLD: FEB 28 | NSW: MAR 3 - 4

TOUR DATES:

Feb 20 - Mar 4, 2023

Album available at

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