Korn

One of the last bands standing in the diminished nü-metal scene, Korn is responsible for much of the nihilistic caterwauling and self-pitying jackassery plaguing rock radio. Korn defined a genre whose brethren have all but faded into early aughts punch lines, and while the Bakersfield, California band has moved far from its self-titled debut, its attempts to refresh its suffocating angst are hardly welcome departures. The 2005 album See You On The Other Side and 2007’s Untitled found the band dabbling (unsuccessfully) in electronic music and working with pop production team The Matrix, only to revert to back-to-basics records like 2010’s Korn III: Remember Who You Are. The existential crises continues on 2011’s The Path Of Totality, a dubstep record featuring wunderkind Skrillex and a choppy, crisped-beyond-recognition version of Korn’s former gloom.

Updated 04/18/2012