The Paradigm Shift | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 7, 2013 [1] | |||
Recorded | October 2012 – May 2013 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | Nu metal, [2] alternative metal [3] | |||
Length | 42:54 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Don Gilmore | |||
Korn chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Paradigm Shift | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
The Paradigm Shift is the eleventh studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Produced by Don Gilmore,it was released by multiple labels in the United Kingdom on October 7,2013, [1] and in the United States the next day. [5] It is the first Korn album to feature original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since 2003's Take a Look in the Mirror . [5]
Following the year after the release of The Path of Totality , Korn had begun proposing ideas for their next album. [6] James "Munky" Shaffer stated that the album would contain darker elements similar to Issues (1999) mixed with the heaviness of Untouchables (2002). [7] On May 2, 2013, it was revealed that original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch rejoined the band after an eight-year absence and had been recording for the new album. [8] The first single, "Never Never", was officially released on August 12, 2013. [5] The track "Love & Meth" leaked on September 6, 2013, after the band had released several previews. The track "Lullaby for a Sadist" was originally written in 2010 prior to the idea of a dubstep-infused album, but the song did not make the cut for Korn III: Remember Who You Are . [9] "Spike in My Veins" was originally written and recorded with Noisia for inclusion on J Devil's debut album, but ended up being reworked as a Korn song.[ citation needed ]
Regarding the sound, Munky says, "The new music is inspired by our Issues album, or even Untouchables, that era. It’s a little more melodic and a little more aggressive at the same time." [7] Head added in an interview with Rolling Stone that "I'm a metalhead. I love rock music, and I came here just wanting to do the old Korn vibe, but with a new twist. "Me and Munky [James Shaffer] haven't been playing guitar together for eight years, so we came in just wanting to jam out with the bass player Fieldy [Reginald Arvizu] and Ray [Luzier], our drummer. The end product is a really good mix of old Korn mixed with some new elements. It's got a fresh new Korn 2013 sound." [10]
Jonathan Davis described the writing and recording process as "weird". He explains: "They started writing, I think, in August, and I didn't get into the studio until March, because I was going through all kinds of crazy shit. My boy got diabetes and I had come off medication for my depression, and that fucked me up. I was in a straight haze." [10] Davis entered rehab, then returned to writing the album. "It was weird – I moved into the studio. I stayed there for four months, I only came home on weekends. I moved my boys in with me, so I had my kids with me the whole time. It was an interesting creative space." Davis continued, "I don't know how the hell I did it. I was so fucked up from coming off all that medicine, and I feel so good about the record. When I look back now, I'm like, 'Wow, how did I come up with this shit?'" [10]
The album cover, designed by Roboto, [11] [12] features two opposing heads, reminiscent of the Rubin vase illusion.
The title was explained by Munky:
"It's a term encompassing different perspectives. You can view a piece of art from one angle and it takes on a certain image. If you look from another angle, it's a completely different image. We liken that to Korn in 2013. With Head back in the fold, all of the elements fans have loved since day one are there, but we're interpreting them from a new perspective. It's a bigger, brighter and bolder Korn. [13] [14]
The standard edition of the album features 11 new tracks, [15] while the deluxe edition contains an additional two tracks and a bonus DVD documenting the return of co-founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. [16]
A special edition of the album was released on July 22, 2014, as The Paradigm Shift: World Tour Edition. It contains brand new studio and live recordings. [17] The first new track, "Hater", was released as a single on June 19. [18]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 65/100 [19] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [20] |
Artistdirect | [21] |
Blabbermouth.net | 7.5/10 [22] |
PopMatters | 6/10 [1] |
Rock Sound | 8/10 [23] |
Rolling Stone | [24] |
Ultimate Guitar Archive | 8.5/10 [25] |
The Paradigm Shift has received generally positive reviews. Metacritic scores the album with a rating of 65, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [26]
Max Barrett of Rock Sound wrote the album was "a completely different monster to its predecessor, and for all the right reasons" in his favorable review of album. [23] AllMusic stated the album "shows the kind of creativity and inventiveness that ... helped to make them an influential force in heavy music." [20]
PopMatters gave the album a mixed review, stating that the album "may not quite be Korn's best album ever, but The Paradigm Shift is Korn's best album since Untouchables and metal fans could do a lot worse than that". [1]
The Paradigm Shift sold 46,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, and debuted and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, making it Korn's tenth studio album to peak in the top ten. [27] The album has sold 174,000 copies as of September 2016 in the US. [28]
All tracks are written by James Shaffer, Jonathan Davis, Brian Welch, Ray Luzier, Reginald Arvizu, and Don Gilmore, except where stated
