| Untitled | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 31, 2007 (2007-07-31) | |||
| Recorded | October 2006 – March 2007 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:47 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Atticus Ross | |||
| Korn chronology | ||||
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| Singles fromUntitled album | ||||
The untitled eighth studio album by Americannu metal bandKorn was released on July 31, 2007, byVirgin Records. It is the band's only studio release without an official drummer, released between the departure ofDavid Silveria in 2006 and the arrival ofRay Luzier in late 2007. VocalistJonathan Davis hired drummersTerry Bozzio andBrooks 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?"[1] The album was certifiedgold in the United States on October 30, 2007.[2]
This album was the first without former drummerDavid Silveria, instead,Korn enlisted the help ofTerry Bozzio,Brooks Wackerman, as well asJonathan Davis for drumming.[3][4] Also, the band recruitedZac Baird as keyboardist on this album. AnMTV article published on May 17, 2007, includes an interview withMunky as he details the process of the new studio album, while also revealing several song titles. On May 28, vocalist Jonathan Davis joined Dutch radio station3FM immediately after his performance at thePinkpop Festival. He commented on the band's upcoming album, stating it "will not be titled." He elaborated, "We had the world's greatest drummer Terry Bozzio in and Brooks Wackerman from Bad Religion in and I played drums on some songs too. I'm so proud of it, we just can't wait to show people what we've done." Davis went on to say "We didn't want to label this album. It has no boundaries. It has no limits and why not just let our fans call it whatever they wanna call it?"
Musically, the album was described as more experimental and atmospheric than previous releases by the band.[5]
After successfully recording six tracks with Bozzio, Zac Baird announced that Bozzio would not be touring with the band on the Family Values Tour 2007. Jonathan Davis claims "things just got weird [with Bozzio]."Brooks Wackerman ofBad Religion was brought in to record some tracks, and even Jonathan Davis himself contributed, something not done since 1999'sIssues. Munky stated in an interview that Bozzio had imposed himself on the band. He mentioned that among other things, Bozzio had demanded to be a full member of the band while receiving 25% interest; the band felt that this was "offensive", therefore, Korn decided not to tour with Bozzio.[6]Joey Jordison ofSlipknot would tour with Korn on theFamily Values Tour, along with the Bitch We Have a Problem Tour.
When premiering the single "Evolution" onKROQ on May 16, 2007, guitarist Munky noted that the band re-recorded much ofthe Matrix's tracks withAtticus Ross because of the band being dissatisfied with how the material had turned out. This was later confirmed in a Reuters/Billboard article:
This time around, amid some changes—founding drummer David Silveria is on hiatus to become a restaurateur, and The Matrix left the project early in the recording process—the band has crafted perhaps its most musically serious work since 2002'sUntouchables. On the album's 13 tracks, Korn balances every chorus with murky keyboard atmospheres and toying arrangements, with songs that deeply explore a mood before exploding into a frenzy.
The album was released throughEMI/Virgin in various territories, starting on July 27, 2007. The band ventured on the trio'sFamily Values Tour 2007 several days prior to the release and toured in support of the new record. The deluxe edition contains the bonus track "Sing Sorrow" (which follows the thirteenth track, "I Will Protect You"), a bonus DVD containing behind-the-scenes footage, hundreds of never-before seen photos of the band. The album debuted at number 2 on theBillboard 200, the highest sinceUntouchables. The untitled album sold 123,000 copies in its first week.[7] It also fell off the charts within twelve weeks, accumulating twenty weeks altogether. In the United States, this is the most recent Korn album to receive any sort of certification from the RIAA.
