Korn III: Remember Who You Are

Korn III: Remember Who You Are is a fulfilling work on which Korn foregrounds rough riffs evoking the early works, a bouncing bass feel and urgent vocals. True to its title, it is a record clearly conscious of a return to the band’s origins. Welcoming Ross Robinson, who handled the early works, again as producer, its sound, without overdecorating, powerfully emphasizes the uneasy groove at the band’s core and the bared expression of emotion. A rawer record. From the development from the opening intro to “Oildale (Leave Me Alone)” and the aggression of “Pop a Pill” to a cut like “Let the Guilt Go,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “Fear Is a Place to Live” and “Move On” convey the work’s fullness. Jonathan Davis’s emotional singing powerfully drives that rough world. A record on which one wants to carefully enjoy the distinctive, sure undulation of the rhythm within the bold attempt of deliberately returning to the simple early approach. After several experimental works, the band again powerfully re-examines its own roots. A powerful, engaging record inscribing Korn’s will of returning to origins — a record where the band’s early impulse shines.