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Prey for Me" | 3:38 | |
2. | "Love & Meth" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, Gilmore, Rauch, Suddarth | 4:04 |
3. | "What We Do" | 4:06 | |
4. | "Spike in My Veins" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, Nightwatch | 4:25 |
5. | "Mass Hysteria" | 4:04 | |
6. | "Paranoid and Aroused" | 3:35 | |
7. | "Never Never" | 3:41 | |
8. | "Punishment Time" | 4:01 | |
9. | "Lullaby for a Sadist" | 4:19 | |
10. | "Victimized" | 3:36 | |
11. | "It's All Wrong" | 3:32 | |
Total length: | 42:54 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Wish I Wasn't Born Today" | 3:03 |
13. | "Tell Me What You Want" | 3:02 |
Total length: | 48:59 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Wish I Wasn't Born Today" | 3:03 |
13. | "Tell Me What You Want" | 3:02 |
14. | "Die Another Day" | 3:45 |
Total length: | 52:44 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hater" | 3:53 |
2. | "The Game Is Over" | 3:40 |
3. | "Die Another Day" | 3:43 |
4. | "Love & Meth (Live in London)" | 4:10 |
5. | "Here to Stay (Live in London)" | 4:53 |
6. | "Get Up! (Live in Moscow)" | 4:07 |
7. | "Never Never (Live in Moscow)" | 4:19 |
8. | "Got the Life (Live in Denver)" | 4:02 |
9. | "Another Brick in the Wall (Live in Denver)" | 9:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hater" | 3:53 |
2. | "The Game Is Over" | 3:40 |
3. | "Die Another Day" | 3:43 |
4. | "Love & Meth (Live in London)" | 4:10 |
5. | "Here to Stay (Live in London)" | 4:53 |
6. | "Get Up! (Live in Moscow)" | 4:07 |
7. | "Never Never (Live in Moscow)" | 4:19 |
8. | "Got the Life (Live in Denver)" | 4:02 |
9. | "Another Brick in the Wall (Live in Denver)" | 9:25 |
10. | "Never Never (Awolnation Remix)" | 3:27 |
11. | "Never Never (Daniel Damico Remix)" | 3:26 |
12. | "Never Never (Devilslug Remix)" | 3:16 |
13. | "Never Never (Calvertron Remix)" | 5:11 |
14. | "Never Never (Bro Safari X Ufo! Remix)" | 4:09 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "So Unfair" | 3:14 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Separation / The Seed" | 13:14 |
2. | "Writing Sessions, Pt. 1" | 6:38 |
3. | "Writing Sessions, Pt. 2" | 5:47 |
4. | "Writing Sessions, Pt. 3" | 9:50 |
5. | "Writing Sessions, Pt. 4" | 1:47 |
6. | "Guitars Tracking" | 4:06 |
7. | "Bass Tracking" | 2:10 |
8. | "Drums Tracking" | 3:30 |
9. | "Vocals Tracking, Pt. 1" | 2:54 |
10. | "Vocals Tracking, Pt. 2" | 7:33 |
11. | "The Tree" | 2:57 |
|
|
Chart (2013) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [31] | 7 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [32] | 7 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [33] | 31 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [34] | 25 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [35] | 9 |
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) [36] | 19 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [37] | 20 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [38] | 38 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [39] | 22 |
French Albums (SNEP) [40] | 26 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [41] | 7 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [42] | 29 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [43] | 42 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [44] | 28 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [45] | 20 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [46] | 22 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [47] | 28 |
Polish Albums (ZPAV) [48] | 11 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [49] | 23 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [50] | 70 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [51] | 60 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [52] | 16 |
UK Albums (OCC) [53] | 16 |
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [54] | 1 |
US Billboard 200 [55] | 8 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [56] | 1 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [57] | 3 |
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [58] | 1 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [59] | 3 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [60] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Korn is the first album by the American nu metal band Korn. It was released on October 11, 1994, through Immortal and Epic Records. Before recording the album, the band was approached by Immortal/Epic Records after a performance at Huntington Beach, California. The band signed to their label because they did not want to "sign away all of their creative freedom". The band would record at Indigo Ranch Studios in Malibu, California, with producer Ross Robinson, who also produced their 1993 demo Neidermayer's Mind. The recording took place from May to June 1994. After the recordings, Korn toured with Biohazard and House of Pain.
Life Is Peachy is the second studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on October 15, 1996, through both Immortal Records and Epic Records. After the release of Korn's 1994 self-titled debut album, the band reunited with Ross Robinson to produce and went back to Indigo Ranch Studios to record. Life Is Peachy features such themes as drugs, social encounters, sex, betrayal, and revenge. The album has fourteen tracks, excluding the hidden track after "Kill You". Martin Riedl photographed its cover art, and its title is credited to Korn's bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu. Life Is Peachy was Korn's first significant breakthrough, which came from constant touring after the debut album's release and building a fan base, thus fueling great expectations.
