Features
“It still blows my mind to this day”: How Korn’s Follow The Leader changed the game
On the anniversary of its release, rock and metal musicians pay homage to Korn’s Follow The Leader.
Rising U.S. metallers Orthodox bring the pain on vicious second album, Let It Take Its Course
Ironically, this second album from Nashville bruisers Orthodox is anything but. Where the violent metalcore of 2017 debut Sounds Of Loss marked the quartet as one of the exhilarating, terrifying new breed of heavy bands alongside Knocked Loose, Vein and Jesus Piece, Let It Take Its Course feels like a trip into more atmospheric metal territory.
A revenge-fantasy concept album written in response to abuse suffered by frontman Adam Easterling’s loved ones, it seethes with the violence of Code Orange, as well as the chaotic grandeur of early Slipknot. From the lurching savagery of Obsinity, through the nu-metal-inflected smash of I Can Show You God, to the lunatic intensity of the title-track, this is primarily music for dark catharsis, and it’s truly effective.
Chuck in the stalking insidiousness of The Presence and the shamelessly spooky, piano-led outro Wrongs, however, and we’ve also got one of the most ear-catching extreme albums in recent memory.
Verdict: 4/5