by Graham "Gruhamed" Hartmann
Whenever I read a review about an album, song or live show, I can't help but ask myself, "Who the hell is this to be publishing an opinion? What have they done to make their viewpoint so damn special?" It's something I think about whenever I pick up a magazine or read an article on one of my favorite music websites. Now as I'm about to review a new KORN single entitled Oildale, I couldn't help but ask myself the same question… and to me the answer is simple. I used to be a giant KORN fan. Growing up in the band's home state of California, I would persevere through the onslaught of garbage on Total Request Live every single weekday just so I could watch the latest KORN video. When they finally beat the BACKSTREET BOYS and NSYNC for the top spot on the countdown, I lost my mind! It was a victory for rock fans everywhere and a big FU to the boy band craze of the late 1990's.
Like many old-school KORN fans, I've been disappointed to say the least about their latest slew of albums. Each one seems empty, uninspired and lacking in any real musicianship. Their latest song, Oildale is no different. It's exactly what you'd expect from a new KORN release, a guitar part which barely even counts as a riff, lackluster lyrics such as, ("Why don't you just leave me alone?") and most importantly it doesn't have the magic which made KORN so important to begin with. The band used to be dark, heavy pioneers of angst-ridden nu-metal who fully utilized the art of the music video. Now they seem like the creepy kid at the party who stays way past his welcome. Hardcore KORN fans will defend it and call it brilliant, much like life long METALLICA and SLAYER fans do, and KORN will continue to sell out venues and dust off the old classics. Hell, they deserve to. Just try and deny the greatness of Freak on a Leash or Falling Away from Me. But if one of your friends tries to get you into Oildale, my advice would be to not follow the leader.