Follow the Leader is the third studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on August 18, 1998, through both Immortal and Epic Records. This was their first album not produced by Ross Robinson. Instead, it was produced by Steve Thompson and Toby Wright.
Take a Look in the Mirror is the sixth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Released on November 21, 2003, through Epic Records and Immortal Records, it is the last Korn studio album to feature their full original lineup, as their original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch left the band in February 2005 until his return in 2013. Original drummer David Silveria also left Korn before the end of 2006 after the release of their next album See You on the Other Side. It was also the last studio album by Korn under the Epic and Immortal labels.
Brian Philip Welch, also known by his stage name Head, is an American musician. He is a guitarist and founding member of the nu metal band Korn and his solo project Love and Death, where he also provides vocals. Along with fellow Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, Welch helped develop Korn's distinctive sound that defined the nu metal aesthetic beginning in the mid-'90s.
James Christian Shaffer, also known by his stage name "Munky", is an American musician best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the nu metal band Korn. He was ranked at No. 26 of Guitar World's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.
Greatest Hits Vol. 1 is a compilation album released by American nu metal band Korn in October 2004. The album features select tracks from their first six studio albums presented in reverse chronological order. There are two previously unreleased songs on the compilation: a cover of Cameo's "Word Up!" and a compilation of all three parts of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" and "Goodbye Cruel World". These were the final songs recorded with their full original lineup, as guitarist Brian Welch left the band shortly after the album's release in February the following year, until his return in 2013.
See You on the Other Side is the seventh studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on December 6, 2005, by Virgin Records. It is their first album as a quartet after the departure of long-time guitarist Brian "Head" Welch and the last album with original drummer David Silveria before he had departed from the band in December 2006. The album was first certified gold in the United States on January 12, 2006; a subsequent platinum record certification was awarded on March 16, 2006. The album is best known for the involvement of renowned production team The Matrix, who had previously worked with pop acts like Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, and Shakira. The Matrix's direction gave Korn's music a different sound. The album features layout design and an original painting by the American surrealist/gothic painter David Stoupakis on the cover. Eleven more paintings by the artist appear as additional artwork on the deluxe special edition.
Korn Kovers is an unreleased cover album project by American nu metal band Korn.
The untitled eighth studio album by American nu metal band Korn was released on July 31, 2007, by Virgin Records. It is the band's only studio release without an official drummer, released between the departure of David Silveria in 2006 and the arrival of Ray Luzier in late 2007. Vocalist Jonathan Davis hired drummers Terry Bozzio and Brooks Wackerman as session musicians. The album was intentionally released without a title, as Davis reasoned, "Why not just let our fans call it whatever they wanna call it?" The album was certified gold in the United States on October 30, 2007.
Korn Live: The Encounter is a live release by American nu metal band Korn, to promote their studio album Korn III: Remember Who You Are. It premiered on Sunday July 11, 2010 on HDNet, and then streamed on the band's Myspace profile. It was the band's first live album to feature drummer Ray Luzier who joined the band in 2009, as well as the second to last live album recorded as a quartet before original guitarist Brian “Head” Welch returns to the band in 2013.
Resolution is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Lamb of God. It is available on a single disc CD or a two-disc deluxe edition.
"Never Never" is the lead single from American nu metal band Korn's eleventh studio album, The Paradigm Shift. The band's first single with cofounding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since 2004, it became their first number one on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
.5: The Gray Chapter is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released on October 17, 2014, by Roadrunner Records. It was the first studio album by the band in six years and the first not to feature original founding members bassist Paul Gray and drummer Joey Jordison due to the death of Gray in 2010, and Jordison being fired from the band in late 2013, as well as the only Slipknot album to feature original guitarist Donnie Steele on bass, although the tracks he played on are unknown, and the first Slipknot album to have Alessandro Venturella on bass and Jay Weinberg on drums. The album includes six singles and has received commercial success and acclaiming reviews. A standard and deluxe edition of the album was released. It is also the band's final studio album to feature their longtime percussionist Chris Fehn before his dismissal from the band due to a lawsuit in March 2019.
The Serenity of Suffering is the twelfth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on October 21, 2016. According to guitarist Brian Welch, it is "heavier than anyone's heard us in a long time" and it contains their most intense vocals and music in recent times.
"Take Me" is a single by American nu metal band Korn, from their studio album, The Serenity of Suffering. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in April 2017.
The Nothing is the thirteenth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on September 13, 2019, through Roadrunner and Elektra. The album was produced by Nick Raskulinecz.
Requiem is the fourteenth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. The album was released on February 4, 2022, through Loma Vista and Concord. It was produced by the band and Chris Collier.
"Can You Hear Me" is a song by American nu metal band Korn, released as the penultimate single from their thirteenth studio album The Nothing.