Requiem

KOЯNの新時代が幕を開ける!!!

COVID19の影響でツアーを中止せざるを得なかった彼らが、そのエネルギーの全てをこの新作「Requiem」へと投入!
時間やプレッシャーなどからも解き放たれ、新たな創造プロセスによって活性化されたバンドが新たな次元と質感に到達した!KOЯN新章の幕開けを告げる、強力最新アルバム!

Roaring back after the grief and bloodletting of 2019s The Nothing, metal veterans Korn add yet another highlight to their late-era renaissance with their 14th set, Requiem. The intense, focused assault is as simple and no-frills as can be, a slim nine tracks of introspection, growth, and, shockingly, a faint sense of optimism. Recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown, the band found themselves with no deadlines, no label pressure, and plenty of time to simply record as a full unit (even though founding bassist Fieldy was on hiatus for personal reasons, his basslines are still here). With that space, they tapped into something thats a rarity on a Korn album: setting sights on hope and healing. Lets be clear, though, Jonathan Davis and company havent delivered a happy pop album. Rather, theyre trying to see the light and keep the darkness at bay, taking a self-aware approach to a batch of songs that crushes just as heavily as anything Korn have done in the past. On the explosive opener, "Forgotten," Davis takes a hard look at his life, making difficult realizations as he demands, "Dont feel bad for me/Dont feel sad for me" while Munky and Head charge forth with a buzzing twin riff attack and Ray Luzier crushes his kit. That urgency and vigor surges through the entire album, elevating classic stompers like the cathartic earworm "Start the Healing," the agonized metallic lurcher "Hopeless and Beaten," and "Penance to Sorrow," a towering hurricane of emotional turmoil and Untouchables-esque melody that implodes as Davis shreds his throat with repeated cries of "Go/I will never be free." At this stage in their story, the group could cruise on autopilot, yet they still make rewarding artistic leaps on Requiem. Standout track "Let the Dark Do the Rest" clatters to life like any signature Korn number, that is until the layered vocal harmonies pop up during the chorus. Then, at the bridge, the sky suddenly opens with expansive guitar feedback, and Davis sings in a major key, "I just want to see what the future holds." Its a lovely surprise and as close to angelic as Korn could get (even if Davis closes the track with a guttural "You make me sick!"). Another highlight, "Worst Is On Its Way," ends the album, balancing whatever positivity Davis has mustered with a fatalistic pessimism that tragedy inevitably comes just when life starts to feel nice. Theres nothing really remarkable going on here, at least until Davis drops in with a ferocious scatting break that comes out of nowhere. The hit of serotonin for longtime fans is an absolute joy. Against the odds, Korn have done it again with Requiem, a quick and ferocious blast that finds the band still hungry and innovative nearly 30 years into the game. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

全9 曲トータル・タイム約32分。過去作と比べて、もっともソリッドな表情を浮かべた通算14枚目のアルバムはファンの期待を裏切らない傑作と言えるだろう。従来のヘヴィネスにダイナミックな躍動感を加え、聴く者の情動を激しく揺さぶってくる。何より生々しく、パッションに溢れ、直情的な攻撃力で最大の効果をもたらす楽曲が並んでいる。ニュー・メタルの始祖にして、その他大勢を突き放す無二の個性にひれ伏すばかりだ。スクラッチ調のギターを用いた"Lost In The Grandeur"など新味なアプローチもあり、一曲一曲の密度も半端ではない。さらにジョナサン・デイヴィス(ヴォーカル)の表現力も素晴らしく、慈悲深きメロディーラインに身も心も吸い込まれてしまう。
bounce (C)荒金良介