The single "Kiss" was the third single released to promote the album on April 7, 2008. It featuresTerry Bozzio on drums, who had provided for eight of the album's songs.Jonathan Davis also provided additional percussion for the song, along with "Hushabye". The song makes use of keyboards byZac Baird,[8] heavy drum patterns and violins.AllMusic described "Kiss" as "like [a] vaguelyBeatlesque Mellotron," implying its difference from the rest of the album.[8]
The fourth single taken from the album, "Haze", was written and recorded for thefirst-person shooter video gameHaze.[9] It was released as a digital single on April 22, 2008.[10] The game itself was released in May 2008 for thePlayStation 3.[11] Korn posted ablog entry on April 23, 2008, stating that those who purchased their untitled album would be able to download "Haze" as a freeVBR-qualityMP3 by visiting a certain website. "Haze" was featured as a bonus track on the Enhanced Edition and the Australian re-release of their untitled album.[citation needed]
Ubisoft and Korn created a videomashup contest on April 28, 2008. The fans ofHaze and the fans of Korn were given the opportunity to design the official video for "Haze". The winners were chosen on June 13, 2008, and the user "bootsrfun" ongametrailers.com was the first-place winner, which meant his entry was the official "Haze" video. There were also second-place, third-place, fourth-place and fifth-place winners.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 51/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| Blender | [14] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[15] |
| IGN | 8/10[16] |
| New YorkDaily News | (mixed)[17] |
| The New York Times | 7/10[18] |
| NME | 5/10[19] |
| Q | [20] |
| PopMatters | 4/10[21] |
| Rolling Stone |  [22] |
Reception was mostly met with a mixed response from critics.Metacritic registered an aggregate score of 51 out of 100.[12] The most positive reviews coming fromIGN,The Gauntlet, andBillboard.IGN noted that, "There's an overall cohesion from start to finish, and repeated listens continue to reveal new and intriguing elements at every turn, which bodes well for the future",[16] whileThe Gauntlet wrote, " 'Untitled' is the most articulate recording the band has delivered to date."[23]Entertainment Weekly also praised the album as being the band's best release "since 1999's 'Issues'".[15]
On the contrary,AllMusic criticStephen Thomas Erlewine noted that the band is going through a "middle-age slump" and that the album "doesn't break them out of it."[13]Rolling Stone asserted that Korn sounds "wounded and diminished",[22] whilePopMatters agreed, calling it "tired, bland and dated... merely going through the motions rather than creating honest music."[21]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Korn | 1:57 |
| 2. | "Starting Over" | Korn,Atticus Ross,Zac Baird | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Bitch We Got a Problem" | Korn,The Matrix, A. Ross, Baird | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Evolution" | Korn, The Matrix, Baird | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Hold On" | Korn, The Matrix, Baird | 3:06 |
| 6. | "Kiss" | Korn, A. Ross,Leo Ross, Baird | 4:10 |
| 7. | "Do What They Say" | Korn, The Matrix, A. Ross, L. Ross, Baird | 4:17 |
| 8. | "Ever Be" | Korn, The Matrix,Terry Bozzio, Baird | 4:48 |
| 9. | "Love and Luxury" | Korn, The Matrix, Baird | 3:00 |
| 10. | "Innocent Bystander" | Korn, The Matrix, Baird | 3:28 |
| 11. | "Killing" | Korn, The Matrix, Bozzio, Baird | 3:36 |
| 12. | "Hushabye" | Korn, The Matrix, Baird | 3:52 |
| 13. | "I Will Protect You" | Korn, The Matrix, Bozzio, Baird | 5:29 |
| Total length: | 48:47 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Sing Sorrow" | 4:35 |
| Total length: | 53:22 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Sing Sorrow" | 4:35 |
| 15. | "Overture or Obituary" | 3:02 |
| Total length: | 56:20 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Evolution (Dave Garcia + Morgan Page Remix)" | 6:36 |
| Total length: | 55:23 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Sing Sorrow" | 4:33 |
| 15. | "Evolution (Dave Aude Remix)" | 7:38 |
| Total length: | 60:58 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Appears" | 3:01 |
| Total length: | 51:48 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Haze" | 2:47 |
| 15. | "Hold On" (Video) | 3:33 |
| 16. | "Hold On" (Video Trailer #1 The People of Ballsville Love Ballsville Beef Party) | 1:01 |
| 17. | "Hold On" (Video Trailer #2 T.V. Commercial for Ballsville Beef Party) | 0:30 |
| 18. | "Hold On" (Video Trailer #3 Dark Stranger's Personal Message to Ballsville Beef Party) | 0:30 |
| 19. | "Hold On" (Video Trailer #4 Ballsville Channel 3 News, Last Interview with JC Kornato) | 1:12 |
| 20. | "Hold On" (Video Game Trailer) | 0:30 |
| Total length: | 58:50 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Once Upon a Time" ("Sing Sorrow" with alternate lyrics) | 4:35 |
Deluxe edition bonus DVD
Korn
Additional musicians
Mixing
A&R
Technical personnel
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| Studio albums | |
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| Live albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Video releases | |
| Demo albums | |
| Singles |
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| Promotional singles | |
| Notable songs | |
| Concert tours | |
| Signature instruments | |
| Related | |
