Take A Look In The Mirror

Includes Bonus DVD. Korn: Jonathan Davis (vocals); James The Gorilla, Sir Headly (guitar); Dog (bass); Wally Balljacker (drums). Additional personnel: Nas (rap vocals); Polar Bear (programming). Producers: Korn, Jonathan Davis, Frank Filipetti. Recorded at Elementree Studios, Tarzana, California and Piety Street Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana. "Did My Time" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The good news: "Right Now," with its coruscating, descending bassline reminiscent of Led Zeppelin and obvious hip-hop influences (in both the beat and the sinister, low-key spoken middle eight), is a tour de force of pissed-off angst. The even better news: On LOOK IN THE MIRROR, Korn have grasped the nu-metal nettle and come up with that rare crossbreed of influences that's bigger than the sum of its parts, which in Korn's case, encompasses rap and even prog rock. There's real depth here, both in musicality and emotion, as evidenced by the searing "Did My Time" and the Nas-accompanied "Play Me," where the rapper sounds totally at home amid the sonic onslaught. There's also a subtle sense of playfulness in the music, a testament both to the band's decision to produce itself and its back-to-basics sense of rediscovery. It's doubtful whether the Korn of LIFE IS PEACHY would--or could--have relaxed enough to produce something as lighthearted, (and, ironically, as commercial) as "Y'All Want a Single," a track inspired by that showbiz clichT, the managerial "Boys, what we need is a single" speech.