re: What is a good Korn album to start on?

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A lot of people are trying to shite on Korn because it's considered passé to offer any positive remarks about '90s nu metal artists of their ilk. However, Korn's self-titled debut is an immensely influential and significant release that holds up much better compared to the work of other artists from that period.

Korn continued to build on the hip-hop influence and heavy guitars observed during the preceding years with songs like the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", the Anthrax and Public Enemy collaboration of "Bring the Noise", and the entirety of Rage Against the Machine's debut release. However, the album doesn't dive head-on into the nu metal and overtly rap-dominated stylings of later Korn releases. It is still very firmly rooted heavy, over-driven, and down-tuned guitars, but it also possesses a much more percussion-dominant sound compared to everything else at the time. All of the guitars are used in part as percussive instruments, but the style is still identifiable with metal and extreme music.

It's not Limp Bizkit. It's not Linkin Park. And it's not Follow the Leader-era Korn.

The album is dark, heavy, emotional, intense, and powerful. Songs like "Blind", "Faget", and "Daddy" are some of the most intense recordings from this entire subgenre of heavy music. Jonathan Davis poured his heart and soul into his vocal performances on this album, which is one of the most cathartic releases you will ever hear. It's cut from the same mold of pain and suffering felt in the lyrics and screams of Mike Williams, Dax Riggs, Kurt Cobain, and many other emotionally-suffering performers.

I even like the sophomore release Life is Peachy for its rawness and lightheartedness, although it is a mighty big drop-off in quality from Korn.

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