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.[5][6]
The Nothing | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 13, 2019 | |||
Recorded | August 2018–Early 2019 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Nu metal[1] | |||
Length | 44:20 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Nick Raskulinecz | |||
Korn chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Nothing | ||||
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Background and recording
editAccording to the band's lead singer, Jonathan Davis, the title of the album was inspired by a villain from The NeverEnding Story.[7] This is the first album recorded after the deaths of Davis' wife Deven and mother Holly Marie Chavez, which is reflected in the lyrics of songs such as "Finally Free".[8] This affected Davis during the recording of the album, which he treated as a form of personal therapy. Some of his emotional breakdowns were recorded and ended up on the album, most notably towards the end of the intro, "The End Begins". Davis said about the album:
"I went through hell last year and had to purge what I was going through and bring the listener through that experience. I don't know how to explain it but it takes me over. When you hear me break down and cry, that's not fake. It's how I get it out. Some people go to a shrink. My music is that for me."[9]
The recording process was unusually long for a Korn record as Davis stated in an interview with Kerrang! that while he would do a typical Korn record in two weeks, he spent around four months recording the vocal tracks for The Nothing.[10]
Following the album's release, the band was scheduled to go on tour co-headlined with Alice in Chains.[11]
Release and promotion
editOn June 25, 2019, the band revealed the title of the album, official release date and unveiled its first single, "You'll Never Find Me",[12] and the second, "Cold", on August 2.[13][14]
On September 6, with the release of the third single "Can You Hear Me", Korn announced a six-episode podcast series. The podcast bears the same title as the album and is a fictional show about a journalist who travels to a small Kansas town to investigate a teenager's disappearance.[15]
On the day of release, September 13, the band played an invite-only special concert. The set list included four tracks from The Nothing, three of which had not been played live previously.[16]
Critical reception
editAggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 83/100[17] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [18] |
Blabbermouth.net | 8.5/10[19] |
Consequence of Sound | B+[20] |
Kerrang! | [21] |
Louder Sound | [22] |
Metal Injection | 8/10[1] |
NME | [23] |
Rock 'N' Load | 10/10[24] |
Sputnikmusic | [25] |
Wall of Sound | 9/10[26] |
The Nothing received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 83 out of 100 based on six reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[17] It is also the highest Metacritic rating out of all Korn's albums rated on the website.[27] AllMusic gave the album a positive review saying, "Over atmospheric NIN-like piano and towering drums, he exposes his guilt-stricken soul in a final confessional. As the swell fades away, he weeps, "I failed, I failed." It's one of the saddest moments in their catalog, a low point that ironically elevates this album to one of their strongest statements. Korn have always excelled at pain, but with The Nothing, this is the most authentic it's ever been."[18]
Loudwire named it one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019.[28]
Commercial performance
editThe Nothing debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 with 33,000 album-equivalent units, of which 29,000 were pure album sales. It is Korn's 14th US top-10 album.[29] As of the end of 2020, the album has sold over 80,000 traditional copies in the US.[citation needed]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The End Begins" | Jonathan Davis | 1:31 |
2. | "Cold" | Davis, James Shaffer, Brian Welch, Reginald Arvizu, Ray Luzier, Lauren Christy, Nick Raskulinecz | 3:46 |
3. | "You'll Never Find Me" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, Billy Corgan, Raskulinecz | 3:41 |
4. | "The Darkness Is Revealing" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, Raskulinecz | 3:40 |
5. | "Idiosyncrasy" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, Raskulinecz | 4:39 |
6. | "The Seduction of Indulgence" | Davis | 1:43 |
7. | "Finally Free" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier | 3:53 |
8. | "Can You Hear Me" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier | 2:53 |
9. | "The Ringmaster" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier | 3:01 |
10. | "Gravity of Discomfort" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, Christy, Raskulinecz | 3:35 |
11. | "H@rd3r" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, Christy, Raskulinecz | 4:47 |
12. | "This Loss" | Davis, Shaffer, Welch, Arvizu, Luzier, John Feldmann, Raskulinecz | 4:41 |
13. | "Surrender to Failure" | Davis | 2:21 |
Total length: | 44:20 |
Personnel
edit
Korn
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Additional personnel
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Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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References
edit- ^ a b "Album Review: Korn – The Nothing". Metal Injection. September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ "Korn – You'll Never Find Me". Play MPE. June 26, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ "STOP EVERYTHING: A NEW KORN SONG HAS SURFACED CALLED 'COLD'". Wall of Sound. August 2, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ "Korn – Can You Hear Me". Play MPE. January 29, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ "Korn Shares New Song". iheart.com.
- ^ Israel Daramola (June 26, 2019). "Korn Announce New Album The Nothing, Release "You'll Never Find Me"". Spin. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- ^ "Jonathan Davis Explains The Title of Korn's New Album, The Nothing". Kerrang!. July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- ^ "Korn's Jonathan Davis: "I have the remains of at least seven people in my house"". New Musical Express. September 13, 2019.
- ^ "With new fans aboard, Korn shows how to metal in middle age". Los Angeles Times. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ^ In Conversation With Jonathan Davis of Korn, retrieved September 13, 2019
- ^ Childers, Chad (June 26, 2019). "Korn Debut 'You'll Never Find Me' Music Video". Loudwire. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- ^ "Behold KoЯn's Brand New Song 'You'll Never Find Me' From Forthcoming Album The Nothing". Wall Of Sound. June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Stop Everything: A New Korn Song Has Surfaced Called 'Cold'". Wall of Sound. August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ "Korn Shares New Song "You'll Never Find Me" & Reveals 'The Nothing' Album | iHeartRadio". Iheart.com. June 25, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
- ^ "Even Korn can't resist releasing its own branded fictional podcast miniseries". The Verge. September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ Childers, Chad (September 14, 2019). "Photos: Korn Play Intimate 'The Nothing' Record Release Show". Loudwire. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Nothing Reviews – Korn". Metacritic. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Z. Yeung, Neil (September 13, 2019). "The Nothing Reviews – Korn". AllMusic. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ Lawson, Dom (September 4, 2019). "KORN - "The Nothing"". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ "Album Review: Korn Deliver Groove and Emotion on The Nothing". Consequence of Sound. September 12, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ^ "Album Review: Korn – The Nothing". Kerrang!. September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ^ Hill, Stephen (September 12, 2019). "Korn's The Nothing recaptures the genuine darkness of their earlier works". Louder Sound. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ^ Leivers, Dannii (September 4, 2019). "Korn – 'The Nothing' review". NME. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ "Korn // The Nothing // Album Review". September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ "Korn The Nothing". Sputnikmusic. September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Birkin, James (September 12, 2019). "Korn – The Nothing (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ "Korn". Metacritic.
- ^ "The 50 Best Metal Albums of 2019". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. December 3, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (September 23, 2019). "Post Malone Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200, The Lumineers & Korn Debut in Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Korn – The Nothing". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Korn – The Nothing" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Korn – The Nothing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Korn – The Nothing" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Korn Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^ "Lista prodaje 38. tjedan 2019. (16.09.2019. – 22.09.2019.)" (in Croatian). Top Lista. February 21, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 39.Týden 2019 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Vinyl Top-40 Uge 37, 2019". Hitlisten. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Korn – The Nothing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Eesti Tipp-40: Official Estonian Digital Albums Chart". Eesti Ekspress. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ "Korn: The Nothing" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Korn – The Nothing". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Korn – The Nothing" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Week 41/2019". IFPI Greece. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
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- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Korn". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
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- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Korn – The Nothing". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
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