Regarded by many longtime fans as the ultimate low point in KORN‘s career, their seventh studio album “See You On the Other Side,” released on December 6th, 2005, via Virgin Records, marked a drastic change in the band’s signature nu-metal style that these fans had grown up with. To give credit where it’s due, the album did come with a good few bangers that have since become fan favorites – songs such as “Throw Me Away,” “Coming Undone,” and “Seen It All.” So, I reckon the initial shock reaction stemmed from some cognitive dissonance, at least to a degree: we had grown accustomed to the band evolving over the years, but not too much, not like this. With all due respect, as good as these few bangers were and still are, the rest of the album is not exactly on par with these few tracks. So, at the time, the album felt like a huge disappointment, overall. Another pain point at the time was the band’s rather obvious attempt to appeal to the mainstream rock crowd, what with using producers such as Atticus Ross and The Matrix, whose pop-tinged handiwork has been dubbed as squeaky and sterile by some of the most savage online critics. I guess I was one of those, because I recall hearing the first single off the album, “Twisted Transistor,” on the radio at the time, and it immediately got me thinking, “What in the name of sweet Beelzebub is this crap?! Don’t tell me it’s a new song by KORN, for fuck’s sake!” As the first taste of the album, it most definitely lowered my expectations. Now, I suppose time has healed all these wounds – how does the album fare 20 years later?
That ill-fated lead single does the honors of opening the album, and with all these 20 years elapsed since the initial shock, the song isn’t such a bad apple, after all. Sure, it still doesn’t count as one of my absolute favorites from the band, but it’s actually a pretty decent pop-tinted nu-metal banger. Despite its charmingly crappy title, the song slaps harder than anything LIMP BIZKIT has ever done. I think the radio version didn’t have that extended intro of weird noises and glitches, and if I’m totally honest, the album version would be better off without it, as well. C’mon, it goes on for almost a minute! At the time, some of the most vocal fans figured that the real reason why the band’s guitarist Brian “Head” Welch had left the band had less to do with his becoming a Christian and more with wanting nothing to do with the band’s new direction. Well, the album as a whole indeed lacks a bit of punch, especially in the guitar department. On the other hand, when you look at the liner notes, you can see that the pop producers also have some songwriting credits, which might explain everything. The riffs just don’t sound as snappy as they used to – with only a couple of songs notwithstanding. He rejoined in 2013, and the albums released since then do not suffer from this phenomenon. In fact, the latest KORN endeavor, “Requiem” from 2022, is arguably their best work since the late 1990s.
In order not to dwell on the bleak stuff, let’s focus on the highlights of the album. “Coming Undone” is obviously the high point in this selection. Some fans hate the song with a passion for its overly polished pop-metal sound, but even with its mainstream-ish appeal, the song kicks ass just like those old classics, in my honest opinion. Sure, it turned out to be one of the band’s most popular bangers because of its easy accessibility. I guess the old-school nu-metal crowd just couldn’t stand their favorite outsider band suddenly becoming famous, or something? Yeah, it is pop-KORN, but it’s good, so shut up.
Now, 20 years later, it’s funny that I find the weirdest track the best – the very same tracks that turned me off back in the day. There is something irresistible in the dark and ambient synth textures of “Tearjerker.” Granted, the song does not sound like a typical KORN song, not by a long shot, but maybe that’s why I find it one of the absolute highlights of the album, now. The song sounds more like some of those ambient NINE INCH NAILS affairs. Then, I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the somewhat dry-sounding riffer, “For No One,” in 2005. Now, the song unfolds like a mellowed-out HELMET homage – and I love it! The tribal rhythms of “Seen It All” have also grown on me over the years, and I’ve noticed that the song has become some sort of fan favorite by now.
Back in the day, the bonus track on the vinyl edition, “Last Legal Drug (Le Petit Mort),” felt like an anti-climax with its somewhat lazy tempo and stripped-down production. For the record, when FAITH NO MORE‘s “King For A Day… Fool For A Lifetime” (1995) came out, I instantly hated its dry sound, courtesy of producer Andy Wallace, and now it’s one of my favorite albums by the band. Okay, this particular KORN effort still isn’t in the top 5 albums by them, neither for me nor for many other longtime fans, but it’s a much more solid selection than I first gave it credit for 20 years ago.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Twisted Transistor
- Politics
- Hypocrites
- Souvenir
- 10 or A 2-Way
- Throw Me Away
- Love Song
- Open Up
- Coming Undone
- Getting Off
- Liar
- For No One
- Seen It All
- Tearjerker
- Last Legal Drug (Le Petit Mort)
Lineup
Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu – bass
David Silveria – drums
James “Munky” Shaffer – guitars, backing vocals
Jonathan Davis – vocals, bagpipes
Label
Virgin Records
