I wasn't going to stay up for the premiere of the album, but after the taste of it I just got on their "Requiem Mass" livestream, I had to! Holy hell!
Right off the bat we get "Forgotten" which is a total banger! It's definitely a fantastic way to start the album and not only draw you in, but it also totally set the mood for the album. JDevil sounds so good! Without a doubt some of his best vocal work. And the band themselves sound so cohesive and tight. They've all definitely grown as musicians and evolved.
"Let The Darkness Do The Rest" is a piece that starts off really ominous and creepy. The layering on the vocals in this one is great! This is probably as close to a ballad as we're going to get, though it's still got some super heavy elements to it. There's so many different elements and sounds going on in this one. It's so complex, emotional, and so beautiful. I love it!
Of course there's the masterpiece that is "Start The Healing". If you want to hear more of my thoughts on that one, check out a previous post. Definitely a great song, and it fits very well into the continuity and sound of the album. I feel like it was also really smart to release this one as the first single because it definitely does a good job conveying how the album feels and this sort of heavier side of them.
"Lost In The Grandeur" is so fucking sick! JDevil is growling in a way that I hadn't heard him do before the livestream. I absolutely adore these new heavier vocals he's using. He's able to go from that to clean vocals to screaming and back so seamlessly, which is one thing I've always enjoyed about KoRn.
Parts of the song "Hopeless and Beaten" sound very goth doom metal influenced, which was a really cool element that I absolutely love! It's got some sections that are very slow and kinda fuzzy with some haunting female backing vocals. So different, and so good!
The final track "Worst Is On Its Way" is probably the heaviest song I've ever heard from them. Holy shit! It starts like a bad acid trip, and quickly gets insanely intense. It even has a crazy JDevil nonsensical breakdown the likes of which I haven't heard since "Freak On A Leash". This is definitely also my favorite track on the album. It just left me wanting more!
Every track on this album is absolutely gorgeous and flawless! It's been awhile since an album brought me to tears. But it's just so raw and emotional and cathartic. That's one thing this band has always done well. Convey their feelings and use their music not only to heal themselves, but the fans can relate to it. Especially this album since a lot of the emotions behind it are related to losing people and the guilt and regret associated with it. I knew this was going to be a good album, but it was even better than I expected. I'm definitely going to have to listen to it a few more times, and I'm very glad I stayed up for this. I highly recommend checking this one out. Also I hear that they're already working on another album. If it's more of this, I want it like asap. This is so good. ~Gangis
Image credit: Album cover for Requiem by KoRn
Comments